Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail and Scenic Byway

When I traveled the LaurelHighlandsScenic Byway it was great to see mother nature show her colors on such a grand scale. Driving a car through this byway allowed me to see one vista after another. I felt like I was flying free from vista to vista.

The afternoon got late so I turned around to hike back to the car. I came back pumped from the experience. This was a place that few people have hiked and I knew that it was an honor to have hiked it.

Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway Pennsylvania Route 711 South near New Florence. (PA) [1] A trip along the 68-mile Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway in southwestern Pennsylvania is a journey that will excite the senses and pique the interests of every traveler. From rolling hillsides to rushing waterfalls, picturesque farmlands to architectural wonders, the Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway has it all.

With some of the best pedestrian and bicycle trails in the nation, the byway traveler should plan some time to leave their automobile so they can get a closer look at the natural beauty of the land. Travelers have plenty of opportunities to journey by foot, bicycle, raft, or railroad.

Driving Directions

The traveler can access the byway from several directions:

From the north and U. S Route 22 - take the Armagh exit and travel south to Seward to access the northernmost point on Rt. 711. From this point, the traveler can follow the entire Scenic Byway in a southward direction.

From the Pennsylvania Turnpike, take the Exit #9 - Donegal travel either north or south along Rt. 711.
From the south, take Interstate 68 to Exit 23 - Bruceton Mills, and follow State Rt. 26 eastward to Rt. 381. From this point, the traveler can follow the entire Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway in a northward direction.