Hiking in Central Pennsylvania and Around the State

Revisiting the Black Forest Trail After 8 Years

Jun 16 |10:00

On Labor Day of 2005, Mark and I finished up our hike on the Black Forest Trail that we had started 2 years prior. I really enjoyed hiking the BFT but have never had the opportunity to get back on the trail. That changed this past weekend as I headed out to the Black Forest Trail after nearly 8 years to do my first overnight backpacking trip of the season.

Read more: Revisiting the Black Forest Trail After 8 Years

 

Pack Your Tent Properly

Jun 14 |10:00

After spending a night on the trail, make sure to take your tent down and pack it properly.

  • Remove any dirt or mud clinging to tent stakes.
  • When removing the tent poles, start to collapse them from the center. Starting at the end puts a lot of tension on the shock cord on that end and can cause them to fail early.
  • Stuff your tent into the sack. Folding the tent can cause seems to form that are prone to leaking.
  • If you pack a wet tent, make sure to dry it as soon as possible. Mildew can grow on packed wet tents which leads to odors and can damage the water proofing on the tent material.

 

Hiking the Dog Town Trail

May 31 |10:00

The Greenwood Furnace State Park is located within Rothrock State Forest. Located at this state park are the remnants of the "Age of Iron" with the iron smelting furnace and various other buildings needed to support such an endeavor. Also at the park is a small lake for fishing and swimming and of course a number of hiking trails. On this particular outing I guided a group of teenagers that were part of the Mifflin County Envirothon group, which happened to include my son. I was happy to take him and his friends on a hike into the woods to not only enjoy nature but give them the opportunity to brush up on their floral and fauna identification skills.

Read more: Hiking the Dog Town Trail

 

Pennsylvania Hiking Week: May 25th to June 2nd

May 25 |10:00

DCNR has teamed with the Keystone Trails Association (KTA) to offer over 70 organized hikes and walks available throughout Pennsylvania during the nine-day event which occurs from Saturday, May 25, 2013 through Sunday, June 2, 2013. All of the scheduled hikes have leaders. Most hikes are on the two weekends of the event, but several weekday and evening hikes also are offered. Special hikes include night hikes; wildflower walks; hikes for people with disabilities; pet walks; geology walks and much more. Most hikes will take place in state parks and state forests, with some hikes scheduled on the Appalachian Trail, in Allegheny National Forest, and in city and community parks. Even if you don't attend a sponsored hike you can still get out and Go Take A Hike on any of the hiking trails in PA.

Find a sponsored PA Hiking Week hike in your area

 

The New Laurel Run Trail

Apr 13 |10:00

The Laurel Run Trail from Little Flat to Laurel Run Road use to follow a pole line. The trail was straight, steep in some places, and quite eroded. Last year a new, rerouted trail was put in to alleviate the erosion on the trail and to make it a more enjoyable to use. After what seemed like an eternal winter, we finally got some spring like weather and an opportunity to do a hike after work. For our first after work hike, Shari and I decided to head up to Little Flat and check out the New Laurel Run Trail.

Read more: The New Laurel Run Trail

 

Available Soon: The Mid-Atlantic Hiker's Guide - West Virginia

Mar 30 |10:00

My friend, Michael Juskelis, avid hiker and owner of the website MidAtlanticHikes.com is coming out with his first book. Entitled "The Mid-Atlantic Hiker's Guide: West Virginia", this book details 64 hikes in areas such as Dolly Sods, New River Gorge, Cooper's Rock and Seneca Rock just to name a few. Not available just yet, it should be arriving from the printers in early May. Keep your eyes open for its release and you'll be able to secure a copy of your own here at PAHikes.com.

Learn more about The Mid-Atlantic Hiker's Guide - West Virginia

 

A Spring Walk in The Scotia Barrens

Mar 15 |10:00

A sunny, early spring day had us heading out into the woods for the first hike of the year. We had hiked in the Scotia Barrens over 5 years ago and had wanted to come back to explore more but we never made it back. With a newly purchased Scotia Barrens map by Purplelizard in hand we decided to head back out to the gamelands and explore the trails around the site that use to be the iron ore mining town of Scotia.

Read more: A Spring Walk in The Scotia Barrens

 

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Hikes in Pennsylvania

# Date of Hike Trail Location Length Difficulty
18 6/14 - 6/15/2013 Black Forest Trail  ID#157 Slate Run, PA 12.8 mi 247
25 5/4/2013 Dog Town Trail  #156 Greenwood Furnace S.P. 2.8 mi 39
25 4/9/2013 New Laurel Run Trail  #155 Rothrock S.F. 2.5 mi 41
4 3/9/2013 Scotia Barrens  #154 State College, PA 3.3 mi 36
17 12/15/2012 Bob Webber / Golden Eagle Trail  #153 North of Cammal, PA 7.8 mi 144
7 11/18/2012 Mid State Trail  ID#152 Laurel Run Road, Near Little Flat, Rothrock S.F. 8.3 mi 128
7 10/21/2012 Ironstone Trail  ID#151 Rothrock S.F., near Stone Valley Rec. Area 5.0 mi 71
10 10/6 - 10/7/2012 Standing Stone Trail  ID#150 Near Greenwood Furnace S.P. 20.2 mi 163
29 9/24/2012 Baker Trail  ID#149 Cook Forest State Park 2.9 mi 60
31 9/23/2012 Minister Creek Trail  ID#148 Allegheny National Forest 4.5 mi 78
7 8/6/2012 Ironstone Trail  ID#147 Rothrock S.F., near Stone Valley Rec. Area 5.4 mi 91
25 7/29/2012 Chestnut Spring Trail  ID#146 Rothrock State Forest 1.9 mi 29
21 7/6/2012 Loyalsock Trail  ID#145 Loyalsock Forest, north of Laporte 4.3 mi 62
25 6/11/2012 Croyle Run Trail/Gettis Ridge Road  ID#144 Rothrock State Forest 5.5 mi 95
29 6/2/2012 Baker Trail  ID#143 Crooked Creek Lake Park 2.7 mi 40
1 5/17/2012 Shingletown Gap  ID#142 Shingletown, PA 2.6 mi 35
30 5/16/2012 Bushkill Falls  ID#141 Near Stroudsburg, PA 2 mi 32
13 5/5 - 5/6/2012 Quehanna Trail  ID#140 Near Medix Run, PA 14 mi 120
15 4/21/2012 Bog and Boulder Trail  ID#139 Near Windber, PA, on Route PA56 2.1 mi 29
7 4/7/2012 Mid State Trail  ID#138 Near Pennsylvania Furnace, PA 3.7 mi 61
25 4/4/2012 Thickhead Mountain/Shingle Path  ID#137 Near Boalsburg, PA 4.1 mi 78
1 3/22/2012 Shingletown Gap  ID#136 Shingletown, PA 3.7 mi 60
26 3/17/2012 Mid State/John Snyder Trail  ID#135 Poe Paddy S.P. 1.6 mi 19
29 2/26/2012 Baker Trail  ID#134 Crooked Creek Lake Park 3.9 mi 45
5 1/29/2012 Moss Hanna Trail  ID#133 Beaver Road to Rattlesnake Pike 8.8 mi 101
15 12/31/2011 John P. Saylor Trail  ID#132 Near Windber, PA, on Route PA56 9.6 mi 133
7 12/11/2011 Mid State Trail  ID#131 Near Seven Mountains Boy Scout Camp, route US322 3.3 mi 51
15 12/3/2011 John P. Saylor Trail  ID#130 Near Windber, PA, on Route PA56 11.9 mi 159
1 11/20/2011 Shingletown Gap  #129 Shingletown, PA 3.2 mi 55
13 10/22 - 10/23/2011 Quehanna Trail  ID#128 Near Mix and Red Run, Quehanna Wild Area 13.1 mi 105
13 9/14/2011 Standing Stone Trail  #127 Rocky Ridge Natural Area in Martin Gap 3.2 mi 58
8 9/11/2011 Panther Run/Mid State/Love Run Trails  #126 Little Pine S.P. 3.4 mi 85
17 9/10/2011 Golden Eagle Trail  #125 North of Cammal, PA 9.1 mi 179
1 8/27/2011 Shingletown Gap  #124 Shingletown, PA 5.2 mi 82
28 8/7/2011 Ferncliff Trail  ID#123 Ohiopyle S.P. 1.9 mi 23
25 7/17/2011 Sassafras/Bigelow/Sassy Pig Trail  ID#122 Rothrock S.F., near Greenwood S.P. 3.1 mi 45
13 5/7 - 5/8/2011 Quehanna Trail  ID#121 Near Wykoff Run 16.4 mi 132
7 4/25/2011 Mid State Trail  ID#120 Indian Steps to Jo Hays Vista 3.2 mi 48
25 3/26/2011 Beautiful/Skitakka Trail  ID#119 Coopers Gap Area of Rothrock S.F. 5.5 mi 82
25 1/30/2011 Bear Meadows Trail  ID#118 Bear Meadows Natural Area 3.7 mi 40
7 12/18/2010 Mid State Trail  ID#117 Penn Roosevelt to Route US322 5.8 mi 94
7 10/23/2010 Mid State Trail  ID#116 Bear Meadows to Penn Roosevelt 8.0 mi 142
25 10/2/2010 Buck / Brush Ridge Loop  ID#115 Rothrock State Forest, by Milroy PA 4.9 mi 81
10 9/7/2010 Standing Stone Trail  ID#114 Greenwood Furnace S.P. 4.4 mi 82
14 7/17/2010 Donut Hole Trail  ID#113 Near Hyner State Park 12.1 mi 203
1 7/13/2010 Shingletown Gap  ID#112 Shingletown, PA 5.9 mi 97
25 7/1/2010 Buck / Brush Ridge Loop  ID#111 Rothrock State Forest, by Milroy PA 6.1 mi 104
23 6/20/2010 The Falls Trail  ID#110 Ricketts Glen State Park 4.2 mi 77
25 6/17/2010 Tussey Mountain Trail  ID#109 Rothrock State Forest, by Boalsburg PA 5.8 mi 86
25 6/4/2010 Mount Nittany  ID#108 Lemont, PA 3.6 mi 71
2 5/25/2010 Detweiler and Alan Seeger Natural Areas  ID#107 Alan Seeger Natrual Area, Rothrock S.F. 4.7 mi 68
5 4/15/2010 Allegheny Front Trail - The Front  ID#106 Beaver Road to Rattlesnake Pike 6.3 mi 119
7 4/7/2010 Mid State Trail  ID#105 Little Flat to Big Flat 5.1 mi 69
7 4/1/2010 Mid State Trail  ID#104 Jo Hays Vista to Shingletown Gap 5.4 mi 77
7 3/16/2010 Mid State Trail  ID#103 Near Pennsylvania Furnace, PA 3.3 mi 54
25 2/8/2010 Galbraith Gap  ID#102 Rothrock State Forest, by Bolasburg, PA 5.4 mi 74
1 10/29/2009 Shingletown Gap  #101 Shingletown, PA 3.5 mi 54
7 10/23/2009 Mid State Trail  ID#100 Woodward Gap to route PA45 6.5 mi 94
25 9/23/2009 Jean Aron Path/Tuxedo Trail  ID#99 Bear Meadows Natural Area 3.3 mi 45
5 8/26/2009 Allegheny Front Trail - Rock Run   ID#98 Near Black Moshannon S.P. 7.1 mi 100
7 8/6/2009 Mid State Trail  ID#97 Poe Paddy S.P. to Woodward Gap 8.5 mi 145
11 7/18/2009 Shoemaker Ridge  ID#96 Sproul State Forest, near the east loop of the Chuck Keiper Trail 5.9 mi 96
25 7/16/2009 Tussey Mountain Trail  ID#95 Rothrock State Forest, by Boalsburg PA 5.4 mi 80
3 7/3/2009 Mountain View Trail  ID#94 Stone Valley Recreation Area, south of Pine Grove Mills, PA 3.6 mi 56
7 6/10/2009 Mid State Trail - Indian Steps  ID#93 Harry's Valley Road, off route PA26 4.0 mi 72
8 5/27/2009 Bohen Trail  #92 Blackwell, PA 3.5 mi 72
25 5/19/2009 Long Mountain Trail  #91 Penn Roosevelt S.P./Alan Seeger N.A. 4.6 mi 87
1 5/6/2009 Shingletown Gap  #90 Shingletown, PA 4.8 mi 94
25 4/27/2009 Old Laurel Run Trail / Spruce Gap Trail  #89 Rothrock State Forest, by Bolasburg, PA 4.4 mi 89
11 4/25/2009 Chuck Keiper Trail  ID#88 Eddy Lick Run, off route PA144 8.9 mi 128
26 3/6/2009 Penns Creek  ID#87 South of Coburn, PA 5.5 mi 57
7 2/11/2009 Mid State Trail  ID#86 Muttersbaugh Gap, off route US322 5.8 mi 108
1 10/15/2008 Shingletown Gap  ID#85 Shingletown, PA 3.8 mi 70
21 10/11 - 10/12/2008 Loyalsock Trail  ID#84 World's End State Park 13 mi 105
16 9/28/2008 Laurel Highlands Trail  ID#83 South of Seward, PA, Route PA56 5.4 mi 102
2 9/23/2008 Mount Nittany  ID#82 Lemont, PA 5.1 mi 91
25 8/4/2008 Alan Seeger Natural Area  ID#81 Alan Seeger Natural Area, Rothrock S.F. 0.8 mi 10
27 7/19/2008 Reeder/Little Boyer Trail Loop  ID#80 North of Haneyville PA, along Route PA44 5.2 mi 76
17 5/11/2008 Golden Eagle Trail  ID#79 North of Cammal, PA 9.2 mi 179
10 4/22/2008 Standing Stone Trail  ID#78 Near Mount Union PA, off Route US22 3.5 mi 84
1 4/10/2008 Shingletown Gap   ID#77 Shingletown, PA 2.3 mi 55
5 4/8/2008 Shingle Mill Trail  ID#76 Black Moshannon S.P. 3.7 mi 42
7 3/15 - 3/16 /2008 Mid State Trail - Greenwood Spur   ID#75 Galbraith Gap to Greenwood Furnace S.P. 14.1 mi 129
7 3/12/2008 Mid State Trail  ID#74 Near Jo Hays Vista, off Route PA26 6.4 mi 100
10 1/7/2008 Standing Stone Trail  ID#73 Greenwood Furnace S.P. 4.4 mi 82
20 11/10 - 11/11/2007 Old Loggers Path  ID#71 Masten Ghost Town, Lycoming County 12.5 mi 105
25 10/14/2007 Musser Gap  ID#70 Near Shingletown, PA, on Route PA45 4.9 mi 80
15 9/16/2007 John P. Saylor Trail   ID#69 Near Windber, PA, on Route PA56 6.3 mi 88
6 8/4/2007 Mid State Trail  ID#68 Friend's Cove, south of Everett PA 3.9 mi 71
14 7/21/2007 Kettle Creek Loop Trail  ID#67 Kettle Creek S.P. 7.3 mi 138
23 5/25/2007 The Falls Trail  ID#66 Ricketts Glen State Park 3.2 mi 59
22 5/23 - 5/24/2007 Pinchot Trail - South Loop  ID#65 Lackawanna County 14.2 mi 87
11 5/12/2007 Chuck Keiper Trail  ID#64 Pete's Run Road to Fish Dam Run Overlook 6.5 mi 123
7 5/9/2007 Mid State Trail  ID#63 Little Flat to Indian Wells Vista 4.4 mi 44
11 4/26 - 4/27/2007 Chuck Keiper Trail - West Loop  ID#62 Clinton County, south of Renovo PA 14.5 mi 142
4 4/3/2007 Scotia Barrens  ID#61 Near Circle Ville, west of State College PA 5 mi 65
2 3/13/2007 Mount Nittany  ID#60 Lemont, PA 4.9 mi 86
25 2/15/2007 Galbraith Gap  ID#59 Rothrock State Forest, by Bolasburg, PA 2.5 mi 35
26 1/20/2007 Hook Natural Area  ID#58 South of R.B. Winter State Park 7.9 mi 135
26 1/7/2007 Thick Mountain/Swift Run Trail  ID#57 Near Troxelville , PA 3.5 mi 66
8 12/10/2006 Mid State Trail  ID#56 Ramsey, PA 5.4 mi 108
7 11/21/2006 Mid State Trail  ID#55 Poe Paddy & Poe Valley S.P. 7.4 mi 99
5 9/27 - 10/1/2006 Allegheny Front Trail  ID#54 Black Moshannon S.P. 40.2 mi 124
5 9/11/2006 Allegheny Front Trail - Rock Run  ID#53 Near Black Moshannon S.P. 5.4 mi 74
3 9/4/2006 Stone Valley Recreation Area  ID#52 South of Pine Grove Mills, PA 5.4 mi 71
1 8/16/2006 Shingletown Gap   ID#51 Shingletown, PA 5.2 mi 84
9 8/5 - 8/6/2006 Mid State Trail   ID#50 Blackwell, PA to route PA287 15.7 mi 144
15 7/23/2006 John P. Saylor Trail   ID#48 Near Windber, PA, on Route PA56 12.1 mi 162
5 7/9 - 7/10/2006 Allegheny Front Trail - Rock Run   ID#47 Near Black Moshannon S.P. 5.2 mi 35
20 7/7 - 7/8/2006 Old Loggers Path   ID#46 Masten Ghost Town, Lycoming County 15.1 mi 117
12 7/3/2006 Eagleton Mine Camp Trail   ID#45 North of Lock Haven, Route PA120 9.1 mi 134
7 6/29/2006 Mid State Trail - Greenwood Spur   ID#44 Near Alan Seeger Natural Area 4.7 mi 68
5 6/6/2006 Allegheny Front Trail - Six Mile Run   ID#43 Black Moshannon S.P., Route PA504 5.9 mi 75
25 6/3/2006 Old Laurel Run Trail / Spruce Gap Trail  ID#42 Rothrock State Forest, by Bolasburg, PA 3.7 mi 81
7 5/27 - 5/28/2006 Mid State Trail  ID#41 Stillhouse Hollow to Poe Valley S.P. 8.7 mi 58
5 5/24/2006 Allegheny Front Trail - Rock Run  ID#40 Near Black Moshannon S.P. 4.9 mi 71
11 4/29 - 5/1/2006 Chuck Keiper Trail - East Loop  ID#39 Clinton County, south of Renovo PA 22.5 mi 135
1 4/18/2006 Shingletown Gap  ID#38 Shingletown, PA 3.5 mi 54
16 4/16/2006 Charles Lewis Natural Area  ID#37 South of Cramer, PA, Route PA403 4.9 mi 97
1 4/6/2006 Shingletown Gap  ID#36 Shingletown, PA 3.8 mi 70
7 4/2/2006 Mid State Trail  ID#35 Jo Hays Vista to Laurel Run Road 7.0 mi 85
7 3/30/2006 Mid State Trail  ID#34 Pennsylvania Furnace to Jo Hays Vista 4.7 mi 56
11 3/19/2006 Cranberry Swamp Loop - CKT  ID#33 Northern Centre County 3.3 mi 43
7 3/17/2006 Mid State Trail  ID#32 Near Pennsylvania Furnace, PA 3.8 mi 43
25 3/5/2006 Buck / Brush Ridge Loop  ID#30 Rothrock State Forest, by Milroy PA 6.7 mi 103
7 1/20/2006 James Cleveland Trail  ID#29 Pleasant Gap, PA 2 mi 44
1 1/20/2006 Shingletown Gap  ID#28 Shingletown, PA 5.6 mi 94
8 1/8/2006 Sand Spring Flat Circuit  ID#27 Behind Ravensburg State Park 5.4 mi 78
25 12/11/2005 Tussey Mountain Trail  ID#26 Rothrock State Forest, by Boalsburg PA 6.1 mi 85
25 11/27/2005 Bear Meadows Trail  ID#25 Bear Meadows Natural Area 3.5 mi 40
7 11/12/2005 Jackson Trail  ID#24 Jo Hays Vista, Route PA26 5.6 mi 65
8 11/4/2005 Gillespie Point  ID#23 Blackwell, PA 4.2 mi 81
2 10/25/2005 Mount Nittany  ID#22 Lemont, PA 1 mi 30
19 10/13 - 10/16/2005 West Rim Trail  ID#21 Blackwell, PA 30.2 mi 131
1 9/24/2005 Shingletown Gap  ID#19 Shingletown, PA 6.2 mi 99
7 9/17/2005 Jackson Trail  ID#18 Jo Hays Vista, Route PA26 5.6 mi 65
18 9/2 - 9/3/2005 Black Forest Trail  ID#17 Slate Run, PA 10.6 mi 84
7 8/26 - 8/27/2005 Mid State Trail  ID#16 Big Flat to Penn Roosevelt 6.8 mi 131
3 8/21/2005 Stone Valley Recreation Area  ID#15 South of Pine Grove Mills, PA 1.4 mi 18
7 8/18/2005 Mid State Trail  ID#14 Little Flat to Big Flat 4.6 mi 56
24 8/6/2005 Yellow Creek State Park  ID#13 Strongstown, PA 6 mi 84
2 8/1/2005 Mount Nittany  ID#12 Lemont, PA 3.7 mi 71
13 7/23 - 7/24/2005 Quehanna Trail  ID#11 East of Penfield , PA 19.5 mi 155
18 6/10 - 6/12/2005 Black Forest Trail  ID#10 Slate Run, PA 20.1 mi 127
7 5/23/2005 James Cleveland Trail  ID#9 Pleasant Gap, PA 2 mi 44
8 5/1/2005 Gillespie Point  ID#8 Blackwell, PA 4.6 mi 91
1 4/16/2005 Shingletown Gap  ID#7 Shingletown, PA 4 mi 56
17 4/8/2005 Golden Eagle Trail  ID#6 North of Cammal, PA 9.7 mi 192
2 4/5/2005 Mount Nittany  ID#5 Lemont, PA 2.6 mi 55
18 9/4 - 9/5/2004 Black Forest Trail  ID#4 Slate Run, PA 10.5 mi 103
11 6/12/2004 Yost Run  ID#3 Northern Centre County 6.7 mi 116
7 4/17 - 4/18/2004 Mid State Trail  ID#2 Penn Roosevelt to Poe Valley 8.4 mi 139
18 9/6/2003 Black Forest Trail  ID#1 Slate Run, PA 8.5 mi 175