Fort Necessity National Battlefield (Blog Hike #328)

Trails: Outer Field and Forest Trails

Hike Location: Fort Necessity National Battlefield
Geographic Location: southeast of Uniontown, PA (39.81391, -79.58543)
Length: 2.1 miles

Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: September 2010
Overview: A loop hike where George Washington led his first battle.

Battlefield Information: http://www.nps.gov/fone/index.htm

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=943555
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Uniontown, take US 40 east 11 miles to the Battlefield entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the Battlefield, and park in the main asphalt parking lot in front of the Visitor Center.

The hike: Every great general leads his troops into battle for the first time somewhere; for future first American President George Washington, that somewhere was here.  The time was 1754, and the background was a battle between the French and English for control of the Ohio valley.  The French were headquartered to the west in Fort Duquesne at present-day Pittsburgh, and the English were headquartered to the east at Wills Creek, today known as Cumberland, Maryland.

In April 1754, Washington, then only 21 years old, set out with a partial regiment of Virginia frontiersmen to build a road from Wills Creek to a point on the Monongahela River from which Fort Duquesne would be vulnerable.  On May 24, Washington arrived at the Great Meadows, as this place was called back then.  The Great Meadows were well-situated for a fort because the meadow made for clear shooting lines and the marshy ground made the fort hard to charge.  Fearing French attack, Washington built an encampment and later a primitive fort here, which he appropriately called Fort Necessity.

On July 3, the French and their Indian allies arrived and surrounded the fort.  Fighting commenced in the morning and continued sporadically most of the day.  Washington’s forces were outnumbered roughly 2 to 1, but due to the strength of the fort’s location, the French were unable to capture the fort.  Nevertheless, completely cut off from outside help and running low on supplies, Washington was forced to surrender at the end of the day, albeit with generous terms.  The next day, Washington led his troops back to Wills Creek, and the French burned Fort Necessity.

The English would not stay away forever.  The next year, British Major General Edward Braddock led a larger force into the region and improved the road Washington had built a year earlier.  Three years later, Braddock died as a result of wounds taken in a battle at Fort Duquesne, and his grave is located just west of this site along US 40.  The war between the French and British that began here would spread to the entire world and become known as the French and Indian War.  Of course, everyone knows what would become of George Washington.

The national battlefield today preserves the Great Meadows and its surrounding hills, and a recreated fort stands where Fort Necessity stood nearly 250 years ago.  The road Washington and Braddock built exists as Braddock Road Trace, and part of it is used on this hike.  A Visitor Center contains exhibits and a short film, and park rangers give guided tours of the fort area on the hour.  If you are as lucky as I was, you might arrive at the right time to witness the firing of a musket; the demonstration I witnessed was at 3:00 on a Sunday afternoon.  In terms of hiking, there are several short trails in the park.  The route described here combines several of those trails to form the best loop hike in the park.

Reconstructed Fort Necessity

            The ranger tour ends at the reconstructed fort, and that is where this hike starts.  Begin by following the narrow blacktop trail which leaves the fort on the southwest side and zig-zags into the meadow.  Very quickly the blacktop ends and you are walking on grass.  Meadow grasses and wildflowers dominate this part of the hike, but a few woody plants are starting to intrude into the meadow.

At the first intersection, turn right to begin the unmarked Outer Meadow Trail.  As its name suggests, this trail takes you along the perimeter of the meadow.  The trail climbs gradually with the expansive meadow covering the hillside to your left.  At 0.45 miles, you cross the old Braddock Road Trace, which is hard to see at this point but is marked with a sign.  You will walk along another part of this old road later, but for now continue along the Outer Meadow Trail as it curves left to continue its gradual climb.

Hiking along the Outer Meadow Trail

            At the next three unmarked intersections, angle right to remain on the Outer Meadow Trail.  A trail map can come in handy in this poorly-marked part of the trail system, so you should either print one from the park’s website before you come or request one at the Interpretive Center.  At 0.9 miles, you reach an intersection (a signed one, nonetheless) with the Inner Meadow Trail, which enters from the left.  Angle right to continue along the Outer Meadow Trail.

In only another 0.1 mile, you reach the short spur trail to The Peaceful Spot, a grassy area atop the ridge you have been climbing with a bench and a decent view.  On my visit, I could not see any of the park’s historic structures from here, but I did get a nice view of Chestnut Ridge several miles to the west.  The leaves were just starting to turn color, and this would be the nicest place in this park to do leaf peeping in mid-October.

View from The Peaceful Spot

            Past The Peaceful Spot, the Outer Meadow Trail dips through a grassy ravine before it ends at the traffic circle at the entrance to the picnic area.  Our hike will angle left here to cross the main park road and pick up the Forest Trail near a vehicle gate.  Note that if you wanted to extend the hike, you could angle right here and add the 1 mile Picnic Area Loop.  As its name suggests, the Picnic Area Loop stays close to the developed picnic area.  Consequently, that trail is not one of the more scenic trails in the park, and it will not be described here.

Do not make the mistake I did of thinking that the Forest Trail starts down the gravel road beyond the gate.  Instead, look for a brown carsonite post that says “Forest Trail” located to the left of the vehicle gate.  As unlikely as it may seem, the Forest Trail is the faint single-track path that starts at this post.  As its name suggests, this trail takes you through some dark broadleaf forest which features plenty of medium-sized oak, hickory, and maple trees.  A few ferns can be found in the sparse understory.

The barely discernible Forest Trail

              At times the gradually descending trail is barely discernible, but some more carsonite posts reassure you that you are still on the trail.  At 1.5 miles, you reach a signed intersection with the Indian Run Trail, which exits at a sharp angle to the left.  Turn gently right to remain on the Forest Trail.  Only about 500 feet later, you reach the Braddock Road Trace, and the trail curves sharply left to join the old road.  Imagine you are part of Washington’s or Braddock’s army working to build this road or marching back to Wills Creek after being defeated at Fort Necessity the previous day.

Braddock Road Trace crossing the main park road

            The trail crosses the main park road but remains on the Braddock Road Trace.  At 1.7 miles, you reach a signed trail intersection where the trail heading back to the fort exits to the right.  Turn right to head back to the fort.  On your way, you will pass through the French camp, a grassy clearing outside the fort where the French and their Indian allies would have stood during the battle.  At 1.85 miles, you arrive back at the benches just outside the fort.  Turn right on the paved trail and retrace your steps back to the Interpretive Center to complete the hike.