Livermore is a ghost town deep in the Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania, accessible only by hiking trail. In the 1880s and 1890s it was a busy lumber town with hotels, a school, and a railroad depot, but when the timber ran out the people left. Today the forest has reclaimed almost everything. What remains are stone foundations, scattered cemetery headstones, and a pervasive quiet that makes the place feel genuinely haunted.
The hike in follows an old railroad grade along the Clarion River, about three miles each way from the nearest trailhead. The trail is flat and easy, winding through dense second-growth forest. In autumn the fall colors are spectacular. At the site itself, you can poke around the foundations and try to piece together the layout of a town that once housed hundreds of people. The cemetery, partially maintained by volunteers, is the most intact remnant.
Livermore appeals to hikers, history buffs, and anyone drawn to the eerie beauty of abandoned places. The Allegheny National Forest offers plenty of other trails, camping, and canoeing on the Clarion and Allegheny rivers, so you can easily build Livermore into a longer trip. Bring a map and good shoes; there are no services once you leave the road.