Yesterday (June 4) we drove over to Raccoon Creek State Park. After driving by this park many times, along US-30 between Pittsburgh and Wooster, we decided to hike on one of the trails listed in Tim’s book 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Pittsburgh. It was a beautiful day for a drive and a hike, taking us a little over 45 minutes to get there (extended due to some construction traffic), almost to the West Virginia state line.
We planned to do hike #37: Lake Trail to Forest Trail. The park area was a nice, hilly wooded region. We parked in a small parking area that had a drinking fountain and porta-potty then set off towards the trail. The first part was near the Traverse Creek, a former road that was now a wide and fairly well maintained path.
After a mile and a quarter, or so, the trail approached Raccoon Lake, and got a lot narrower and a little over-grown. We had nice views across the lake, including towards the recreation area where people were fishing and some kids were on the beach.
A little further up the trail, the undergrowth was near our hips and we decided to turn around at that point, before Lake Trail met with Forest Trail. Here Janie is smiling, in front of the Lake in the background.
The hike back was nice and enjoyable. We saw a few people, but for the most part it was very peaceful – just the sounds of the trees moving and birds chirping. Our out-and-back hike was 3.1 miles, done in an hour, including stops to look around.
We decided to then drive around the park a little. We went over to the recreation area and walked up to the beach. It was very nice, for a state park and being on a lake. Kids were playing and more families were starting to show up. There is plenty of area for laying out as well as a sand volleyball court, restrooms, and a little sandwich shop. We decided we have to make a return trip, for some swimming, sun time and more hiking.
Before heading back to Pittsburgh, we also stopped at the Wildflower Reserve on the other side of US-30. We didn’t walk around, noting only a couple of blooming flowers, but decided that the nicely maintained trails deserved a return trip when the wildflowers are blooming – April or August per the park notes.