Morning Hike at the French Creek Trail

Looking forward to seeing everyone for our second official hike ! I’ve included some info below :

Although a small part of it follows the route of the former Pickering Creek Railroad, most of the trail runs along a route much closer to the creek for which it is named. The trail passes several prominent local historical sites, including Rapps Dam, Snyder's Mill, Rapps Dam Covered Bridge and Jacob Rudy's Powder Mill.

A roughly one mile section from Rapps Dam Road west to a bridge over French Creek is paved with asphalt and is wheelchair-accessible as well as suitable for cycling. However, most of the trail is natural surface of dirt or grass. This portion is not handicapped-accessible and is best for hiking and mountain biking and is often muddy and flood-prone after rainy weather.

The best parking is on either side of Rapps Dam Road, immediately south of the covered bridge. The paved portion, as well as the ruins of Snyders Mill and an archeological site where Jacob Rudy's Powder Mill once stood can all be accessed from here. There are other trailheads to the west and east.