Gifford Pinchot State Park

Straight Hill–Pinchot Lake, 5 sights

3.7 mi · ▲ 198 ft · 1 hr 20 min

Straight Hill–Pinchot Lake, 5 sights is a 3.7-mile out-and-back in Gifford Pinchot State Park near Alpine, PA. The route passes Straight Hill and Gifford Pinchot State Park Beach before reaching Pinchot Lake at the turnaround, 1.9 miles in. It is mostly level, with 198 ft of elevation gain. It scores 15/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi479 – 600 ft4.1 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 40.07019, -76.88753
Nearest town Alpine, PA

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Straight Hill–Pinchot Lake, 5 sights

3.7 mi · ▲ 198 ft · 1 hr 20 min

Elevation 479–601 ft

Out & Back · Gifford Pinchot State Park

Trailhead: 40.07019, -76.88753

Weather Sep 6: Mostly clear, high 77°F / low 61° · precip 0% · wind 5 mph · sunrise 6:41 AM · sunset 7:33 PM

Toilets at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading E.
  2. 50 ftTurn left, heading E.
  3. 100 ftSharp right onto Alpine Trail, heading S.
  4. 350 ftBear left onto Pinchot Trail, heading S.
  5. 0.5 miBear right onto Ridge Trail, heading S.
  6. 50 ftPass Straight Hill.
  7. 1 miSharp right, heading SW.
  8. 450 ftPass Gifford Pinchot State Park Beach.
  9. 0.2 miPass Pinchot Lake.
  10. 100 ftReach Straight Hill, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  11. 1.3 miBear left onto Pinchot Trail, heading NE.
  12. 0.5 miBear right, heading N.
  13. 350 ftSharp left, heading N.
  14. 100 ftTurn right, heading N.
  15. 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

5% paved2% dirt93% unspecified

Weather

Mostly clearTemperature 77°F61°
Precip0%Wind5 mphUV6Humidity78%
Rained 0.9″ 3 days ago · trails may be muddy
Hourly temperature
80°60°
Sunrise 6:41 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PMSunset 7:33 PM
Mon 79°60°
Tue 81°55°
Wed 89°61°
Thu 74°66° 17%
Fri 82°65°
Sat 83°63°

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 0.6 mi in (~17 min). Leave by 6:56 PM for the 7:33 PM sunset. Back at your car by 8:03 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Toilets at the trailhead
  • Parking lot at the trailhead