Hiking in Central Pennsylvania and Around the State 
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| PAHIKES.COM VISITORS RATE PENNSYLVANIA TRAILS | |
| Dave Doyle of Erie, PA rated the Black Forest Trail a 5 out of 5! | |
After two section hikes, completed a circuit hike 4/16-4/18. Used the new guide and map (10/08) by Chuck Dillion of Pine Creek Outfitters. Great vistas, bio-diversity, water falls, scenic streams and camping. Has pretty much everything some PA hikes have only one or two of. Difficult, but well worth the effort. I do have some hints for those thinking of doing this trail. Practice every ultra light technique you know of. The pounds can really be felt on the frequent ascents/descents. I found hiking poles to be indispensable aids on this trail. The high water routes are there for a reason, use them if it has been wet. Skip the leisurely lunch and take shorter and more frequent stops. This will allow you to enjoy the many vistas. Plan on 4 days to really appreciate the trail. Highly Recommended. | |
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| Tom Van Etten of Latham, NY rated the Chuck Keiper Trail a 4 out of 5! | |
Just did this trail last week (whole loop in 3 days). Lots of views although sometimes broken. Nice campsites. Some problem with stinging nettles in gorges, especially Burns Run area. Also, almost stepped on a rattlesnake in that same area. A nice hike, just need to take it slow on some of the relatively steep descents. Very few people (I only saw one other person the entire time). | |
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| Steve Florio of Boalsburg, PA rated the Golden Eagle Trail a 5 out of 5! | |
Hiked on 3.22.09. Excellent trail, one of the better that i've hiked in PA, if not the best. It took us just over 5 hours, but we stopped for quite a few pictures of the scenery along the way--i'm thinking we could have done it in four had we not cared to stop and look around, but what's the point then? We did hike it 'backwards', going up toward Raven's Horn first and then decending to Wolf Run, and then out Bonnell, as we were advised by some GET vets. Take a lunch and have a rest at the Beulahland Vista. I plan to get back there when the foliage is at peak. Enjoy. | |
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Allegheny Front Trail | Bald Eagle State Forest | Black Forest Trail | Chuck Keiper Trail
Donut Hole Trail | Eagleton Mine Camp Trail | Golden Eagle Trail | John P. Saylor Trail
Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail | Loyalsock Trail | Mid State Trail - Tioga Region
Mid State Trail - State College Region | Mid State Trail - Woolrich Region
Mid State Trail - Everett Region | Mount Nittany | Old Loggers Path
Pinchot Trail | Quehanna Trail | Ricketts Glen S.P. | Rothrock State Forest | Shingletown Gap
Sproul State Forest | Standing Stone Trail | Stone Valley Rec. Area | The Barrens
Yellow Creek S.P. | West Rim Trail
Outside of Pennsylvania:
South Carolina - Table Rock
Maine - Acadia National Park
Why PAHikes.com?
In looking for information on hikes in and around Central Pennsylvania, I found that most web sites that had information about hiking did not provide me with enough details. Most Pennsylvania hiking web sites told me to refer to a book on hiking if I wanted details on the hike. All I wanted was a map and directions on how to get to the trail.
Thus the birth of PAHikes.com.
On this web site you will find detailed maps for the hikes I have done as well as hiking information such as length, elevation traversed, hiking times, as well as direction and coordinates to the trailhead. And of course, pictures and trail commentaries. If you've hiked any of the trails listed on this site you can post your review of the trail and let others know if you enjoyed the trail or found it too difficult.
I hope you find PAHikes.com a useful and beneficial website.
Happy Hiking!



Branching off of the Mid State Trail near PA Furnace Road, passing through the Stone Valley Recreation Area, and reconnecting with the MST near the Beaver Pond on Shaver's Creek is the blue-blazed Ironstone Trail. At the start of the trail is a section known as the Indian Steps. Probably not built by indians, these steps made of stone climb up the south face of Tussey Mountain. Having hiked in the area for over four years, I had not to date ventured onto the Indian Steps. This all changed with our latest after-work hike outing. 
My old hiking buddy Mark was up from South Carolina for a visit this week. Couldn't pass up an opportunity to go for a hike with him while he was here, so a hike we did. Since he didn't come prepared for an overnight excursion we decided to head up Pine Creek and do a day hike somewhere. It seems that the road took us to Blackwell so we decided to take a short hike up the old Mid State Trail, now the Bohen Trail, and
There is a trail that connects Penn Roosevelt State Park to the Alan Seeger Natural Area via a route over Grass Mountain. Curiously enough, this trail is not called Grass Mountain Trail but is called Long Mountain Trail. Long Mountain runs from Muttersbaugh Gap, about 3 miles east of Penn Roosevelt and ends near Poe Paddy State Park. My guess is that this is the only remaining section of what was once a longer trail, one that actually traversed Long Mountain.
Another adventure in the Rothrock State Forest had Tim and I exploring some of the trails in the Shingletown Gap area. These trails are located the fartherest from the main trailhead, so we decided upon a secondary trailhead for this hike, just off Laurel Run Road. With climbs to the top of two ridge lines, this hike took us from Bald Knob to the Mid State Trail on top of Tussey Mountain.
In case you didn't know, PAHikes.com allows you to share your thoughts and rate trails listed on PAHikes.com. On specific trail "overview" pages, such as those for Black Forest Trail or Golden Eagle Trail, you are encouraged to share your opinion about the trail. You can rate the trail on a scale of 1 to 5 as well as post comments about your experience. Your comments will appear on the trail page and may even appear on the PAHikes home page.