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Section 14 - Caledonia to Pen Mar Displayed from North to South

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  Potomac Appalachian Trail Club http://www.patc.net/ Info @ patc.net PA 233 to Rockfish Gap, VA

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Mile
Marker
 
Hiker Rated
Parking Safety
Directions Comments Number of Vehicles  Map   &  
 Weather  
Source
0.0
US 30 (Hikers Parking Lot)
   Poor           Great




Intersection of Route 30 and Route 233. Go north on Route 233 and turn right immediately into large parking lot. This lot is mapped in the entry below. You can also park in Caledonia State Park at GPS: N 39.909362 W 077.483729. See Mile 18.9 of Section 13 for more details about this alternate parking. You can park overnight here. From the parking lot take the Ramble Trail west across Route 233 until it intersects the AT (approx 1600 feet). You can register your car at the Caledonia State Park office on Route 233 just north of the parking area. If the office is closed, you can drop your information in the mail slot in the door. There is also additional parking across Route 30 at Cottage #1. Both of these areas are patrolled by park rangers. Through hikers can use the Caledonia State Park campground showers for a fee.4/10/21 As of 4/7/21 Northbound trail has minor reroute. After crossing route 30 going North storm damage has closed The AT running parallel to stream. The Trolley Trail (power lines cut) has white blazes and runs parallel to original AT for about a quarter of a mile. 25
 

 

at @ rohland.org
The green marker on the attached map in the previous listing shows the parking lot on the northeast corner of the intersection of US 30 and PA 233. Rotate the street view to the northwest to see the parking area on the right side of westbound US 30. The actual crossing of US 30 by the AT is about a half mile to the west. While I did see somebody parking there, I suspect that such parking is at best not prudent and possibly illegal. The AT can be reached as described in the previous listing. The park office is on the park road which leaves PA 233 about a tenth of a mile north from this intersection. 4/10/21 40-60
  1

  1

chico20854 @ yahoo.com
0.0
US 30 (Trail Crossing)
   Poor           Great




The AT crosses US 30 1.6 miles east of the intersection with PA 997 and 0.6 miles west of the intersection of PA 233. Parking here would be difficult, if not unwise and probably illegal. Would probably park in much better parking very close. There is a hikers parking lot at the northeast corner of the PA 233 intersection. More parking is available across from the Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop. See previous and next listings for these. One could also park inside Caledonia State Park and walk back to this point via the AT. (See Mile 18.9 of Section 13). As of 4/7/21 Northbound trail has minor reroute. After crossing route 30 going North storm damage has closed The AT running parallel to stream. The Trolley Trail (power lines cut) has white blazes and runs parallel to original AT for about a quarter of a mile. The markers on the attached map indicate the trail crossing. Rotate the street view to the north to see the northbound trail to Section 13 entering Caldedonia State Park. Rotate to the south to see the southbound trail to Section 14. 4/10/21 0
  1

  1

David Cullen
0.0
US 30 (Thaddeus Stevens Blacksmith Shop Parking)
   Poor           Great



 
As of 4/7/21 Northbound trail has minor reroute. After crossing route 30 going North storm damage has closed The AT running parallel to stream. The Trolley Trail (power lines cut) has white blazes and runs parallel to original AT for about a quarter of a mile. Parking is also available on the south side of US 30 just west of the PA 233 intersection. This is across from the Thaddeus Steven Blacksmith Shop (the solitary structure on the north side of US 30 seen on the attached map . The parking area can also be seen be seen on the satellite and street views. Rotate the street view to the south to see the parking. Rotate to the northeast to see the Blacksmith Shop which is actually a museum in Caledonia State Park. . I don't know about overnight parking here. Probably the nearby lot at the intersection of US 30 and PA233 is better for that. 4/10/21 10-15
  1

  1

David Cullen
4.7
PA 233 Crossing
   Poor           Great




Small spot on north side of PA-233 with well-marked trailhead and very small parking area - at most 4 cars. The green arrow on the attached map indicates the trail crossing. The parking area os just to the north of this at the curve seen in the satellite view. 01/06/08 2-4
  1

 

chico20854 @ yahoo.com
From the intersection of US 30 and PA 233 at Caledonia State Park, folloy the latter south for 4.5 miles to a T intersection. Go left staying on PA 233. In 0,2 miles the road bears left. The parking area is right at the bend (on the west side) with the trail crossing (well-signed) just to the south of it. The Vision Quest Camp is just a few feet to the north. At the crossing the northbound trail goes west and the southbound trail goes east. The northbound trail back to Caledonia State Park is a nice well-graded footpath except for about a mile long stretch immediately north of the trail to Rocky Mountai shelters. This piece follows the rocky spine of the ridge. 10/21/09 3-4
 

 

David Cullen
The attached map is the same as the last one except that a street view is shown. Rotate to the east to see the southbound trail. Rotate to the southwest to see the northbound trail. The view to the northwest shows the parking area. 01/19/10
  1

  1

David Cullen
5.7
Snowy Mountain Road
   Poor           Great




From the north: From the intersection of US 30 and PA 233 near Caledonia State Park follow the latter south for 4 miles to a T intersection, then go left on Snowy Mt. Road. In 0.3 miles when the paved road bears left and becomes South Mountain Road, go right on a gravel extension of the latter road. Take the first left onto what the AT Guide calls Snowy Mt. Road and the Google Map calls Stoney Mt. road. The trail crossing is 0.5 miles further on this gravel road.
There is a parking pull-off on the west side of the road just north of the trail crossing. At the crossing, the northbound AT goes west, while the southbound goes east. 07/04/10 2-3
  1

  1

David Cullen
9.8
Old Forge Road
   Poor           Great




Old Forge Road (heading south) before the old forge campgrounds (camp penn) in route to antietam shelter. 6/26/06 It can hold 3 cars.
 

 

jason.dragas @ firstdata.com
From the parking area at PA 16, take Mentzer Gap Road to Old Forge Road. Turn right on Old Forge Road. Map shows the intersection of Mentzer Gap Road and Old Forge Road. GPS N39.758078 W77.514768 There are two areas that you can pull off the road. One will accomodate 4 cars and the second will accomdate 2 cars. (10/25/2006) 6 cars maximum
  1

 

at @ rohland.org
From the west/south: From the intersection of PA 16 and Pa 316 in Waynesboro go east on PA 16 for 2.7 miles then go left on Old Forge Road. Proceed 5.7 miles to the trail crossing.



From the north: From the intersection of US 30 and PA 233 near Caledonia State Park follow the latter south for 4 miles to a T intersection, then go left on Snowy Mt. Road. In 0.3 miles the paved road bears left and becomes lSouth Mt. Road. In another 1.5 miles go right on Old Forge Road. Follow this west 3.3 miles to the crossing.
The GPS reading used to create the attached map was slightly modified from the information given at http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=47602. The markers on the indicate the trail crossing Northbound AT is north, southbound is south. 09/17/09
  1

  1

David Cullen
10.4
Rattlesnake Run Road - North
   Poor           Great




From Waynesboro take Rt 16 east to Old Forge Road. Pass Mentzer Gap Road. Turn right on Rattlesnake Run Road. These directions were taken from the Appalachian Trail Guide Pennsylvania tenth edition. 11/19/07
 

 

at @ rohland.org
See directions to the Old Forge Picnic Area (Mile 10.7). If coming from the west/ south go an additional 0.2 miles, then go right on Rattlesnake Run Road. Go south about 0.1 miles to the crossing. If coming from the north the distance on Old Forge Road to Rattlesnake Run Road is 3.8 miles. The dirt parking area is a short distance south of the trail crossing. The green arrow on the attached map indicates the approximate trail crossing. Coordinates are from Backpacker magazine found online at http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=47602 . The northbound trail goes east, the southbound trail goes west. 09/18/09 4-6
  1

  1

David Cullen
10.7
Old Forge State Forest Picnic Area
   Poor           Great




from south: From Emmitsburg, take MD 140 West, which will become PA 16 at the state line. Go through Blue Ridge Summit, and down the mountains to Rouzerville. Turn right at Old Forge Road. Go approximately 5 miles and then make a right to Old Forge State Forest Picnic Area (be alert, the entrance is sort of hidden). Park in parking lot at north end of park adjoining ball field.   appx 20
 

 

jojowalkerfan @ yahoo.com
01/06/08 20
  1

  1

chico20854 @ yahoo.com
From the west/south: From the intersection of PA 16 and Pa 316 in Waynesboro go east on PA 16 for 2.7 miles then go left on Old Forge Road. Proceed 5 miles. The entrance to the picnic area is on the right shortly after Old Forge Road bears east after the intersection with Staley Road.
From the north: From the intersection of US 30 and PA 233 near Caledonia follow the latter south for 4.5 miles to a T intersection. PA 233 goes right here. Go left on Snowy Mt. Road. In 0.3 miles the paved road bears left and becomes South Mt. Road. In another 1.5 miles go right on Old Forge Road. Follow this west 4 miles to the park entrance on the left.
See map attached in previous listing. This green arrow shows the picnic area. One of the parking areas is clearly visible in the center of the picture. The trail comes in from the east. Just south of the ball field (the large grassy area in the satellite view on the map), the trail turns south. There is an all-year water spigot on a small building a short distance to the north of the turn. 04/13/11
 

 

David Cullen
12.9
Pipeline Right-of-wWy
   Poor           Great



 
From the Old Forge Picnic Area (Mile 10.7) go east about 0.2 miles, then go right on gravel Rattlesnake Run Road. Eventually the road starts to climb. There is a pipeline crossing at the top of the climb. This is about 2.3 miles from Old Fore Road. There is parking for 4.-6 cars at the parking area. In addition there appears to be a clearing a short distance to the north where more parking might be aailable. Go west along the pipeline for about 0.1 miles to the AT. Southbound AT is left, northbound is right. 05/13/11 4-6 at pipeline
 

 

David Cullen
From the Mentzer Gap trail crossing (Mile 15.1), drive west 0.1-0.2 miles to RAttlesnake Run Road. Go right on this gravel road for 1.9 miles to the pipeline crossing. See previous listing for more details.
The green arrow on the attached map indicates the point where Rattlesnake Run Road crosses the pipeline. The AT can be seen on the left center of the satellite view. 05/13/11
  1

  1

David Cullen
14.7
Rattlesnake Run Road - South
   Poor           Great



 
From the intersection of PA 316 and PA 16 in Waynesboro, take PA 16 2.8 miles east to Old Forge Road. Turn left on Old Forge Road. In 1.7 miles turn right on Mentzer Gap Road. In another 0.7 miles Mentzer Gap Road goes right. Continue to follow it for another 1.1 miles to Rattlesnake Run Road. Go left on this for 0.3 miles to trail crossing. Turn left on Rattlesnake Run Road. The AT crosses Rattlesnake Run Road in a short while. GPS N39.746167 W77.490778



A variation of this route suggested by the Google map is to follow PA east 5.6 miles from the intersection with PA 316 in Waynesboro or 7.2 miles west from the intersection with PA 116 near Carroll Valley. Go north on Mentzer Gap Road. This swings to the east. In 0.3 miles turn right on Rattlesnake Run Road and go about 0.3 miles to the trail crossing.

There is at least one small parking pull-off near the trail crossing. There might be places in the immediate vicinity which would suffice for parking
These first set of directions are an enhanced version of those given in the Appalachian Trail Guide to Pennsylvania tenth edition.

The northbound trail comes in from the east, turns right on the road for a short distance, then goes left back into the woods. 11/19/07

  1

  1

at @ rohland.org
See directions to the Old Forge Picnic Area (Mile 10.7). Go east on Old Forge Road for approximately 0.2 miles, then go right on Rattlesnake Run Road. Go south 4 miles to the crossing. The marker on the attached map in the previous listing indicates the approximate trail crossing. The southbound trail goes west while the northbound trail goes east. 09/18/09 2-3
 

 

David Cullen
15.1
Mentzer Gap Road
   Poor           Great




See directions to trail crossing of PA 16 (Mile 15.3). Mentzer Gap Road goes north from PA 16 about 0.1 miles east of the crossing. Go 0.2 miles on Mentzer Gap Road to the trail crossing of that road. There is a small parking area on the right by a service road. This is just east of the crossing. I would be careful not to block the gate for the service road. The northbound trail from PA 16 reaches Mentzer Gap Road, turn left along the road for a short distance, then goes right (north) back into the woods. 1-2
  1

  1

at @ rohland.org
GPS: 39 44.632, 77 29.353
 

 

artcampb @ verizon.net
15.3
PA 16
   Poor           Great




From Caledonia State Park the trail crosses PA 16 between Rouzerville and Blue Ridge Summit. The trail is lovely, curves along the ridge, so minimal climbing.... There was a picnic table there, but it was hidden behind huge tree roots. Tree must have just fallen. (Man was working on it with saw) It made for a lovely afternoon hike. The parking allowed for 5-6 cars, and we were the only car there.
 

 

drbob @ erols.com
The AT crosses PA Route 16 which is a very busy road. Be careful crossing the road here. 10/25/2006 10/31/06 5-6 south of the road 2-3 on a pull-off north of Rt 16
  1

  1

at @ rohland.org
The trail crossing of PA 16 is 5.5 miles east of the intersection of PA 16 and PA 316 in Waynesboro and 7.3 miles west of the intersection of PA 16 and PA 116 near Carroll Valley. The gravel parking area is on the south side of the highway. Look for a pedestrian crossing sign. The markers on the attached map show the trail crossing. Rotate the street view to the north to see the northbound trail. Rotate to the south to see the southbound trail and some of the parking at the crossing. 01/18/10
  1

  1

David Cullen
15.6
Old Route 16
   Poor           Great




From the intersection of PA 16 and PA 316 in Waynesboro, go east on PA 16 for about 6 miles, then take a sharp right onto Old Route 16. Go west 0.5 miles to the trail crossing.

From the intersection PA 16 and PA 115 near Carroll Valley, PA follow PA 16 wet for 6.7 miles, then bear left onto Old Route 16 and proceed 0.5 miles further to the crossing.
This is probably best considered a drop-off point. Thee is no parking possible at the trail crossing. There is a wide spot on the shoulder just to the west where 1-2 cars could park. (See pictures). If coming from the west (Waynesboro), the northbound AT goes left (north) towards PA 16 at the crossing while the southbound trail goes right (south) towards Pen Mar. 06/11/11 Very limited
  1

  1

David Cullen
16.8
Buena Vista Road
   Poor           Great



 
From Waynesboro, PA: Follow PA 16 west about 3 miles to the town of Rouzerville. When PA 16 bears left, continue straight ahead on Old Route 16. In 0.7 miles this goes left. Continue on Old Route 16 for another 1.3 miles then take a sharp right onto Buena Vista Road. Go 1.3 miles to the trail crossing.



From Pen Mar park , follow Pen Mar Road east about a mile to McAfee Hill Road, (AKA Camp Ritchie Road). Go left, then take the next onto Buena Vista Road. Proceed 0.9 miles to the trail crossing.
The trail crossing is at a sharp curve in the road. There is some roadside parking for a car or two there but it might be dangerous. See pictures. 09/18/09 See comments
  1

  1

David Cullen
From I-70 exit 35, take MD 66 north. In 4.8 miles, turn right onto MD 64 then in another 1.6 miles, turn right onto onto MD 491 (Raven Rock Rd). In approximately 6.5 miles, MD 491 goes left onto McAfee Hill Road. Continue on McAfee Road 0.9 miles, then turn left at Buena Vista Road. The trail crossing is 0.9 miles further. In addition to parking on the curve mentioned above, one car could be parked at the point where the southbound trail leaves the road, but this would tend to block the trail. All in all this should probably be considered a drop-off point only.
Southbound the AT reaches Buena Vista Road, goes left on it for a short distances then goes right back into the woods. 06/11/11
See commments
 

 

David Cullen
17.8
Pen-Mar Road
   Poor           Great




From US 15, take MD 550 (Sabillasville Rd) west. Turn right at the entrance to Ft. Ritchie, staying on MD 550. shortly after, turn left and pass under the tresstle. A sign at this turn says Pen Mar Park. Turn right onto Pen Mar Rd.Cross into PA and over the railroad tracks. Parking pull offs are just past the state line. Do not block the gate. About 3-4 cars can be parked there without doing this. GPS N39.72076 W77.50708 At this crossing, indicated by the markers on the attached map , the southbound trail towards MD Section 1 goes west and the northbound trail to PA Section 14 goes east. 09/18/09 3-4
  1

  1

at @ rohland.org
From I-70 exit 35, take MD 66 north. In 4.8 miles, turn right onto MD 64 then in another 1.6 miles, turn right onto onto MD 491 (Raven Rock Rd). in approximately 6.5 miles, MD 491 goes left onto McAfee Hill Road. In 0.2 miles the road designation changes to MD 550. In another 0.2 miles, stay on MD 550 when it turns left onto Pen Mar Road. Continue about a mile to Pen Mar Park. Go right staying on Pen Mar Road. The parking area is about 0.2 miles further. It is on the left soon after crossing into PA. 01/18/10
 

 

David Cullen
From I-81 take Exit 5 and go east on PA 16 to Waynesboro. From the intersectionof PA 16 and PA 316 in downtown Waynesboro continue to follow PA 16 east 3.3 miles, In teh community of Rouzerville, go right on Pen Mar Road. (The street sign is very small and hard to read from the highway). In another 0.3 miles go left, staying on Pen Mar Road which now ha a PA 550 designation. Go 1.4 miles further to the parking area on the right. There is an Appalachian Trail sign at the crossing. 06/11/11
 

 

David Cullen

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