Pennsylvania - The Rest

 

Maps:

• Software - Topo! Pennsylvania

• http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/ - here you can find a very good printable *.pdf map of almost any state park.  Free printed maps can be obtained by calling DCNR - these maps are dual sided and on larger pieces of paper.  They are also placed at parking lots in the parks.
• The whole Pennsylvania is divided into forests.  Online forest maps are pretty bad, but printed versions are free and can be ordered at DCNR.  To choose your forest go to this page: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/index.aspx
• Free Brochures and Map: Experience Gettysburg, PA.
• Free Brochure and Map for the Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water.  Free map of the surrounding Falling Waters Bear Run Nature Reserve.  There is another FLR house 7mi away - Kentuck Knob.
• Holtwood Environmental Preserve and Arboretum.  Kelly's Run, Pinnacle Trail System.  Free maps by the PA Power and Light Co.  This area has the best overlooks over the Susquehanna River.  The trail system has The Conestoga Trail in its base.  Very pretty area.
• Delaware River Highlands - free map.
• Youghiogheny River Lake - free map.
• Raystown Lake - free map.
• Recreational Trails in the Allegheny River Region - free map.
• Old Loggers Path - free map.
• Mason-Dixon Trail Map Set with the guide book.  Old but with corrections on the web site.
• Quehanna Trail - free map.
• Free printable maps of the Standing Stone Trail (formerly Link Trail) from the official site: http://www.hike-sst.org/ and the guide book can be bought there as well.  1000 Steps hike has some of the best mountain overlooks in PA.
• Maps and guide book for the Mid-State Trail.
• Guide to the Loyalsock Trail with a map.  Passes through the World's End State Park.
• Guide to the Black Forest Trail with the map, by Firefighters Association.  The best backpack in PA, especially when the leaves are changing color.
• Tuscarora State Forest Trail System by Pennsylvania Bureau of forestry - free map.  Absolutely essential when hiking the Tuscarora Trail there, since the PATC map's scale is insufficient.
• Guide to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania and Pine Creek by Pine Creek Outfitters with map.
• Delaware Water Gap, NPS, USDI

Books:

• Circuit Hikes in VA, WV, MD, PA published by the PATC

• Pennsylvania Hiking Trails.  Keystone Trail Association, editor Ben Cramer, KTA, Ed. 13, 2008.  Attempts to cover all major PA trails in a small book.  Good place to start search of where to hike.
• Hiking Pennsylvania.  55 of the State’s Greatest Hiking Adventures.  A Falcon Guide.  3d ed., John Young, 2008
• 50 Hikes in Western, Central and Eastern Pennsylvania by Tom Thwaites - 3 books by the author with half a century hiking, backpacking and trail maintaining experience.  The only downside for me is the hikes are usually short.
• Backpacking Pennsylvania.  37 Great Hikes, Jeff Mitchell, 2005.  My favorite author and book.
• Hiking the Endless Mountains.  Exploring the Wilderness of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Jeff Mitchell, 2003.  My favorite author and the best book about one of the best places in PA.
• A Hiker’s  Guide to the Laurel Highlands Tr., Sierra Club, PA Chapter, Western PA Conservancy, by Bruce Sundquist.  1991
• Waterfalls of the MidAtlantic States: 200 Falls in MD, NJ, and PA, Gary Letcher, 2004
• Pennsylvania Waterfalls.  A guide for Hikers and Photographers, Scott E. Brown, 2004.  This guide book shows spectacular pictures of the waterfalls, but there are a lot of them missing and the coordinates are sometimes inaccurate.  Still, highly recommend.

Notes:

Pennsylvania does not have tall mountains.  Its highest peak is Mt. Davis with elev. 3213 ft.  Never the less, mountains are very rocky and steep.  There are many trails with stream crossings.  Trails are typically very well blazed and very poorly maintained, so walking through rocky fields, over multiple blowdowns and wading through creeks should be expected.  There are lots of very steep trails without switchbacks.  On the other hands, a lot of trails use old logging paths and some are shared with Off-Highway Vehicle Roads.  These trails are very easy to follow at high speed.

Regarding maps: Pennsylvania has great maps of the State Parks.  They are free and can be printed from the web or ordered. 

   It has free State Forest maps which are great for driving to a destination and for seeing a general position of a trail.  Basically Forest Maps are a good addition to DeLorme PA. Online versions are bad.

   It has free Gameland maps, but they are not always in stock. Online versions are bad.

   Pennsylvania has a lot of lakes and those are maintained and mapped by the Army Corps of Engineers.  Their maps include hiking trails as well as boating and fishing.

   Unfortunately, hiking maps of particular areas (not state parks), have a lot to be desired: they are created by different clubs, agencies, groups and private individuals. A lot of them are outdated, incomplete, black-and-white, not including elevation profile, have bad scale, etc.  The reason for that is that the most spectacular trails were created, maintained and mapped by single individuals -  visionaries.  Other people helped them from time to time, but it wasn't a club effort, like in Maryland or Virginia, even though officially these trails are maintained by the clubs.  Examples of these spectacular trails are Black Forest Trail, Standing Stone Trail, Mid-State Trail and I am sure many others.  PA DCNR maintains many trails and prints the maps of some long hiking trails, which I consider to be pretty good.  Other maps that it prints are not that good, but since they are unique, nothing can be done. 

    The biggest problem is the inconsistency of all the maps and not knowing what maps for any particular area exist and where to obtain them.  My solution if you want to explore a particular area: start by looking for this area in all the guide books you have, then call DCNR headquarters and ask what they have in terms of maps, then call the State Forest where the area is located and ask what they have in terms of brochures and maps and what hiking clubs are around, then find these clubs on the web and see if they have maps.  It's a good idea to call the state parks and special areas which are part of this big area and ask what they have.  My experience with the staff was that they were always trying to be helpful, but not always knowledgeable about anything not directly within their jurisdiction.  It's funny how the DCNR works - since all brochures with maps are free, they are not advertised and are not available on the Internet and thus people who need them don't know they exist (I am referring to forest trails here).

 

Hike 1.  Conestoga Trail: The Pinnacle Area

 

 

Club: Capital Hiking Club;  MWROP.  Mark Tune;  Russ Norfleet leading

Date: 10/20/2002; 08/20/2005

Parking: In all the 4 places lots of space for many cars

Topo! PA Trace: ConestogaTr_Pinnacle_GPS20021020.tpo; ConestogaTr_Pinnacle_GPS20050820.tpo

Printable map: ConestogaTr_Pinnacle_GPS20021020Map1.GIF; ConestogaTr_Pinnacle_GPS20021020Map2.GIF

Description File: ConestogaTr_Pinnacle_GPS20021020.doc; ConestogaTr_Pinnacle_GPS20050820.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: ConestogaTr_Pinnacle_GPS20021020.gtm; ConestogaTr_Pinnacle_GPS20050820.gtm

Photo Album: ConestogaTr_Pinnacle_GPS20050820

Notes: Pinnacle is the best overlook in PA.  The Conestoga trail is unique and quite spectacular as well.  Don't miss the Arboretum.  Partial maps can be obtained from the landowners - the PPL Power Company.  The maps are free, but it's very hard to find somebody who would send them.  Ask for Kelly's Run - Pinnacle Trail System Maps, Conestoga Trail Maps, Mason Dixon Maps, and Holtwood Environmental Preserve Maps.

 

 

Hike 2.  Conestoga Trail: I76 - Erbs Bridge Road

 

Club: scouting.  Ken Fillo from the Lancaster Hiking Club leading

Date: 01/02/2005

Parking: The starting parking is good, the end parking is nonexistent - parked at the curb of the road

Topo PA! Trace: ConestogaTr_I76_ErbsBridgRd_GPS20050102.tpo

Printable map: ConestogaTr_I76_ErbsBridgRd_GPS20050102Map1.GIF; ConestogaTr_I76_ErbsBridgRd_GPS20050102Map2.GIF

Description File: ConestogaTr_I76_ErbsBridgRd_GPS20050102.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: ConestogaTr_I76_ErbsBridgRd_GPS20050102.gtm

Photo Album: ConestogaTr_I76_ErbsBridgRd_GPS20050102

 

 

Hike 3.  Black Forest Trail

 

Club: MWROP.  Ted Fryberger leading

Date: 10/05/2007

Topo PA! Trace: BlackForestTr_GPS20071005_08.tpo

Description File: BlackForestTr_GPS20071005_08.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: BlackForestTr_GPS20071005_08.gtm

Garmin MapSource Trace: BlackForestTr_GPS20071005_08.gdb

Google Earth Trace: BlackForestTr_GPS20071005_08.kmz

Universal GPS Format: BlackForestTr_GPS20071005.gpx; BlackForestTr_GPS20071006.gpx; BlackForestTr_GPS20071007.gpx; BlackForestTr_GPS20071008.gpx

Photo Album: BlackForestTr_GPS20071005_08

 

 

Hike 4.  Standing Stone Trail: 1000Steps, Buchanan State Park

 

Club: Mountain Club of Maryland.  Bridget McCasker leading.

Date: 01/26/2008

Parking: we parked on the side of the road which was pretty wide.  There are lots of parking lots further away.

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: StandingStoneTrail_1000Steps_GPS20080126.tpo

Description File: StandingStoneTrail_1000Steps_GPS20080126.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: StandingStoneTrail_1000Steps_GPS20080126.gtm

Garmin MapSource Trace: StandingStoneTrail_1000Steps_GPS20080126.gdb

Google Earth Trace: StandingStoneTrail_1000Steps_GPS20080126.kmz

Universal GPS Format: StandingStoneTrail_1000Steps_GPS20080126.gpx

Photo Album: StandingStoneTrail_1000Steps_GPS20080126

Notes: Some of the best mountain views in PA.  Can be combined with Trough Creek State Park and the long trail along the Raystown Lake

Warnings: the steps can become iced up.

Tags: Loop, but Out-N-Back or Shuttle would have been better; Dayhike.

 

Hike 5.  Quehanna Trail

 

Club: Sierra Club, Howard County.  Mike Juskelis leading

Date: 10/11-13/2008

Parking: good

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: QuehannaTr_GPS_20081011_13.tpo; QuehannaTr_GPS_20081011_13MJuskelis.tpo

Description File: QuehannaTr_GPS_20081011_13.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: QuehannaTr_GPS_20081011_13.gtm

Garmin MapSource Trace: QuehannaTr_GPS_20081011_13.gdb

Universal GPS Format: QuehannaTr_GPS_20081011_13.gpx; QuehannaTr_GPS20081011.gpx; QuehannaTr_GPS20081012.gpx; QuehannaTr_GPS20081013.gpx

Photo Album: QuehannaTr_GPS_20081011_13

Notes: Can be done once.  I didn't like the proximity to the jail and the radioactive waste sites.  I enjoyed the PA fall colors, especially birches and ferns.  The trail was easy.  In addition to the time when we did it this hike would be good when the Blueberries are in bloom.  Get the free Quehanna Trail map from the PA DCNR.  This trace is only a fraction of the whole loop.

 

 

Hike 6.  Trough Creek State Park

 

Club: my scouting with Misha.

Date: 11/16/2008

Parking: lots of good parking lots.

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: TroughCreekSP_GPS20081116.tpo

Description File: TroughCreekSP_GPS20081116.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: TroughCreekSP_GPS20081116.gtm

Garmin MapSource Trace: TroughCreekSP_GPS20081116.gdb

Universal GPS Format: TroughCreekSP_GPS20081116.gpx; TroughCreekSP_GPS20081116gtm.gpx

Photo Album: TroughCreek_StPk_GPS20081116

Notes: a very beautiful park with several of rare places.  Can be combined with the Standing Stone Trail, and the long trail along the Raystown Lake.

 

 

Hike 7.  Pennsylvania Endless Mountains: Worlds End State Park - Loyalsock Trail - Gameland 13 - Butternut Falls - Ricketts Glenn State Park

 

Club: Terry Goldberg's cabin trip with my leading

Date: 03/13-15/2009

Parking: always good.  One road between the Worlds End and Ricketts Glenn State Parks which the GPS chose was iced up, so we had to make a large loop around.  It's best to follow paved roads if going early or late in the season

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: WorldsEndSP_GameLand13_RickettsGlennSP_GPS20090313_15.tpo

Description File: WorldsEndSP_GameLand13_RickettsGlennSP_GPS20090313_15.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: WorldsEndSP_GameLand13_RickettsGlennSP_GPS20090313_15.gtm

Garmin MapSource Trace: WorldsEndSP_GameLand13_RickettsGlennSP_GPS20090313_15.gdb

Universal GPS Format: WorldsEndSP_GameLand13_RickettsGlennSP_GPS20090313.gpx; WorldsEndSP_GameLand13_RickettsGlennSP_GPS20090314.gpx; WorldsEndSP_GameLand13_RickettsGlennSP_GPS20090315.gpx

Photo Album: WorldsEndSP_GameLand13_RickettsGlennSP_GPS20090313_15

Notes: one of the best places in PA for hiking/backpacking.  Highly recommend 2 books: Pennsylvania Waterfalls by Scott Brown and Hiking the Endless Mountains by Jeff Mitchell.  Maps of the Worlds End  and Ricketts Glenn State Parks can be downloaded for free or ordered from PA DCNR; Loyalsock Trail guide book with map can be bought here: http://www.lycoming.org/alpine/ , spectacular Buttermilk Falls don't need a map, since it's not a hike bur rather a very rugged 0.1 mi walk.  Address is this: Buttermilk Falls Campground, 11364 Ellington Road, Shunk, PA 17768, (570) 924-3427.  This waterfall is private and permission should be obtained.  We got it for free.  Gameland 13 has a free map which can be obtained from the DCNR, but they were out, so I had to trust the books and Topo!.  The best time to see this area is when the ice is gone, but not long after that, since the waterfalls are best seen with a lot of water in them.  The area can be admired for overlooks and bogs as well as waterfalls, so it can be visited at other times as well to see flowers and trees during different seasons.

Warnings: Buttermilk falls requires steep bushwhacking, Gameland 13 requires steep bushwhacking, but both are well worth it, since the waterfalls are great.  The coordinates in Scott Brown's book are sometimes inaccurate.  The Ricketts Glenn St. Park can have a lot of waterfalls' trails closed due to the icing, which was the case when we went there.  2 people ignored the signs and had to be rescued, when they fell down and got seriously injured.  Thus, it's better to go after calling the park and making sure all the trails are opened.

 

 

Hike 8.  Old Loggers Path

 

Club: Steve Weber leading unofficially

Date: 04/18-20/2009

Parking: hard to find sometimes, but parking on the curve of the road works.  Consider parking elsewhere.

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: OldLoggersPath_GPS20090418_20.tpo

Description File: OldLoggersPath_GPS20090418_20.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: OldLoggersPath_GPS20090418_20.gtm

Garmin MapSource Trace: OldLoggersPath_GPS20090418_20.gdb

Google Earth Trace: OldLoggersPath_GPS20090418_20.kmz

Universal GPS Format: OldLoggersPath_GPS20090418_20.gpx; OldLoggersPath_GPS20090418.gpx;  OldLoggersPath_GPS20090419.gpx; OldLoggersPath_GPS20090420.gpx

Photo Album: OldLoggersPath_GPS20090419_21

Notes: free map can be obtained from the PA DCNR.  I liked this backpack a lot primarily for its off trail waterfalls and rivers, but also for overlooks, pretty tress and small streams.  There are a lot of places to explore nearby, which I'd like to do in the future.

Warnings: some optional bushwhacks can be steep, rocky and slippery.  The official version is very easy.

 

 

Hike 9.  Susquehannock State Park

 

Club: my scouting with Misha

Date: 10/11/2009

Parking: good

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: SusquehannockSP_GPS20091011.tpo

GPS TrackMaker Trace: SusquehannockSP_GPS20091011.gtm

Universal GPS Format: SusquehannockSP_GPS20091011gtm.gpx

Photo Album: SusquehannockSP_Pinnacle_PPI_Land_GPS20091011

Notes: this park offers some of the best overlooks of the lower Susquehanna River.  It has a lot of Paw-Paw trees.  We came when they had fruits and we gathered them and ate some.  It's important to realize that Paw Paws like bananas or nuts need to stay at home for a week or more before they can be eaten.  The most spectacular overlook of PA - the Pinnacle on the Conestoga Trail is nearby.  Part of this trail goes for about 10 miles along the eastern side of the Conestoga River.  On the western side is the Mason-Dixon Trail. 

Warnings: Not to be confused with the Susquehanna SP in PA or in MD.