Want something to do for a couple hours on a weekend or weeknight? Now that the weather is comfortable, you should think about visiting the Wintergreen Gorge in Erie, PA. The Gorge is located on the Penn State Behrend Campus. You park behind their housing complexes off of the Bayfront Connector and hike away.
While on the hike you can venture down to the waterfall (pictured). Take a camel pack and make a lunch trip out of it! Make sure you wear some sort of water shoe/sandal so you can cross and play in the water flowing through the gorge.
Wintergreen gorge is a beautiful place to go that will take you no longer than 15-20 minutes from wherever you are in Erie. It’s nice to get out of the city life for a few minutes and enjoy some scenery.
The hike around the area is not very difficult but remember when you walk down, you will have to walk back up. This is a great hike for families, singles, couples and friends!
5 comments:
Oh no, a secret revealed!
is there any other way to access trails in the gorge???
There are a couple different ways to get to the Gorge. The ones I know are all around PSB.
One option is to start at the bottom of cooper rd cross 4mi creek- location by intersection of cooper and shannon.
You can enter by the engineering complex on campus.
I personally like parking behind the dorms located off of Jordan Road- take bayfront connector, Right onto Jordan, Right behind dormitories- park in lot located all the way in back.
Hope this helps... anyone else know other places?
Anyone else know other locations??
the environmental club im in was thinking bout cleaning up the gorge. is it a public park? or do we need permission by penn state behrend to do so?
I have been visiting Wintergreen gorge since the 1960's. The place is majical. In the 70's when I attended Tech, we used to blow school and go gorge-n. At the third cataract up from the road we used to lay flat slate stones down on the creek bed and form dams to create swimming holes. My group of friends would skinny dip on hot summer days in the cool spring fed water. As time past access to the gorge was becoming easier so we had to move further up stream. I have walked the entire gorge form the lake all the way to Wattsburg. It is a three day two night hike, once you pass Behrend there is not much there but nature. Most people only see the area right where the new bridge crosses the creek. There are far more vistas that await those who are less faint of heart and willing to get their feet wet. Past the I-90 bridge to the south you can find several spots where the water is coming from ground springs that make the water as clear as it is in the summer. The only major source of pollutants comes from the I-90 overpass. Road salt and grease and oil. I am sure that some run off from agriculture plays a part when the spring rains turn the gorge into a raging torent. I have seen the creek up over the trail bank and 150' wide down there. The Coho Salmon jump the water falls and spawn up stream there will be millions of frogs and fish fry in the remaining pools to nip at your legs and feet. There are plenty of glades to camp about a half days hike upstream for those who back pack. One before you get to I-90 and at least three after. Behrend frowns on cmping down there, but just keep walking they will never find you. I recomend that nobody ever tries to scale horse shoe bend as the shale wall there is way too loose. You can stand on the over look it by the Behrend campus parking lot, but beware don't venture to far down that slop it is a sheare drop at that point. I love that place. No matter where I travel the gorge will always be my favorite place.
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