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A loop Ride on the Knowleton Rd trails with Pine Race Track.


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Map Key

9.6

Miles

15.4

KM

90%

Singletrack

1,166' 355 m

High

1,078' 328 m

Low

448' 136 m

Up

442' 135 m

Down

2%

Avg Grade (1°)

12%

Max Grade (7°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Unknown

Hillman State Park lies within State Game Lands 117 and is open to hunting. It is not legal to use the trails during certain hunting seasons. For more info, call Hillman State Park, c/o Raccoon Creek at 724-899-2200.

From pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/StateGa…
"Riding not permitted (except on Sundays or on roads open to public travel) from the last Sat in Sept thru the third Sat in Jan, and before 1 p.m. from the 2nd Sat in Apr to last Sat in May"

Overview

A short, fun loop ride on the Knowleton Rd Trails ending back at the car.

Need to Know

Use caution after the four-way intersection on the Stallion Trail / Old Airport Trail after the four-way intersection. Steep descent, skinny creek crossing, difficult ascent. See description for alternative routing.

Description

A short, fun ride on the Knowleton Road Trails. Short Loops ending back at the car. It's a good starting point for riding at Bavington. Great for beginners and intermediate riders. Allows for stops after each trail back at the parking area.

The ride consists of three main trails: Short N Sweet Trail (510), Figure 8 Trail (500), and Old Airport Trail (renamed the Stallion Trail) and the Pine Race Track, which is just off the Old Airport Trail.

Short N Sweet Trail (510)
Starts on Knowleton Road near the trailhead for the SSX Trail and Figure 8 Trail. There is a relatively well-defined pull-off on the north side of Knowleton Rd. Start by going north on to the SSX Trail following the yellow blazes (red blazes are the Colt Trail, which is less singletrack, and more flat fire road). Follow the loop staying with the yellow blazes till you get back to Knowleton Rd. There are some places where trees are blazed with both yellow and red blazes where the two trails share the same route. If you see only red blazes, you've gone off course (though the red blazes will also drop you back to Knowleton Rd as well).

Figure 8 Trail (500)
After the SSX Trail. Follow the fire road across from where you entered the SSX Trail and follow it for a few hundred yards to ride the Figure 8 Trail (500). There will be a singletrack path on your right as you enter (though you can continue and follow it left to ride the figure 8 in reverse). You'll follow this trail (also yellow blazed) past the Figure 8 Trail - Knowleton Road Connector the first time on your right until you reach a four-way intersection.

You'll want to just go straight at the four-way (the same is true if you're riding it in reverse, always follow the intersection straight through) and after a mile or so, you'll come back to the same four-way intersection from a different direction. Again, continue straight ahead through the intersection and you'll come back to the fire road you came in on. Make the left into the same path you entered the singletrack on at the beginning, but this time you'll want to take the Figure 8 Trail - Knowleton Road Connector on the right down to Knowleton Rd (this trail doesn't work well in reverse as it's a bit too steep for most people to clear, most people use the fire road to enter Figure 8 Trail).

Old Airport Trail (Renamed the Stallion Trail):
From the end of the Figure 8 Trail - Knowleton Road Connector, make a left onto Knowleton Rd and follow it till you reach a small pull-off area with a sign for the Stallion Trail, which begins much like a fire road. This trail is popular with horse riders and the entrance gets bogged up from lots of horse traffic. Be prepared to get muddy if it's been wet out recently.

Follow the trail till you descend down a hill and look for a singletrack section off the fire road to your right. Follow the trails till you reach the Pine Race Track. Try to stay on the main trail and do a loop of the race track, ignore the first left (you'll come back to here after your loop), the first right (you'll exit the race course on this after your first loop), and second right (a sometimes used shortcut which skips a bunch of singletrack off the Old Airport Trail). Pretty much follow the course through the pine trees, it's well-defined with logs bordering the path you want to take. It will dump you back at the start of the Pine Race Track. Make a left where you looped back on to the race course and follow the first right to continue on the Old Airport Trail.

Continue on this trail bearing right at all intersections till you reach a four-way intersection. At the four-way you have a choice. Go straight (and down and up a big valley, it's difficult so be prepared), or take the less intense Old Airport Trail - Field to 4-Way Intersection connector, which is primarily a horse detour around the big dip. Both will take you to the same place. Take the second left to the fire road which loops to Knowleton Rd.

History & Background

Used as a State hunting ground, some gas drilling, see access restrictions during some hunting seasons.

Contacts

Local Club: Trail Pittsburgh

Land Manager: PaDCNR - Raccoon Creek

Shared By:

Ben Voytko

Trail Ratings

  4.2 from 6 votes

#2361

Overall
  4.2 from 6 votes
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Photos

Break time.
Sep 11, 2016 near Burgett…, PA
Beautiful old pines to pedal through.
Sep 7, 2017 near Burgett…, PA
Pine Course Start - nice circuit course in the pines.
Dec 30, 2014 near Burgett…, PA
Well marked trails.
Sep 7, 2017 near Burgett…, PA
Path at trail intersection.
Jun 2, 2014 near Burgett…, PA

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Aug 4, 2018
Kristen Hussar
I do a combination of Colt/Short and Sweet, then the figure 8 trail, then I run Colt/Short and Sweet backward. The old airport is bad due to horses. 7mi — 1h 05m
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