Anyone utilizing the trail is REQUIRED TO WEAR BLAZE ORANGE @ THE BEGINNING OF ARCHERY SEASON. The trail is CLOSED only during rifle hunting season. WBT staff will be the person/s responsible for closing the trail during rifle season and will post signs to make the public aware at that time.
Map by local resident
The new hiking trail in West Bethlehem Township just off Jefferson Avenue has a spectacular overlook. The entire historic mining town of Marianna Borough that was built for the Pittsburg-Buffalo Company in 1907 is in full view. Seen here is the historic district of company houses that many families live in today. Marianna Borough sits approx. 240 feet above the banks of Ten Mile Creek, a popular place for fishing and bird watching, and kayaking during the months the creek is navigable. A segment of the creek can be seen from high atop the trail hill, as can the old coke ovens; windmills in the mountains on a clear day; farms; Horn cemetery and Scenery Hill cemetery, where many mine disaster victims of 1908 are buried; and many beautiful farmlands in West Bethlehem Township. The starting elevation is approx. 953 feet and the ending elevation is 1313 feet. 0.82 miles. Not lengthy, but a fairly difficult climb.
The trail was part of 150 acres the twp. purchased in 2003 from Bethlehem Steel. The area was a coal mine brownfield that was reclaimed after the state ordered it in 2002.
West Bethlehem Township hiking trail leads to a majestic view of the town and surrounding Marianna area. The path weaves through a natural area where hikers pass wildflowers, butterflies, wildlife, and wetlands.
When hikers reach the peak they lookout over a great blue horizon and feel like they they are on top of the world, literally!
Photos courtesy of Lisa Scherer 2019
Hiking Trail-September 2019
The top of the West Beth Hiking Trail on the morning of September 8th, 2019. Marianna Borough is hidden in the fog. Scenery Hill in the distance. If you haven't visited this trail, I highly recommend it. The sun setting is unbelievable, too!
Photos courtesy of Lisa Scherer
Black locust trees are plentiful along the West Beth Trail. The trees are native to the eastern United States. But the exact native area is not accurately known; the tree has been cultivated all across the continent. In some areas of the United States black locust is considered an invasive species due to its rapid growth and willingness to spread by root suckering and seeds. Black locust is also referred to as the tree with many uses, yet it is often underappreciated. The flowers are a food source for honeybees, the wood is an excellent firewood, and foragers love them for their edible flowers.
At any rate, it sure is beautiful when it blooms in the spring.
Hiking Trail Hill, as seen from a Grable Road Hill in West Beth. 2019
Seen from trail hill:
The South Chestnut Wind Farm located in Fayette County, is 26.73 miles, South-East, from the top of trail. It consists of 23 wind turbines with a capacity of 46 MW.
Hatfield Ferry Power Station, 17.53 miles from top of trail, was a 1.7 gigawatt coal power plant in Greene County. Its operation began in 1969 and ended in 2013 when the company decided against investing $245 million to retrofit the plant in order to comply with EPA's Mercury and Air Toxic Standards.
Horne Cemetery-The only surviving miner of the 1908 Marianna Mine disaster is buried here, as well as many local veterans. There are numerous old sandstone graves with Cyrillic alphabet writing of Russian immigrants.
Scenery Hill is 5.28 miles from the top of the trail in a straight line. It is North North-East from the trail. There were dozens of unidentified Marianna miners from the 1908 Marianna Mine explosion who are buried in a mass grave at the Mount Calvary Evangelical Lutheran church in Scenery Hill.
Marianna Borough sits approximately 240 feet above the banks of Ten Mile Creek. The entire historic mining town was built for the Pittsburg-Buffalo Company in 1907.Remains of 150 beehive coke ovens are still seen in the distance, and many of the original 282 yellow-brick houses still remain.
Kirbytown Hill-Apparently named after a Mr. Kirby who owned several small homes in the Marianna area.
Onion-like structure-Deemston Water Tower
