Foot of Ten Trail map (click to enlarge)

Distance: 1.9 mile loop (hiking only, no bikes)
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Moderate, often flat with some steep hills

The trailhead for the Foot of Ten Trail is located at the parking lot on Dry Run Road, which also serves as the end of the 6 to 10 Trail. This is a nice starting point, complete with a restroom, parking for about a dozen cars, and a wayside exhibit that goes into detail about both the Foot of Ten and 6 to 10 trails. It also has a much better trail map than the one available at the Visitor Center (which is the same as on the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site website).

Dry Run Road parking area at Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site

The Foot of Ten Trail is a loop trail that merges with and follows the biking portion of the 6 to 10 Trail for a little ways on its western side. One half of the loop is along a wide path, while the other half is on a narrow trail that was overgrown during my visit.

Typical terrain on the wide section of Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site’s Foot of Ten Trail (notice the deer in the background)

Narrow and overgrown section of the Foot of Ten Trail at Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site

The draw of the Foot of Ten Trail is that it promises the ruins of Engine House 10 and the intact Culvert 1733—it delivers on just one. There are no ruins of Engine House 10, at least that I could find. I may well have been walking on the spot where they used to be, but there are no structural remains today. However, the view of Culvert 1733 is the best of any culvert in the park. Only at the Staple Bend Tunnel can you get as clear a view of a culvert, but even then you must cross over the culvert and take a short trail to the bottom. For those unfamiliar with the term “culvert,” it’s just a drainage ditch that passes under a road so the water does not flow over the road—or tracks in this case—and cause damage. The trail passes in front of Culvert 1733, which means it does not follow the original rail path at this location; the rail tracks would have gone over the culvert. More than 150 culverts were built for the Allegheny Portage Railroad, some small and some quite elaborate.

Culvert 1733 on the Foot of Ten Trail at Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site

I hiked the Foot of Ten Trail in the clockwise direction from the parking lot. The hike starts off on a short connector trail that leads to where the loop actually starts. Once at the loop, take a left on the paved, downhill path. Shortly thereafter is an intersection with an unnamed road. The 6 to 10 Trail is in sight, so cross the road and take a right on the 6 to 10 Trail. This is the point where the two trails merge.

A portion of the Foot of Ten and 6 to 10 Trails follow the same path, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site

The 6 to 10 Trail is slightly up hill, but the incline is really not that noticeable. In about ten minutes you will come to the spot where the Foot of Ten Trail breaks from the 6 to 10 Trail. The spot is marked with a wayside exhibit. Take a right to continue.

Take a right onto the Foot of Ten Trail at the wayside exhibit, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site

It is a 15 to 20 minute walk to the 1733 Culvert, but first you will pass the former location of Engine House 10. As mentioned, there is nothing here except a sign marking the location. The culvert is another ten minutes farther down the trail.

Just after passing Culvert 1733, be on the lookout for a direction sign nailed to a tree that points to the right. Up until this point the trail is wide and well groomed, but once you turn right it is barely wide enough to walk on and quickly becomes overgrown, and at spots, even hard to see (if you start from the parking lot in a counterclockwise manner, you will hit the narrow section nearly from the start).

Directional signage along the Foot of Ten Trail posted on a tree shortly after passing Culvert 1733, Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site

I spent nearly twenty minutes or so walking through weeds and brush and wondering if I was still on a trail, but just when I thought I was lost, up pops another tree with a Foot of Ten Trail marker nailed to it. A short stretch of forest is the only respite from the tall grasses. The trail eventually comes to a foot bridge that leads back to hiking paradise—a wide swath of a trail cut through a field of wildflowers. This well groomed section lasts but a minute or so before ending at the parking lot. Turn left to get back to your car.

A well-groomed path cut through a field of wildflowers either ends or starts your Foot of Ten Trail hike at Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site

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