The beauty about hiking and biking is that it’s truly an activity for everyone. Whether you’re young or old, an expert or an amateur, there are many hiking and biking trails in Mercersburg that will be perfect for you. Enjoy hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities and explore the beauty of the nature with your loved ones, friends and family. If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.
Biking
Tour our town by bicycle and enjoy the streets of historical Mercersburg. Your senses will be completely immersed as you happen upon all the intricacies of the local culture.
The Mercersburg Inn is happy to provide complimentary bicycles to our guests so that you can explore the beautiful area at your own pace. In addition to the bikes, we’ll provide you with a map and bottled water to help keep you going. If you prefer, you’re welcome to bring your own bicycles and enjoy them while staying at our historic inn. We can’t wait to welcome all outdoor enthusiasts to our beautiful inn with the most romantic and luxurious accommodations in Pennsylvania.
Walking in the Town
Mercersburg is a picturesque town with lovely, preserved homes and business structures dating back 250 years. Stroll through the historical village and learn the unique and interesting history of the town.
Walking-Tour-of-Historic-Mercersburg
Historic Alleys of Mercersburg
Mercersburg Academy
The Chapel is the culmination of 30 years’ worth of dreaming, planning, and working by Dr. William Mann Irvine, founder and first headmaster (1893–1928) of Mercersburg Academy, and his wife Camille. Designed by Ralph Adams Cram, the Chapel was dedicated in 1926 to the memory of Mercersburg alumni killed in World War I and to the mothers who sent their children to Mercersburg Academy. It was rededicated at the Centennial Celebration of the Academy in 1993 as the Irvine Memorial Chapel. The Chapel spire, a replica of St. Mary the Virgin in Oxford, England, contains one of 163 traditional carillons in the United States.
Cowans Gap State Park
Cowans Gap State Park is a 1,085-acre park in the beautiful Allens Valley of Fulton County. A 42-acre lake, large campground, rustic cabins, and many hiking trails are prime attractions.
The park offers a wide variety of environmental education and recreation programs. Participants gain appreciation, understanding, and develop a sense of stewardship toward natural and cultural resources through:
- Hands-on activities
- Guided walks
- Evening programs
Curriculum-based environmental education programs are available to schools and youth groups. Teacher workshops are available. Group programs must be arranged in advance and may be scheduled by calling the park office.
Programs are offered April to November. Contact the park office for more detailed information.
Buchanan’s Birthplace State Park
Buchanan’s Birthplace State Park is an 18.5-acre park nestled in a gap of Tuscarora Mountain in Franklin County. The park and the surrounding forested mountains offer an abundance of beauty throughout the year.
In addition to the president’s memorial, there are:
- Two picnic pavilions
- Picnic tables
- Restrooms
- Drinking water
Buck Run flows through the park and hosts a population of native trout. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission regulations and laws on approved trout waters apply to Buck Run.
Caledonia State Park
The 1,125-acre Caledonia State Park is in Adams and Franklin counties, midway between Chambersburg and Gettysburg along the Lincoln Highway, US 30.
The park is nestled within South Mountain, the northern terminus of the well-known Blue Ridge Mountain of Maryland and Virginia. Within South Mountain there are four state parks and 84,000 acres of state forest land waiting to be explored and enjoyed. The soils on either side of South Mountain are ideal for fruit production, proven by the abundance of orchards in the surrounding area.
Michaux State Forest
The Michaux State Forest is located in Adams, Cumberland and Franklin counties. It is named in honor of Andre Michaux, a French botanist, dispatched by the King and Queen of France in 1785 to gather plants for the Royal Gardens. He and his son Francois Andre Michaux are noted for discovering and identifying a host of flowers, shrubs and trees.
