Hiking in Central Pennsylvania and Around the State

Our Second Spring Backpacking Trip on the Quehanna Trail

May 08 |10:00

On the first weekend of May 2011 myself and a group of friends started hiking the Quehanna trail. We put a little over 16 miles under our belt on that hike. Fall of last year had us going back to hike an additional 13 miles of the trail. Now, almost a year later, we were back for even more backpacking on the Quehanna Trail. With our largest backpacking group yet, seven in total, we conquered another 14 miles of the trail and had us completing well over half of the 74 mile circuit trail.

Read more: Our Second Spring Backpacking Trip on the Quehanna Trail

 

Hiking the Bog Trail Atop the Allegheny Plateau

Apr 30 |10:00

Spring 2012, I decided to take Shari down to hike the Bog and Boulder Trail. The Bog and Boulder Trail is part of the John P. Saylor trail system, located south of Windber, PA. These yellow blazed trails make a cross-connector between the east and west sections of the John P. Saylor Trail. They also offer unique views of highland bogs and boulder fields. With a threat of rain in the air, Shari and I were only able to explore the Bog Trail. A short hike, but highly recommended for anyone looking to do a short hour to two hour hike in the region.

Read more: Hiking the Bog Trail Atop the Allegheny Plateau

 

Vistas and Views on the Mid State Trail

Apr 16 |10:00

Kevin Busko, Regional Manager of the State College section of the Mid State Trail, suggested I do a hike on the MST between Barre and PA Furnace Road. He said that I would be impressed with the views and vistas on this section of the trail, some of the best on the Mid State according to him. I maintain a section of the Mid State Trail from PA Furnace Road to Ewing Path and I know there are some nice views on that section. I was intrigued to see these great views, plus the fact that the Keystone Trails Association had recently had a trail care weekend on this section of the Mid State Trail. So I figured I'd venture up onto Tussey Mountain to hike a recently cleared trail and to check out the views and vistas.

Read more: Vistas and Views on the Mid State Trail

 

A Steep Climb, Well Worth the Effort, on Thickhead Mountain

Apr 07 |10:00

There is a grassy forest road that climbs the southern and western flanks of Thickhead Mountain where it connects with Detweiler Road near McKinney Spring on the top. I have wanted to hike this road and see McKinney Spring but I couldn't find a good trail to use to make a circuit hike out of it. I had thought that the Shingle Path that climbs Thickhead Mountain was long ago engulfed in brush and forgotten. I was happy to discover that I was wrong. With a steep climb up the cleared Shingle Path I was able to finally do a circuit hike on Thickhead Mountain Road.

Read more: A Steep Climb, Well Worth the Effort, on Thickhead Mountain

 

Checking Out the Reroute of the Maguire Trail Reroute

Mar 24 |10:00

Last year a reroute of the Maguire Trail was put in place to alleviate erosion problems and dangerous conditions. After investigating this new reroute, I found it to be a little over engineered, or more specifically, it had way too many switchbacks on such a short and not so steep section of trail. With the mild winter, trail crews from the Nittany Mountain Biking Association headed out into the woods and created a reroute of the Maguire Trail reroute. For my first after work hike of the season, myself and a fellow coworker headed off to check out this second Maguire Trail reroute.

Read more: Checking Out the Reroute of the Maguire Trail Reroute

 

A Spring Stroll Along Penns Creek

Mar 18 |10:00

With temperature reaching the lower 70s in the middle of March it seemed that spring was arriving early in Central PA. What better way to spend an early spring day than hiking in the great outdoors. My son had never seen the old railroad tunnels located near Poe Paddy State Park and I figured today would be a great time to show them to him. So we packed a small lunch, hopped in the car, and drove over to Poe Paddy State Park to enjoy the great weather and explore the Paddy Mountain tunnel.

Read more: A Spring Stroll Along Penns Creek

 

My First Hike on the Baker Trail

Mar 03 |10:00

The Baker Trail extends from its southern terminus near Freeport on the Allegheny River to the northern terminus just outside the Allegheny National Forest. It is a hiking trail in places and in other places it follows dirt roads as it meanders through woods and fields. This was my first hike on the Baker Trail and I decided to hike a section of the trail as it followed Cherry Run through the woods within Crooked Creek Lake Park in Armstrong County. On what turned out to be a very nice and relatively warm late February Sunday, I headed off to find Crooked Creek Lake Park and discover the Baker Trail.

Read more: My First Hike on the Baker Trail

 

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Hikes in Pennsylvania

# Date of Hike Trail Location Length Difficulty
1 5/17/2012 Shingletown Gap  ID#142 Shingletown, PA 3 mi TBD
  5/16/2012 Bushkill Falls  ID#141 Near Stroudsburg, PA 4 mi TBD
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
13 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
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