From a small parking lot at Herman Point, near the top of Blue Knob, the trail immediately begins a lengthy and steep descent off the mountain and toward the valley of Bobs Creek.

[4] The trail crosses Bobs Creek, follows its valley downstream for a while, then climbs up an intervening ridge.

After briefly walking along the top of the ridge, the trail descends steeply again, then crosses Wallace Branch and Pennsylvania Route 869 at Burnt House Picnic Area.

[5] In this section, the trail encounters the source of the South Fork of the Little Conemaugh River; downstream, this waterway was responsible for the devastating Johnstown Flood of 1889.

That parking lot is just across the highway from Babcock Picnic Area, which serves as the trailhead for the John P. Saylor Trail.