Looking for a great hike near Harrisburg? Check out the trails at Ned Smith Center for Nature and Arts!
Table of Contents
- About Ned Smith Center
- Who is Ned Smith?
- Hiking at Ned Smith
- Visiting Ned Smith Center for Nature and the Arts
The Ned Smith Nature Center for Nature and Art is an amazing place to enjoy both beautiful hiking trails and nature themed art galleries. The center is located about 35 minutes north of Harrisburg, in Millersburg. Read on to learn more about what the Center offers and how to visit!
Disclaimer - This is a sponsored blog post by the Visit Hershey & Harrisburg tourism bureau. As always, my opinions are unbiased and my own. I want to thank Visit Hershey & Harrisburg for their generosity!
About Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
The Ned Smith Center for Nature and the Arts honors the late Ned Smith, a renowned Pennsylvania wildlife artist and writer. The center is located on over 500 acres just outside of Smith’s home in Millersburg. The main building at the center houses gallery spaces, a gift shop, and classrooms for education.
The permanent gallery was opened in June 2011 with the help of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The gallery features a rotating selection of art donated by Ned’s wife, Marie.
The Center has many other amenities in addition to the gallery and nature trails. It is also home to an open air amphithearer. Visitors can watch performances with nature as the backdrop. Children of all ages can enjoy the Discovery Play Area, designed for children to explore a sensory pathway, a water feature, and more.
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Who is Ned Smith?
Ned Smith was a self-trained nature focused artist. He created thousands of accurate renderings of wildlife for publication during his 46-year career. He started off in his career in a machine shop but kept drawing in his free time. After his first commercial sale in 1939, he got a job as a commercial illustrator.
Ned eventually landed a job at the PA Game Commision. He created nearly 120 cover paintings for the agency’s magazine and started a column called “Gone for the Day”. This column remains in print today, showcasing his enduring legacy on Pennsylvania nature writing.
Ned became a freelancer in 1953 and wrote and illustrated extensively. He illustrated 14 books and wrote for publications such as National Georgraphic, National Wildlife, and Pennsylvania Angler. After his untimely death in 1985, Marie, his widow, worked to find a place to house his art. Ned’s legacy of realistic nature paintings and illustrations live on in the Ned Smith Nature Cetner, bringing joy to all visitors.
Looking for more hikes in the area? Check out my guide to the best hikes in Harrisburg!
Hiking at Ned Smith
While the art gallery at Ned Smith is beautiful, I consider that a bonus to the awesome hiking trails. The Center does a great job with trail maintenance. They keep the trails very well marked with evenly spaced blazes. It would be hard to get lost because of how well everything is blazed. However, I’d recommend using AllTrails to navigate just in case.
At Ned Smith, it’s relatively easy to connect multiple trails to hit the sights that you’re interested in. When I went, I connected the Rugged Trail, a loop, with Berry’s Mountain to get the scenic overlook and then hooked back up with the Deer Run Trail to create a loop back to the center. I enjoyed being able to experience all the different trails without hiking that far.
Note that there is a decent amount of elevation gain on most of these trails as the center is located at the bottom of the mountain.
As always, follow the principles of leave no trace when you're out exploring! Pack out all trash, leave wildlife alone, and generally leave it better than you found it - for more information visit the Leave No Trace Center.
Berry’s Mountain
This trail has an awesome scenic overlook. You can park at the center for a longer hike or park at 40.52666, -76.92016 coordinates to do a 2.4 mile flatter hike. What’s cool about the overlook at the top is that there’s two sides to the overlook. On one side, you can see the Susquehanna River and on the other side you get an amazing view of Millersburg.
If you want to make sure you never lose a route, upgrade to AllTrails+. Then you can download trail maps to stay on trail even when you don't have service!
Ned’s Rugged Trail
This 3.3 mile trail has almost 900 feet of elevation gain and brings hikers to the top of the mountain. This trail starts at the gallery. Then you’ll walk over the scenic bridge, up the Mountain Laurel Trail, and across Berry’s Mountain Trail at the top. Then you’ll take Deer Run trail to Tanager trail to loop back down to the Rail Trail and gallery below. If you only have time for one hike, this is the one I recommend. Make sure to complete in a clockwise direction. It’s easier to go up the steeper Mountain Laurel trail and down the more gradual Deer Run trail.
Note that the AllTrails Map shows a cut across from Deer Run to Tanager. Please respect the center by staying on designated trails and not cutting switchbacks.
This was the trail I combined with an out and back on Berry’s Mountain to create an over five mile loop. If you can hike over five miles, I highly recommend combining the trails to be able to experience the gallery and the best hiking trails.
Looking for more to do in the area? Check out my guide to the Best Outdoorsy Weekend Near Harrisburg
Visiting Ned Smith Center for Nature and Arts
The trails are Ned Smith are open from dawn to dusk. The gallery is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10a to 4p. While admission to the galleries is free, I highly recommend giving a small donation to ensure the Center’s longevity into the future.
Horesback riding and mountain biking are permitted on two trails – the Rail Trail and Berry’s Mountain Trail. Do not ride a horse or a bike on any other trails in the system. ATVs and dirt bikes are not allowed.
Be aware that hunting is allowed on Ned Smith Center lands south of the Rail Trail to the top of Berry’s Mountain. All hikers are encouraged to wear orange during hunting season and orange vests are available for loan from the Gift Shop when the Galleries are open.
To visit the center, use the following address: 176 Water Company Road, Millersburg PA 17061
Are you visiting the Ned Smith Center for Nature and the Arts? Let me know in the comments!
Originally published: May 18, 2025