🌲 Welcome to the Lumber Heritage Region GeoTour 🪵

Full of history and natural beauty, Pennsylvania’s Lumber Heritage Region spans 4.2 million acres across 15 counties. From sweeping forests and rolling hills to vibrant communities shaped by the lumber industry, come explore what makes North-Central Pennsylvania so special! This officially registered GeoTour highlights our favorite locations, from parks and forests to museums and monuments. Find 20 of the 23 caches to earn a limited-edition GeoTour coin, or find all 23 to unlock a unique souvenir added to your Geocaching profile.

For information regarding the GeoTour and a full list of caches, please visit our website.

LHR-GT #17: Laurel Mill Mountain Bike Trails

The Laurel Mill Trailhead marks the entrance to a mountain bike trail system set within a landscape shaped by Pennsylvania’s lumber and conservation history. The trails wind through Laurel Mill, first developed in 1849 as a water-powered sawmill that later grew into a thriving late-19th-century lumber community before closing in 1909, and later served as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp during the 1930s New Deal era. Today, the trail system passes forested slopes, shaded hollows, and historic sites such as Big Mill Creek, where local traditions once gathered, with interpretive elements reflecting the evolution of sawmilling, rail transport, and early conservation efforts that helped form the Allegheny National Forest. Maintained through partnerships between Ridgway Township, volunteer trail groups, and regional conservation organizations, the Laurel Mill trails connect outdoor recreation with the enduring legacy of the Lumber Heritage Region. Click here to learn more

This is a night cache. Your adventure starts at the posted coordinates, where you will locate two fire tacks on the back of the Lumber Heritage Region signpost. You will be primarily following the color seen on the top, and when you spot the color seen on the bottom, start looking for the Geocache.

From here, do a full 360-degree circle with your flashlight to spy the first fire tack. Follow the fire tacks until you spot the typical ammo can container. The final container is about 500 feet away from the parking area along a seldom-maintained connector trail. Although this cache is intended to be completed after sunset, this cache is accessible 24/7, especially if you are skilled at spotting fire tacks. Please leave all game pieces exactly as you found them. Thanks!

This project was financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, the Heritage Areas Program, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.