Forest Trail at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

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See the Hiking Trails web page for a trail map.

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Length:  .7 mile one way
Time:  45 minutes
Difficulty:  Easy to moderate

The Forest Trail at Fort Necessity National Battlefield is a .7-mile out-and-back trail (1.4 miles round trip). However, it is doubtful anyone would make an out-and-back hike out of it, as the only sensible way to proceed is to combine it with other trails to make a loop. Options are to return on either the Outer Meadow Trail (longer hike) or the Inner Meadow Trail (a little shorter hike).

Before starting out on any of the trails at Fort Necessity during the summer, be aware that gnats are a huge problem. I highly recommend wearing a hat and mosquito net on your head, otherwise you are likely to have the pests buzzing your ears, flying up your nose and into your mouth, and your arm will fall off from waving it in front of your face the entire time trying to shoo them away.

As with most trails at Fort Necessity National Battlefield, you must first walk out to the reconstructed fort on a 300-yard paved path that begins at the back of the Visitor Center. Follow the TRAIL TO FORT sign. To get to the Forest Trail, look for a wayside exhibit just past the benches where park Rangers give talks about the fort. At the exhibit is the trailhead for a .1-mile connector trail that leads to the Braddock Road Trace. If you reference a trail map, this is the grey line that passes through FRENCH CAMP. There is another connector trail prior to and to the right of the French Camp trail that also leads to Braddock Road Trace (shown as a red trail next to the French Camp trail on the map). Either will get you where you need to be, but I prefer the French Camp trail.

Two connector trails to Braddock Road Trace at the benches next to Fort Necessity

French Camp connector trail to the Braddock Road Trace at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

Regardless of what connector trail you take, when you dead end into Braddock Road Trace, make a left. It’s unclear as to where the Braddock Road Trace ends and the Forest Trail begins, or if they are one in the same, but it doesn’t really matter. What is clear is that the Braddock Road section is an old dirt road. In fact, it’s so old that George Washington actually built it back in 1754. It was widened and extended by General Edward Braddock when he was put in charge of British military forces in America after Washington was defeated by the French at Fort Necessity. Much of the Braddock Road is now the paved Route 40, but a few original segments still exist within Fort Necessity National Battlefield.

Braddock Road Trace at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

From the start, the terrain on both the Braddock Road Trace and the Forest Trail is hilly. By the end of the hike you will be roughly 200 feet higher in altitude than when you started. But while there are many dips and rises, most are barely noticeable. The steepest part of the hike is the Braddock Road, which is uphill all the way. The climb lasts for .2 mile, with the crest of the hill coming at the point where the trail curves—nearly a U-turn—and begins heading southwest.

A third of a mile into the hike is the intersection with the Indian Run Trail. It is at this point that FOREST TRAIL begins appearing on sign posts, so perhaps the trail up until now is the Braddock Road Trace. But as mentioned, it doesn’t really matter. Just stay left at the fork to remain on the Forest Trail.

Sign post identifies the Forest Trail at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

As the title implies, the entire trail is in the forest. It is narrow and has a few rocks and roots on it, but nothing that will slow you down.

Typical terrain on the Forest Trail at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

Hilly terrain of the Forest Trail at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

The Forest Trail ends .4 mile after passing the Indian Run Trail. It comes out at the corner of a gated dirt road and a paved traffic circle on the park road that leads to the Fort Necessity Picnic Area.

Southern trailhead for the Forest Trail at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

Southern trailhead for the Forest Trail at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

At this point you have three choices. One, you can head back the way you came, but who wants to see the same things twice? Two, you can make a loop back to the fort area by taking the Outer Meadow Trail, which is what I recommend. When you get to the road, go right (counterclockwise) around the traffic circle and take the first trail that you come to. There is a wayside exhibit just like the one at the French Camp connector trail and a NO MOTOR VEHICLES sign.

Or three, you can add some distance to your hike by taking the Picnic Area Loop. You aren’t actually on the loop when at the traffic circle, so you’ll need to take the Picnic Area Spur, a very steep trail that runs through the forest for about a tenth of a mile before coming to the actual trail. When you get to the traffic circle, go right just as you would to get to the Outer Meadow Trail but pass it and continue to the next trail. The Picnic Area Spur is marked with a trail post and a NO MOTOR VEHICLES sign. It crosses the park road about halfway down—the steep part comes after the crossing. In truth, the Picnic Area Loop is not that pleasant of a hike, and I highly recommend skipping it. If you do make the hike, when you return to the traffic circle, take the Outer Meadow Trail back to Fort Necessity.

Connector trail to the Picnic Area Loop Trail at Fort Necessity National Battlefield

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