Thousand Steps - Standing Stone Trail — Attraction in Brady Township

From the parking lot just keep walking past the porta potty, against traffic and you will find the entrance.

This place offers an amazing view near the one mountain top.

I haven't seen a picture of what I'll call The Master View posted to this channel yet, and I'm not going to post one.

Because I don't want to ruin the surprise at the quarry.

...I was surprised when I got up there and found it. Just, utterly totally surprised by this view.

It is objectively fantastic.

My 16 year old son also had no idea what to expect and said it was literally jaw dropping up there at the quarry ledge overlook.

Make the extra half mile out and half mile back, it's easy walking.

There's some uphill out to get to the quarry to be fully transparent, but it's fine after an actual thousand various heights of steps up!

Get ready to find out if you got it in you! I'm a moderately active human being and I made it with a bunch of breaks. There are ledges and layovers throughout the steps, so it's easy to sit on a rock, DRINK SOME WATER and take a moment.

There's a waterfall right at the beginning! No steps required for that if I remember correctly it was all trail to that area.

Great place to go play a bit.

Trails to explore for days actually.

669 acres to explore roughly.

Amazing storyline behind it.

It's just totally amazing. There's a story board and you HAVE TO READ IT.

This quarry fed raw materials to the plants in the Brick Capital of The World at that time!

Which was Mount Union, Pennsylvania, now!

PS: There's more to the story which is mind blowing, you'll have to read that...

If you're looking for a challenging and rewarding hike, I highly recommend the Thousand Steps Trail, part of the Standing Stone Trail that runs for 85 miles along the Appalachian Mountains. ⛰️

The trail is challenging but absolutely worth it, with stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. The thousand steps themselves are no joke - they'll definitely get your heart pumping - but the sense of accomplishment at the top is unbeatable. (Hiking Tip: Get yourself a reliable hiking stick for this challenge. It makes a world of a difference in helping you on your journey up and down the steps!)

The Thousand Steps Trail isn't just a beautiful hike, it's also rich in history. One of the main historical features of the trail is the Thousand Steps themselves, which were constructed about 1936 by Harbison-Walker employees. The steps were a difficult commute to a long and challenging workday in Ledge Quarry. The workers who climbed the steps every day were crucial in the construction of three refractories that made Mount Union the "Silica Brick Capital of the World." These heat-resistant refractory products were crucial to the steel, iron, glass, railroad, and other industries.

Today, the Thousand Steps and the surrounding 669 acres have been preserved for future enjoyment thanks to a community conservation partnership initiative. The Central Pennsylvania Conservancy, Mount Union Area Historical Society, Keystone Trails Association, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania among others, rallied public and financial support to preserve the tract for future...

This trail is very well maintained. Nearly impossible to get lost because you just keep following the stone steps. I didn’t see any trash and I hope it stays that way. The views from above are amazing. I went during a foggy, rainy day so I wasn’t able to see as far out as usual but still great! I will say tho, moderately difficult is a good descriptor because the entire way is an incline. But with plenty of breaks, water and snack, you can do it. Once you get to the top, go left and there’s an abandoned looking building, if you take the steps to your left again, the building has a lower part that you can use to climb up. I’m 5’1, so anyone average height will have an easy time getting up there. The views are better up here. If at the top of the trail, you take the right, you mostly just get another vantage point and the start of a new trail. I would visit both sides and take a rest before going back down. Going down is a bit of its own work out since you cant skip down, like you would with...