Mason-Dixon Trail

The Mason-Dixon Trail is a 199-mile (320 km) trail in the mid-Atlantic, running east from the Appalachian Trail in South Central Pennsylvania to the Delaware Valley, roughly paralleling its namesake border and crossing it two times.[1][2]

Mason-Dixon Trail
Upper Mill Creek Falls as seen from the Mason-Dixon Trail in York County
Length199 mi (320 km)
LocationDelaware / Maryland / Pennsylvania, US
DesignationNational Recreation Trail
TrailheadsSouth: Appalachian Trail at Whiskey Springs, Pennsylvania
North: Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
UseHiking

Route

A little over 2⁄3 of the Mason-Dixon Trail is estimated to be on paths; the remainder is on-road.[3] As a system of trails, the route of the Mason-Dixon Trail often overlaps those of other trails; its route is marked with sky blue blazes.[2]

The trail's western terminus is at Whiskey Springs on the Appalachian Trail near Mount Holly Springs in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. From there, it runs east to the Susquehanna River, passing through Gifford Pinchot State Park. The trail follows the west bank of the Susquehanna downstream, running southeast for 65 mi (105 km) from Wrightsville to Havre de Grace, Maryland, passing Long Level, Holtwood Dam, Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal Lock 12, Peach Bottom, and Conowingo Dam. The section between Wrightsville and the Norman Wood Bridge was designated a National Recreation Trail in 2010.[3]

The trail then crosses the Susquehanna River, passes through Elk Neck State Forest,[4] and enters Delaware. After heading northeast through Newark and skirting the Delaware Wedge, the trail follows the western bank of Brandywine Creek and briefly re-enters Pennsylvania to reach its eastern terminus at US 1 in Chadds Ford.

A rough overview of the 200-mile-long Mason-Dixon Trail
"Mason Dixon Trail- York County" This 30 mile section follows across the lower Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.

See also

References
  1. Backpacking Pennsylvania: 37 Great Hikes, Mitchell, Stackpole Books, 2004, ISBN 0-8117-3180-4
  2. "Mason-Dixon Trail System". Mason-Dixon Trail System, Inc. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  3. Blue Ridge Outdoors
  4. "Elk Neck State Forest - Hiking and Trails". Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

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