Hiking to the cross at Jumonville Camp and Retreat Center is probably one of the most popular hikes in Fayette County, PA, and is one of my family’s favorite activities. The short uphill hike to an overlook offers an outstanding view of the Uniontown area.

The grounds at Jumonville Christian Camp and Retreat Center are open to the public from dawn to dusk. The hike to the cross is probably the most popular activity here, but there is so much more to explore including multiple hiking trails, an 18-hole disc golf course, basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts, a playground, a meditative prayer trail, and more. Camps and retreats are also available and there is also a climbing gym that occasionally offers Friday Night climbs. Give them a call or follow the Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.

To learn more about other activities besides this particular hike, check out Exploring Jumonville – A Gem in Fayette County, PA.

If you are driving anywhere in the Uniontown Area there’s a good chance you can look up towards the mountains and see the 60′ cross on Chestnut Ridge. My kids love to point it out in the car and then it’s fun to talk about how we were up there.

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Summary

  • Distance – About 0.5 miles one way
  • Trail – uphill on a paved road, a spur trail through the woods for a shortcut is available and often used
  • Driveable– If you have mobility issues, you can contact the camp and retreat center and make arrangements to drive to the top on weekdays.
  • Kids Ages – Last time we hiked, my 3-year-old son completed the hike by himself. My two-year-old daughter also actually attempted a good bit of it on her own, but we had the hiking carrier for her just in case which we did end up using.

Parking and Restrooms

From Jumonville Road, turn on Old Braddock Road and continue a short distance to the trailhead. Parking is located in a gravel lot and on the side of Old Braddock Road. The trailhead for the cross is across the road where you can see it starting to go uphill.

Public restrooms are located toward the main campus area in the back of Fleming Lodge (Office). See the campus map for more details.

The Hike

The trailhead begins on a paved trail off Old Braddock Road.

Here you can read over the rules.

The trail is a paved road you simply follow all the way to the top. And although it is a short distance, the steepness still offers a challenge. If needed, you can call and make arrangements to drive to the top.

You might also spot a spur trail through the woods which offers a shortcut.

The Overlook

The view from the top offers a gorgeous view of the Uniontown Area.

Since we live in the area, we always spend time pointing out things we are familiar with no matter how many times we’ve done this hike.

On a clear day, we love to see if we spot the US Steel Building all the way in Pittsburgh.

The US Steel Building Off in the Distance on the Horizon

There are plenty of benches to take a break and enjoy the view and some signage provides history about the cross.

Then you simply walk down the way you went up. Here is a breakdown of our hike for reference.

In addition to this hike, there are other hiking trails where you can explore Green Cathedral, Jumonville Glen, and a Fit Trail.

According to this hiking map, you can hike up to the cross from the blue trail. I haven’t done that yet, but would like to someday!

Other Amenities

There’s much more to explore at Jumonville which you can find on a separate post, but here’s a snapshot.

  • Jumonville Glen
  • 18-hole disc golf
  • prayer trail with 7 stops
  • playground
  • courts – basketball, volleyball, tennis
  • climbing gym

I hope you found this information helpful. If you check out the hike to the Cross at Jumonville, I want to know about it. Leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @adventureswkelly so I can hear about and see your adventures at Jumonville.

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