Somerset County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 74,129. Its county seat is Somerset. The county was created from part of Bedford County on April 17, 1795, and named after the county of Somerset in England.
Cambria County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,472. Its county seat is Ebensburg. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from parts of Bedford, Huntingdon, and Somerset counties and later organized in 1807. It was named for the nation of Wales, which in Latin is known as "Cambria".
Smithton is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 399 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population was listed at 378. Smithton has its own post office, with zip code 15479, and is serviced by Yough School District.
The Potomac Heritage Trail, also known as the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail or the PHT, is a designated National Scenic Trail corridor spanning parts of the mid-Atlantic region of the United States that will connect various trails and historic sites in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. The trail network includes 710 miles (1,140 km) of existing and planned sections, tracing the natural, historical, and cultural features of the Potomac River corridor, the upper Ohio River watershed in Pennsylvania and western Maryland, and a portion of the Rappahannock River watershed in Virginia. The trail is managed by the National Park Service and is one of three National Trails that are official NPS units.
Blue Knob State Park is a 6,128-acre (2,480 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Kimmel, Lincoln, and Pavia townships in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The average annual snowfall at the park is about 12 feet (370 cm). The park is named for Blue Knob, the second highest mountain in Pennsylvania at 3,146 feet (959 m). It is the location of Blue Knob All Seasons Resort, the ski slope in Pennsylvania with the highest elevation. Blue Knob State Park is just off Interstate 99 on Pennsylvania Route 869 west of Pavia.
Forbes State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #4. The main offices are located in Laughlintown in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Mount Davis, the highest peak in Pennsylvania, is located in the forest.
Gallitzin State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #6. The main offices are located in Ebensburg in Cambria County, Pennsylvania in the United States.
Ohiopyle State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 20,500 acres (8,300 ha) in Dunbar, Henry Clay and Stewart Townships, Fayette County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The focal point of the park is the more than 14 miles (23 km) of the Youghiogheny River Gorge that passes through the park. The river provides some of the best whitewater boating in the Eastern United States. Ohiopyle State Park is bisected by Pennsylvania Route 381 south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The park opened to the public in 1965 but was not officially dedicated until 1971.
Keystone State Park is a 1,200-acre (486 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Derry Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Located off U.S. Route 22 near New Alexandria, the park opened in 1945. Its main attraction is the man-made 78-acre (32 ha) Keystone Lake. The park also has extensive picnic areas and several miles of hiking trails.
Yellow Creek State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 2,981 acres (1,206 ha) in Brush Valley and Cherryhill Townships, Indiana County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park encompasses parts of Yellow Creek and Little Yellow Creek. The old Kittanning Path goes through the parkland. The park was established in 1963. An additional 159 acres (64 ha) of developed land were purchased in 1982. Yellow Creek Lake, a 720-acre (290 ha) man-made lake, was built in 1969 by an earth and rock dam on Yellow Creek. Yellow Creek State Park is between the boroughs of Ebensburg and Indiana on U.S. Route 422.
Kooser State Park is a 250-acre (101 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Jefferson Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The park, which borders Forbes State Forest, was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, who also built the 4-acre (1.6 ha) Kooser Lake by damming Kooser Run. Kooser State Park is on Pennsylvania Route 31 a one-hour drive from Pittsburgh. The park is surrounded by Forbes State Forest.
Laurel Mountain State Park is a 493-acre (200 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Ligonier Township, Westmoreland County and Jenner Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania in the United States.
Laurel Hill State Park is a 3,935-acre (1,592 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Jefferson and Middlecreek Townships, Somerset County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Laurel Hill Lake is a 63-acre (25 ha) man-made lake with a dam that was constructed during the Great Depression by the young men of CCC camps SP-8-PA and SP-15-PA. Laurel Hill State Park is 8 miles (13 km) from Interstate 76 just off Pennsylvania Route 31 near Bakersville and on Pennsylvania Route 653 near Trent.
Linn Run State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 612 acres (248 ha) in Cook and Ligonier Townships, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park borders Forbes State Forest. Two smaller streams, Grove Run and Rock Run, join in Linn Run State Park to form Linn Run which has a waterfall, Adams Falls, which can be seen at the park. This state park is just off Pennsylvania Route 381 near the small town of Rector.
Laurel Ridge State Park is a 13,625-acre (5,514 ha) Pennsylvania state park that passes through Cambria, Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties, Pennsylvania in the United States.
The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail is a 70.1-mile (112.8 km) hiking trail in southwestern Pennsylvania, which largely follows the Laurel Hill geologic formation. It begins at Ohiopyle State Park and travels generally to the northeast, and ends at Conemaugh Gorge near Johnstown. Construction of the trail began in 1970. It has been named as one of Pennsylvania's most popular backpacking trails and the premier trail in the southwestern region of the state.
Laurel Hill, also known as Laurel Ridge or Laurel Mountain, is a 70-mile-long (110 km) mountain that is located in Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains. This ridge is flanked by Negro Mountain to its east and Chestnut Ridge to its west. The mountain is home to six state parks: Laurel Ridge State Park, Laurel Mountain State Park, Linn Run State Park, Kooser State Park, Laurel Hill State Park, and Ohiopyle State Park. The 70-mile-long (110 km) Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail runs the length of the ridge.
Laurel Highlands Council serves youth in Allegheny, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, and Washington counties in Pennsylvania; Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, and Mineral counties in West Virginia; and Allegany and Garrett counties of Maryland.
The Lost Turkey Trail is a 26.3-mile (42.3 km) hiking trail in southwestern Pennsylvania. The trail traverses portions of Blue Knob State Park, a state game land, some parcels of private land, and Gallitzin State Forest. The trail is mostly in Bedford County and Somerset County, with a few segments briefly crossing the border into Cambria County. It reaches the highest point of any backpacking trail in Pennsylvania, with its eastern terminus at 3,034 feet, at Herman Point near the top of Blue Knob, which in turn is the second highest peak in the state. The trail also features a significant climb up the Allegheny Front. These rugged geographic features, combined with a shortage of camping areas and extensive no-camping zones, make the Lost Turkey Trail one of the more challenging backpacking trails in Pennsylvania.
