Scout's Trail
The Scout's Trail at Harrison Hills Park in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania is a moderate 5.2 mile hike with scenic views of the Allegheny River along the eastern side of the loop. The Scout's Trail encompasses the entirety of Harrison Hills Park, so you'll get to see what the whole park has to offer by hiking just over 5 miles on this trail. The easiest place to pick up the trailhead is to drive all the way to the end of Cottontail Drive and hop on the trail there.This GPS trail was tracked clockwise around Harrison Hills Park, but most of the lookout points are on the eastern side. If you wish to skip the western side of the loop, head north from parking instead of south.
This hike is moderate due to the elevation gain and loss over the course of the entire hike. While it's only 5.2 miles, the entire hike heads uphill and downhill almost constantly. The flattest sections of the trail are along the eastern portion of the loop by the river.
Viewpoints: By starting at the trailhead at the end of Cottontail Drive, heading north first will give you views almost right off the bat of the Allegheny River. Just north of the parking lot, directly along the trail, is an overlook area, but for even better views, continue hiking north. After approximately 1 mile into the hike (heading north along the river), you'll come across a bench with an amazing view of the Allegheny River, Freeport Pennsylvania, and the route 356 bridge. Continuing onward from the northern lookout point, the trail then loops around a cell tower before heading back south along the west side of the park.
Trail connections: You can hop on almost all of the other trails at Harrison Hills Park from the Scout's Trail: Pond Loop Trail, Spicebush Loop Trail, and the Wetlands Trail.
