This trail is awesome and the books descriptions below are right on target. Make sure you wear water Proof shoes as there is water to cross a few times. We did the whole trail the last few times and finished up in 3- 3 1/2 hours each time. Bring water for you and your pup (if you have one) you will need it. We are calling it the roller coaster hike. Plenty of hills to get our hearts pumping. There are several trails intersecting one another so make sure to be on time. We start hiking right on time and finding us will be difficult if you are late.

Note: Again PLEASE be sure to wear proper clothing and shoes. Bring plenty water, snacks and other supplies you and if you have one your dog will need. Don't forget your dog's leashes even if you normally hike with them off leash. Hikers may need to leash dogs if we come across other hikers,horses, deer etc.

VERY IMPORTANT you must keep your dog with YOU. He/she must be in YOUR line of site at all times.  We've had to chase after other peoples dogs who were getting into trouble. The dog was way ahead of their owners so the owner had no idea what was going on. We've have lost our own dog recently. You will notice she is sporting a new blazing orange vest. No more blending in to the leaves for her. This reminder to have your dog in YOUR line of site will be posted on each of our hikes and if someone is having trouble keeping their dog with them we will require the dog to be leashed.  Trust us the worry of a lost dog or the need to chase others dogs to save them is a feeling we don't want anyone else to experience. We've had to leash our Candy for not just one but two hikes recently because she didn't want to respect the rules/boundaries we set for her.

Directions :from I-83 follow exit 31 "Middletown Road" northwest approximately 4.5 miles, to the intersection with Beckleysville Road. Turn left and drive a short distance, to Cotter road, which forks to the right. After 2miles, Cotter road intersects with Clipper Mill road. Bear left onto Clipper Mill Road and follow it .8 mile, crossing a bridge, to  the intersection with Gunpowder Road. Park on Clipper Mill Road. The trail starts at this intersection.

Description from trail book: The wide path ascends he steep, laurel covered hillside and is not difficult to follow. Rockdale Road and the path join for a few yards at one point. Past Rockdale Road, you may want to explore the short spur trail on the right; it passes through older forest, entirely different from the rest of the trail. Beyond Rockdale Road the trail descends, crosses Grave Run and continues to Beckelysville Road.

The Laurel Highlands area is mostly wooded, with occasional open spots. Adjacent to the bureau's boundary line are grazing pastures and meadews or wildflowers. mountain Laurle is pretty in June and during that month you may see a great variety of birds, as well as the seasonal succession of widl flowers. In springtime, carp breedin the marsh at the mouth of Grave Run; you can see them stirring up the water close to the shore. The marsh is alos a good place for water birds. The site of the old Raockdale paper mill is submerged nearby.

Laurel Highlands Trail offers varied scenery in a hilly terrain. The most interesting sections are the middle and North end. Pretty boy Reservoir is only occasionally visible from the trail. only experienced hikers should undertake the full length of the trail, especially when doing a round trip. During partial thaws in late winter and in wet early spring weather, the trail will be slippery and, therefore, as tiring as a ten mile hike.