The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a public footpath that follows more than 2,100 miles of Appalachian Mountain ridge lines between Maine and Georgia. It was designed, constructed, and marked in the 1920s and 1930s by volunteer hiking clubs brought together by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), formed in 1925. The Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club oversees the local section of the trail which runs approximately 17 miles through the Cumberland Valley, passing between the Blue Mountain and the South Mountain and crossing the valley following what is known locally as Ironstone Ridge.
ATC's Mid-Atlantic Regional Office is located in Boiling Springs next to the lake. It is responsible for coordination and oversight of management and maintenance of the Trail from northern Virginia to southern Connecticut. It is the only one of the four regional offices that is actually located on the Trail. The office is located in what was originally built as a restaurant for the trolley park that operated here in the early 1900s. The one acre property includes a gazebo that was built as a reminder of the area's park days. The Trail was re-routed in 1991 to pass by the scenic lake and the site of the historic Carlisle Iron Works.
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In 2010 Boiling Springs was designated as
the first Appalachian Trail Community in Pennsylvania for recognition of its efforts in welcoming hikers, working to protect the Trail experience, and embracing the Trail as part of a major asset of the community. Boiling Springs serves as a recreation gateway that welcomes visitors from all over the world.
[Photo captions, clockwise from top left, read]
· Background image: Visitors on Lovers Walk by the lake, c. 1905 (now part of the Appalachian Trail)
· Covered drinking fountain in Boiling Springs Park, c. 1912
· Boiling Springs Park Restaurant, 1937 (now ATC Office)
· The Appalachian Trail just outside Boiling Springs
· Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Guide
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