I always love exploring abandoned sites, so when I discovered that there was an abandoned train tunnel in Big Spring State Park, I knew I needed to check it out.
Big Spring State Park is located in Perry County, Pennsylvania at the base of Conococheague Mountain. At 45 acres, it’s one of the smallest state parks in PA, but it is largely surrounded by Tuscarora State Forest. In fact, the abandoned tunnel is actually located within the state forest, but is best accessed from the park.
Even better, while this site feel quite quiet and remote, it’s only a short mile loop hike to reach this historic spot.
Here’s everything you need to know to get there.
How to Get to the Tunnel Trail in Big Spring State Park
Parking for the Tunnel Trail is located just off Route 274 along Hemlock Road. This road leads to the Hemlock Natural Area, which is said to be home to the tallest hemlock trees in the eastern US. There is also a small vista along this road at the top of the mountain.
The parking area can be found at these coordinates: 40.262250, -77.659944.
Note that Hemlock Road and the parking area are not paved, though the condition of both is quite good (and you’re only on the road for a hundred yards or so to reach the parking area). It is unlikely that they are maintained in the winter months.
[Click here for information on how to use coordinates to find your destination.]
Hiking the Tunnel Trail
From the parking lot, look for a sign that says “Tunnel Trail” across the gravel road from where you parked. This sign notes that the loop trail here is a mile in length, though the park’s map says it’s 0.7 miles. Either way, it’s not a long or difficult hike.
The trail passes easily through a beautiful forest that was awash in mountain laurel blooms during my late May visit. While it’s not difficult, there are a lot of rocks along the trail, especially in the first half, so make sure you can handle uneven terrain.
Other than the rocks, the trail is quite easy minus a short but steep uphill of about 15-20 feet near the tunnel. That being said, the park does list it as “More Difficult Hiking” for some reason, possibly because of the rocks along the trail.
After less than half a mile, you’ll come to the entrance to the railroad tunnel.
Digging this tunnel began in 1894 by the Newport and Shermans Valley Railroad in their attempt to continue their line beyond the Conococheague Mountain. However, only about 10% of the planned length was completed before the project was abandoned for an unknown reason.
During my visit there was a wooden picket fence near the tunnel, but no signs saying to keep out. From the fence, you can get a nice view into the tunnel which goes back about 100 feet before it ends at a stone wall.
If you opt to go inside the tunnel, use extreme caution as the climb down is a bit steep and the tunnel is likely at least somewhat unstable. It’s obvious that large rocks have fallen over the years from the roof of the tunnel based on the pile on the floor.
Should signs telling you to keep out appear in the future, please respect them.
Once you’ve finished enjoying the tunnel, you could retrace your steps back to your car for a slightly shorter hike. However, I quite enjoyed completing the loop hike.
While the rest of the trail doesn’t have any major highlights, it meanders its way through a beautiful woodland and briefly follows along a cut in the forest used for a railroad in the 19th century.
What I found most interesting was how different the forest was on the opposite side of Hemlock Road, which bisects the trail. This second half is less rocky and has many more ferns, but fewer mountain laurel. It’s interesting how two halves of a trail can be so different.
Before long, and shortly after passing a historic pavilion which was likely built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930, the trail winds its way back to the parking area where you started from.
Overall, the Tunnel Trail at Big Spring State Park is a really great little hike. The tunnel itself is quite interesting, even having visited several other abandoned train tunnels in the past, and the trail itself is quite beautiful and enjoyable to hike.
If you find yourself passing nearby or looking for something to do in the area, I definitely recommend this hike.
Looking for even more to do nearby? Check out the covered bridges of Perry County, Big Mountain Overlook, and the East Broad Top Railroad.
If you love abandoned tunnels, check out the Coburn Tunnel, Turn Hole Tunnel, and Silver Mine Park.
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