Trail Guide
This is a loop of moderate difficulty with minor elevation changes. It’s 2.25 miles in length starting and ending at the Hartwood Acres Mansion parking lot which is accessible from Saxonburg Boulevard. To find the entrance to the trail, look for the security gate just to the right as you exit the parking lot. Walk past the gate and look for a purple blaze on a tree on the left side of the road, marking the trailhead. The historic Hartwood Acres Stables are visible from this trail as you meander along the crest of the hillside through a mixed hardwood forest. The trail will gradually descend through a rocky forest offering views of pastureland in the valley below. It will then climb back to the top of the ridge and wind in and out of oak-filled valleys as you travel along old bridle trails and narrower hiking trails. During your journey you will pass through a pleasing variety of shaded and sunny sections offering a variety of plants and wildlife. The Purple Trail ends on the paved path across from the Mansion Parking lot where you began.
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