Hartwood Acres LbNA #50661 (ARCHIVED)
Map
Nearby Boxes
Add Note
Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Sep 20, 2009 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Indiana Township |
| County: | Allegheny |
| State: | Pennsylvania |
| Boxes: | 2 |
| Planted by: | Beth & Brett  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | KellyGirls (2) |
| Last found: | Nov 8, 2014 |
| Status: | FFFa |
| Last edited: | Sep 20, 2009 |
Hartwood Acres is a beautiful area consisting of 629 acres located in Hampton and Indiana Townships. On its grounds is the largest and most spectacular country estate in the region. Built in 1929, it house a collection of 16th century antiques and really takes you back in time. There are tours of the mansion and grounds available(check the website). Also during the year, many activities are hosted at the park, including concerts and the annual Christmas/Hanukkah "Festival of Lights".
Box #1 (replaced 6/15/2011 because it got really wet!)
To get to Hartwood Acres, take the Turnpike to Exit 48 Allegheny Valley. When you go through the tollbooth, take the exit to the right toward RT 28. Follow this road(Freeport Road) thru several stoplights and turn right at the stoplight by Target, following Rt. 910/yellow belt to Indianola. Once you make the turn get over into the left most non-turning lane. Continue on RT.910/yellow belt for approximately 4 miles to the little town of Indianola. Continue thru the town on RT.910, past Kinder/Morgan oil tanks, over the turnpike, past Emmerling Plaza to a stoplight. (Behind Emmerling Plaza is Emmerling Park where two more letterboxes are hidden!) Turn left onto Saxonburg Blvd. at the stoplight. Continue on Saxonburg, past Hartwood Elementary for 2-3 miles. You will come around a bend and on your right will be Hartwood Acres. There is a sign. Turn in to the park and follow the road up to the mansion. There will be another sign along the road for mansion tours. Park in the far right parking lot, nearest the mansion. When you get out of your car, look up toward the back of the house. There will be a concrete/stone path and a large sign that says "Welcome to Hartwood". Follow along the stone path and wind your way along the back of the mansion and gardens. Continue around toward the front and the road. Take the road toward the odd looking beige and green maintenance shed. Go past the shed and enter the woods on your right. There is a "Share the Trail" sign and some red blazes. Enter the woods and follow the trail to the first crossroad. Turn right and follow the trail marked #8, there are no blazes. Continue down this trail to a fork in the road. Take the right fork, the one less travelled. Continue along this trail until you reach an intersection of many trails. Turn right and follow the trail #15 marked with white blazes. Stay on this path until you reach another fork. Take the left fork approximately 40 "kid-sized" steps to a very large tree. Stand facing the tree, and get out your compass. Now go north east, down the hill toward a large fallen tree covered with moss, approximately 45 "kid-sized" paces. Climb over the log. Look to your right where another much more decayed fallen tree creates a "V" with the log you just crawled over. The letterbox is hidden at the crotch of the "V", slightly underneath the first fallen log, covered by loose bark.
Box # 2
Leave letterbox #1. Continue on the small loop trail until it meets up with the main trail again. Go left and follow the main trail marked with white blazes. You will be on this trail for a little while, passing small streams (if there has been any rain) that you walk over on small rocks. After a while thru the woods you'll see a small pile of rocks on the side of the trail and the blazes will become white and orange where another trail has joined the white one. This is trail #17. You may or amy not see the sign. Continue a little further until you come to an intersection of trails that forms a triangle and a sign with # 15 and two arrows. Turn left onto the trail in front of you becoming white blazes only again. Follow that trail a little way until you come to another fork, continue left following the white blazes onto trail #14 marked by a sign. Go thru a small meadow, down a hill,and over a little bigger stream. Approximately 100 feet past the stream there will be a large fallen tree on the left side just a few feet off the trail. Go back toward the roots on the left side of the tree. Near the base, on the ground, under the tree, covered with leaves is letterbox #2.
This trail is not too strenuous, but does require some up and down of a few hills and rocks. It can be slippery and a little muddy if it has rained recently.
Thanks to R, M, M, A, and E for their help!
Box #1 (replaced 6/15/2011 because it got really wet!)
To get to Hartwood Acres, take the Turnpike to Exit 48 Allegheny Valley. When you go through the tollbooth, take the exit to the right toward RT 28. Follow this road(Freeport Road) thru several stoplights and turn right at the stoplight by Target, following Rt. 910/yellow belt to Indianola. Once you make the turn get over into the left most non-turning lane. Continue on RT.910/yellow belt for approximately 4 miles to the little town of Indianola. Continue thru the town on RT.910, past Kinder/Morgan oil tanks, over the turnpike, past Emmerling Plaza to a stoplight. (Behind Emmerling Plaza is Emmerling Park where two more letterboxes are hidden!) Turn left onto Saxonburg Blvd. at the stoplight. Continue on Saxonburg, past Hartwood Elementary for 2-3 miles. You will come around a bend and on your right will be Hartwood Acres. There is a sign. Turn in to the park and follow the road up to the mansion. There will be another sign along the road for mansion tours. Park in the far right parking lot, nearest the mansion. When you get out of your car, look up toward the back of the house. There will be a concrete/stone path and a large sign that says "Welcome to Hartwood". Follow along the stone path and wind your way along the back of the mansion and gardens. Continue around toward the front and the road. Take the road toward the odd looking beige and green maintenance shed. Go past the shed and enter the woods on your right. There is a "Share the Trail" sign and some red blazes. Enter the woods and follow the trail to the first crossroad. Turn right and follow the trail marked #8, there are no blazes. Continue down this trail to a fork in the road. Take the right fork, the one less travelled. Continue along this trail until you reach an intersection of many trails. Turn right and follow the trail #15 marked with white blazes. Stay on this path until you reach another fork. Take the left fork approximately 40 "kid-sized" steps to a very large tree. Stand facing the tree, and get out your compass. Now go north east, down the hill toward a large fallen tree covered with moss, approximately 45 "kid-sized" paces. Climb over the log. Look to your right where another much more decayed fallen tree creates a "V" with the log you just crawled over. The letterbox is hidden at the crotch of the "V", slightly underneath the first fallen log, covered by loose bark.
Box # 2
Leave letterbox #1. Continue on the small loop trail until it meets up with the main trail again. Go left and follow the main trail marked with white blazes. You will be on this trail for a little while, passing small streams (if there has been any rain) that you walk over on small rocks. After a while thru the woods you'll see a small pile of rocks on the side of the trail and the blazes will become white and orange where another trail has joined the white one. This is trail #17. You may or amy not see the sign. Continue a little further until you come to an intersection of trails that forms a triangle and a sign with # 15 and two arrows. Turn left onto the trail in front of you becoming white blazes only again. Follow that trail a little way until you come to another fork, continue left following the white blazes onto trail #14 marked by a sign. Go thru a small meadow, down a hill,and over a little bigger stream. Approximately 100 feet past the stream there will be a large fallen tree on the left side just a few feet off the trail. Go back toward the roots on the left side of the tree. Near the base, on the ground, under the tree, covered with leaves is letterbox #2.
This trail is not too strenuous, but does require some up and down of a few hills and rocks. It can be slippery and a little muddy if it has rained recently.
Thanks to R, M, M, A, and E for their help!