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Hiking Guide
 Presque Isle State Park
PO Box 8510
Erie, PA 16505
Phone: (814) 833-7424
Basic Info:
Presque Isle is a recurving sand spit jutting into Lake Erie and has the only surf beach in the Pennsylvania. Presque Isle is a major recreational landmark for about four million visitors each year. Presque Isle offers its visitors a beautiful coastline and many recreational activities, including swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, bicycling and in-line skating.
Trails:
There are approximately 11 miles of hiking trails at the park. (Bicycling and in-line skating are not permitted on hiking trails. Due to fluctuating lake levels, portions of trails may be seasonally flooded and not passable without appropriate footwear.)
Self-guiding Interpretive Trail:
• .5 mile
Begin at the Stull Interpretive Center and hike from the beach to the forest. Signs interpret natural succession.
Fox Trail:
• .5 mile
Winds through wooded swamps and oak-maple forests. It is maintained and groomed as a cross-country ski trail in the winter.
Old Gas Well Trail:
• .5 mile
Follows a ridge between Beach 7 and the Marina. The trail passes a gas well that produces gas used at Presque Isle State Park.
Canoe Portage Trail:
• .25 mile
This short walk between sand dunes and forest connects Pettinato Beach (Beach 8) to Marina Lake.
Ridge Trail:
• .5 mile
Follows the edge of Cranberry Pond along a portion of ridge that was a beach dune 300 years ago.
Marsh Trail:
• .25 miles
Bisects Cranberry Pond, one of the many ponds on Presque Isle. The pond formed as water was trapped between two ridges.
Sidewalk Trail:
• .1.25 miles
This historic trail was originally constructed by the U.S. Lighthouse Service as a path from the Presque Isle Lighthouse to the U.S. Lighthouse Service boathouse in Misery Bay. The trail was once a wooden boardwalk and was resurfaced with concrete in 1925.
Dead Pond Trail:
• 2 miles
Leads over several former dunes and through several distinct ecological zones. You will walk through oak-maple forest, pines and sandplains.
A-Trail:
• .2 miles
Connects Pine Tree Picnic Area to Dead Pond Trail and passes through a vernal pond. When the vernal pond fills with water in the spring, the trail is wet.
B-Trail:
• .25 mile
Connects Pine Tree Road to Dead Pond Trail and passes through a stand of pines.
Pine Tree Trail:
• .7 miles
Follows the edge of a sandplain community and a stand of pines. Located along this trail are the remains of the Biology Field Lab used by Dr. O. E. Jennings to study plant succession on Presque Isle.
Gull Point Trail:
• 1.5 miles
Gegins at the kiosk at the east end of the Budny Beach (Beach 10) parking lot and makes a loop through Gull Point. At the southeast end of the loop, a trail leads to the edge of the Special Management Area and an observation platform for viewing shorebirds.
North Pier Trail:
• .7 miles
Follows the shoreline between North Pier and Beach 11, along one of the sand ridges. An old firing range used for training during World War II may be seen along this trail.
Grave Yard Pond Trail:
• .75 miles
Follows the shoreline along Grave Yard Pond, which was the final resting place for many of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's men during the winter of 1813-1814. Two boat landings along the trail offer scenic views of the lagoons and Big Pond.
Long Pond Trail:
• 1 mile
Follows the shoreline of Long Pond, one of the ponds within the lagoon. Approximately halfway along this trail is a boat landing. The landing is a popular fishing spot and offers a scenic view of the lagoon.
Duck Pond Trail:
• .5 mile
Begins at Duck Pond and intersects the Canoe Portage Trail and connects with the Old Gas Well Trail.
Other Items Offered:
Bicycling, boating, hunting, fishing, picnic areas, recreational scuba diving, swimming, water skiing. Winter activities include ice fishing, iceboating and ice skating & cross-country skiing.
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