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Petroleum Centre Loop Trail

Oil Creek State Park is one of five state parks established through the efforts of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The 7,096 acre park preserves 12. 0 miles of the winding gorge created some 10,000 years ago by the draining of an ice dammed glacial lake. The discovery of oil here on August 27, 1859, marked the birth of the world’s oil industry. Throughout the park, expect to see remnants of abandoned oil wells, reminders of the region’s rich oil history.

This hike covers 6.0 miles of the 36.0 mile Gerard Hiking Trail completed in 1986 by Conservancy member Ray Gerard. The complete trail loops through the park along both sides of Oil Creek. The loop described here begins and ends at Petroleum Centre, one of the oil boomtowns of the 1860’s. The trail climbs and descends the valley slopes moderately, with short (5-10 foot) steep climbs interspersed. The most strenuous section of the trail climbs steadily at 25- 45 degree slope for nearly 0.25 mile.

DIRECTIONS:

You can download a copy of the directions by clicking on the following link Petroleum Centre Loop Trail