Hiked this trail? Rate it.
 |
 Reviewed by Eli Smucker of Narvon, PA, 03/23/2008 |
| We have been doing hikes on this trail for about 10 years, and have covered it all several times. Have never done it all at one time, but there are lots of connectors, so you can make single day hikes as easy as multi-day hikes. Hikes can be tailored for any leval of expertise or age. One of our favorite spote is Hemlock Mtn. where we have winter camped several times. Winter sunrises over the Pine Creek gorge are beautiful. We hope to continue to hike this trail for many years to come. |
 Reviewed by Katie Burton of Westline, PA 09/10/2007 |
| What a great trail! It's been a goal of mine for a couple years to do the BFT and I finally got the opportunity to hike it last week. I went with my brother and a friend of ours. We did the whole loop in 3 and a half days. Some rough hiking at times but we loved every minute of it. The vistas were amazing and worth every climb. Lot's of wildlife, especially rattlesnakes! I plan on doing the loop again next fall. I highly recommend this trail, it truly shows some highlights of our beautiful state. |
Reviewed by William Donner of Erie, PA 09/05/2007 |
| I first hiked the BFT in 1976 and have since done it 3 or 4 times. I absolutely love this trail ... great vistas, great water, golden eagles, deer and bear. Though I would not normally appprove of cutting vistas this is one of the things that makes this trail so so beautiful. Also, all the steep deep hollows with their great streams, waterfalls and springs. A truely fantastic trail. Unfortunately it is being loved to death. When I 1st hiked it over 30 years ago I saw no one in my 4 days. I believe the next time it was the same. But now it is unusual to go for more than a few hours without meeting others. And horses are also packing parts of the trail. So, with so much use, it is even more inportant to clean up after yourselves, keep quite and respect nature. This trail is a treasure. Please treat it as such. |
Reviewed by David Gainer of Philadelphia, PA 07/05/2006 |
| Awesome trail. The hike was difficult at times, but rewarding at every turn. We ended up doing 30 miles of the trail and took the bail out back to the car. I can't wait to get back out there and finish the last 12 miles some day. |
Reviewed by Joshua Huber of Cheektowaga, NY 06/30/2006 |
| Hiked this trail with my father, brother-in-law, and friend this week and loved every minute of it. Started at the trailhead and did 3 11+ mile days followed by 2 days under 4 miles. Camping near the pond at Foster Hollow is a must and highlights include climbing over the sedimentary rocks, a long 2 mile slow descent on a creek bed on day 2, as well as several fern fields and ridge hikes. A must for anyone with the urge for a real sense of accomplishment. Did not see a bear but several rattlers. |
Reviewed by MRHyker of Baltimore, MD 09/19/2005 |
| OK, the important stuff can be found at http://www.midatlantichikes.com/id194.html. A Sierra CClub photo link will be posted on that link later this week. |
Reviewed by MRHyker of Baltimore, MD 09/14/2005 |
| I've been hiking the Mid-Atlantic region for quite some time. Until this year my activities in PA have been mostly limited to day hikes in the Michaux Forest and Holtwood Recreation area. This year I strapped on my backpack with intentions of exploring the more distant venues in central, north central and west central PA. I hiked 1/2 of the AFT this spring and immediately made plans to hike the BFT. My friend Ken and I hiked 25 miles in the Black Forest over 3 days this past weekend. Twenty-three miles were on the BFT proper. We had to use some connector trails and a very small segment of forest roads to close the loop. We started at the north end where the BFT crosses Rt44 and hiked clockwise. We covered 5.6 miles on the first day, camping at a pretty falls and grotto that feeds the headwaters of Slate Run. The next day we hiked 11 miles, making 2 "nose to toes" climbs of 700 and 1000 feet, respectively, over about 0.5 -0.7 miles. In bewteen was full of easy walking and fantastic views. We made camp by the Foster Hollow Camp. THe next day we jumped over to the west side of the BFT by using some forest roads, the Pine Bog Trail and Blackberry trail as connectors. Along the way we had encounters with 2 bears and a pretty irritated porcupine. In all cases we parted each other's company without malice. After a harrowing descent through a boulder field and a refreshing lunch and foot soak along County Line Run it was an easy 5 mile hike back to the car mostly along a railroad grade. We covered a total of 9 miles that day. This hike is pretty top drawer. Over 3 days we visited something like 12 vistas. I hope to bring a larger group next year to retrace my steps and then will lay out plans to backpack the remaining 19 miles. Details, maps and photos will be coming soon to www.midatlantichikes.com ... as soon as I get my home internet access back that is! |
Rate This Trail
Have you hiked this trail? If so, share your thoughts with others by posting a review. Please complete all information. Your e-mail address is collected for recording purposes only
and will not be displayed on web pages.