PA Wilds Trail thru-hike: May 23rd - June 1st, 2020

Repost of an old trip report of mine, when my phone's camera was much suckier.

On May 23rd, a friend (Dave) and I set out on an attempt at backpacking the newly crafted but constantly evolving PA Wilds Trail. Our best estimates put this version of the trail somewhere near 200 miles, but I’m still waiting on the final GPS verdict. Starting on the Quehanna Trail at Parker Dam State Park, we planned on a roughly 10 day journey to the northern terminus of the West Rim Trail. This won’t be an exhaustive trip report, as u/ANF_Hiker has already written a much more detailed and better photographed report.

Big 3 gear: Gregory Optic 58, Marmot NanoWave 45, Borah Gear 7x9 UL Tarp

The rest: REI Flash Insulated pad (RIP), Pocket Rocket, Z-lite.. ask if you want to know any others

Day 1: This spring was a late one in northern PA, which became obvious as we drove from my friend’s house in Lancaster to Parker Dam. The full green canopy gave way to brown, mostly bare branches, with little groundcover showing. As we started in Parker Dam the forests looked like they belonged to late April, not late May. The day was warm but overcast. Recent rains made the trails a wet mess, though this water coupled with the upcoming warm weather would be enough to fast-forward through the season over the coming days. On Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, the parking lot was fuller than I’d seen before, but we only ran into 3 groups this day. The route follows the southern arm of the QT east to the East Cross Connector, which it then takes north with a few scenic detours. This section of trail is flat to rolling, which we appreciated for the first day. The PA Wilds Trail has few resupply options, so we carried a full week’s worth of food to get us to Wolfe’s General Store in Slate Run. While the cloudy skies made my pictures turn out poorly, this is a beautiful section, mostly following streams past beaver meadows and cascades. We made it to a campsite at the far southern end of Meeker Run, where we set up the tarp shortly before dark and a few showers.

Day 2: The East Cross Connector is beautiful, but the PA Wilds Trail improves it by first visiting Crawford Vista and the Bridge Trail, and later by taking the Teaberry/Lincoln Loop trails. Despite another warm overcast day, the scenery was still excellent if not easy to photograph. The dam at the Beaver Run Shallow Water Impoundment has now been repaired, with a pair of osprey already nesting nearby. The Lincoln Loop and Teaberry Trail were rougher than I remembered, thanks in part to my overloaded backpack. This short side trail to upper Paige Run is very worthwhile though, with 3 minor but excellent vistas, an hidden cascading stream, and varied ecosystems. The ECC brought us back to the QT at the top of Porcupine Draft, a beautiful and difficult valley. Luckily the nettles were only inches high, but we guessed correctly that they’d be much taller by the time we were off trail. The cascades and falls in Sanders Draft were on full show thanks to the high water. We camped that evening at the top of Laurel Draft, finishing one of the crowded days on the trail. Even as we settled in for an early night we were visited after dark by a couple and their dog, asking if they could share our cramped site, but we directed them to another tiny nearby spot. Unfortunately I was trying relatively new shoes on this trip, and developed major blisters under the pads on both feet this day (I don’t know when I last had blisters). Facing at least 8 more long mileage days I questioned whether I had any chance of finishing, but decided to at least give it another few days before calling it quits.

Day 3: We got an early start and took the QT down Laurel Draft, up Upper Pine Hollow (passing a bear cub) and over to the Old Sinnemahoning Trail, which drops off the north side of the plateau to the town of Sinnemahoning. Initially a grassy double track, this trail slowly constricted to a brushy single track before dropping into a shaded but open hemlock forest. This was much nicer than expected, but would be a brutal climb if headed the other way. From the bottom we headed over to the Sinnemahoning Tavern, and short walk down Rt 144, fighting past the never ending stream of trucks leaving their Memorial Day weekends. The tavern was open for takeout, and despite having plenty of food I ordered 2 chicken cheesesteaks: 1 for lunch, and another for dinner. I have to say, these sandwiches were far better than they had any right to be. This place is definitely worth a visit, despite the cartoonishly racist moron (not a local) that tried talking to us as we waited for our food. Dave also got a cheesesteak, but decided against carrying one for dinner. After lunch we walked the hot sunny road through Jericho to the start of the Donut Hole Trail, which begins at a muddy ATV trail through an unwelcoming private yard. This was a much hotter day, and I began to regret my sandwich on the muggy 1300’ climb. While the canopy was growing, the oaks were still missing most of their leaves, so the sun could be intense even in the forest. The DHT is a much different trail than the QT. Despite being generally well blazed the treadway was nonexistent in many sections, so we just picked our way through the rocks while looking out for snakes. With my developing blisters this was particularly tough, but this would be an extremely difficult trail in late summer when the ferns and undergrowth are fully grown. The DHT also is seriously lacking in developed camp sites. In fact, much of the entire route is. If I was going to do it again, I’d probably plan on each person finding their own site or using hammocks. Even with a small and versatile shelter we often had to push a few miles past our planned end points to find a suitable spot. This night we camped on a gated, grassy logging road. My feet were bad enough I let Dave get our water, while I sat and ate my delicious cheesesteak. Unfortunately my sleeping pad developed a major leak this night, but I was glad to have also carried a Z-lite for backup, and at least the nights were warm (so far).

Day 4: We started with a significant climb up to the vistas overlooking Kettle Creek State Park. We’d hoped to be able to mail a supply drop here, but never heard any responses from the park to our multiple requests (probably due to COVID closure). The DHT now officially follows the high water route, which is a dry bridge crossing of Kettle Creek followed by a road walk. Thankfully the roads were empty and it was a cool morning, plus a flock of Baltimore orioles kept us company for a mile or so. Then we were back on the trail as it rolled over hills with slowly vanishing winter vistas, eventually making its way to the Tamarack Fire Tower. While new, this tower is fenced and closed, but we took a break lying on a cold, shaded concrete porch for a while here anyways. We then descended to Rt 144 and camped in a remarkably unsuitable site along Browns Mill Hollow. At least I was able to use my deflated pad to fill in an uncomfortable hole that night.

Day 5: The next day we continued on the DHT, heading towards its juncture with the Susquehannock Trail System. These two trails run concurrent for somewhere around 10 miles, and the difference in trail use and maintenance is immediately apparent. While the DHT was somewhat more defined after the first day, the STS is in far better shape (though still rough). We enjoyed a late lunch at the excellent Scoval Branch shelter before spending a few miles on pipelines and gravel roads. Although we never saw any elk on our trip, I was surprised to see tracks and scat along both the DHT and STS. Upon arriving at the Ted’s Truss campsite we decided it was a perfect day to stop early. There’s a nice campsite there, the sun was still up and warm enough to let us wash off in the stream and still dry before bed, and going any farther would mean climbing up the brutal Morgan Hollow to miles of dry ridge. We had our only fire of the trip here, and reminisced about the time I slapped a mouse at this very site years back. I took advantage of the early camp and an ancient sleeping pad patch kit I found in my first aid kit to fix my pad, affording a decent night’s sleep. This slightly shorter day gave my feet a chance to heal a bit, which gave me confidence I could limp through another hundred miles or so.

Day 6: After several days of sun we had a warm but rainy & humid day, kicked off with a slog up Morgan Hollow. A few miles of ridge walking brought us to the end of our time on the STS, as we took the North Link Trail over to the Black Forest Trail. The NLT is a very pretty, mellow, and slightly tedious multiuse trail that connects with the BFT along County Line Branch. It generally follows old railroads, keeping it mostly level as it contours around ridges and valleys. The trail itself is actually very pleasant, running through the old railroad cuts and fills. The only downsides are that it takes around 7 miles to cover 2.5 linear miles, and despite running above several streams it’s remarkably devoid of water sources. The soft treadway was also heavily impacted by recent horse use. On the eastern side, the PAWT swaps the Dyer Branch Trail for the remainder of the NLT. This cuts off much of County Line Branch and its countless stream crossings, replacing it with a walk along the beautiful and lightly traveled Dyer Branch. It’s difficult to convey how easy the BFT treadway was compared to everything up to this point. Sure, the terrain is tough, but the smooth trails made it seem like a breeze in comparison. We quickly made our way to a campsite just west of Rt 44 in Yellow Jacket Hollow, shortly after a sudden downpour soaked me (Dave was smart enough to have an umbrella). It rained off and on through the night, but thankfully cleared up by morning. While we’d started our trip in what felt like early spring, the warmth and water were making obvious changes. Azaleas were now blooming everywhere, which we’d smelled as often as we’d seen. The oaks had at least partially leafed out, providing more shade and rain protection than we’d had up to this point. Unfortunately, the stinging nettles were also growing quickly, and would continue for the rest of the trip.

Day 7: The PAWT is designed to take you through some of the highlights of northern PA, and apparently many of them are on the BFT. This was one of our biggest elevation days, as we ranged through the eastern side of that loop. After crossing 44, we followed the BFT CCW until the Old Supply Trail in Foster Hollow, where we jumped on the newly restored Old Slate Run Trail (possibly not the correct name), which reconnects with the BFT at Red Run. In another day of occasional showers, we climbed up Red Run as clouds threatened. The bottom 5(!) sites were in use, inexplicably mostly by several large groups of Mennonites packed into tiny spaces. Eventually we found a little used site across Red Run where we made camp and dinner just before the rain started. Unfortunately my pad started leaking again and I was out of repair materials, so not a great night sleep for me.

Day 8: This day we’d wrap up the BFT, resupply at Slate Run, and work our way over towards the Mid State Trail. Those were the big picture goals, but the details were still up in the air. Specifically, Wolfe’s was still a pretty big unknown, and the official route to the MST was still being debated when we started our trip. Regardless, we had a beautiful but cool morning along the BFT as we climbed Red Run and descended through the Algerine section. The mountain laurels were even starting to flower, though none of the buds were opened yet. While the Hotel Manor wasn’t opened yet either, we arrived at Wolfe’s just in time to order sandwiches (roast beef & horseradish for both lunch and a dinner from their excellent deli) ahead of the crowd, and tried to make a few day’s dinner out of the limited selection. It doesn’t look like they’d fully resupplied after the COVID closure, so we had to make do with candy bars, cookies, Spam, cheese, and bread for the remainder of our trip, but it worked just fine. I also managed to get some UV curing wader-repair glue from the fly shop, and patched up my sleeping pad again as we ate lunch outside. From here, there were several options to get to the MST. Before the trip we’d both suggested Hilborn Trail over to Beulah Land Rd, but once our packs were loaded with food we passed on this. We instead settled on Dragon’s Back Trail up to the Golden Eagle Trail, which we’d take over to a game trail into Wolf Run Wild Area, where we’d heard of possible camping. The road walk sounded boring, and we knew from prior exploration that the unblazed and unmaintained trails along Mill Run and Sebring Branch were beautiful and wild, even if they barely existed. Surprisingly, we ran into Jeff Mitchell at the top of Dragon’s Back Trail. This entire route was his creation, and he was out scouting the various options on a beautiful cool weekend. After a chat with him we were on our way to the Wolf Run Vista, where we easily found the game trail leading to a descent down O’Brian Hollow. The game trail turned out to be harder to follow than we expected, and eventually disappeared into a full blown bushwhack, but thankfully had recently been flagged. While I often push for off trail exploration, between my feet and my loaded pack this was a very exhausting stretch that I’m unlikely to recommend. Descending from Beulah Land Vista (head NE from the vista, which we’d done on our last vist) is significantly easier, but does pass through game lands making it less likely to be the official route. We eventually met up with the old grade above Mill Run and followed it a little more than a mile down to the confluence with Sebring Branch. This grade is a blast, but is also extremely challenging. Slope failures and downed trees often have you side-hilling on mud directly above steep slopes, but the cascades and falls below are wonderful. We eventually had to cross Mill Run to get to the grade along Sebring Branch, and as the day never warmed up much and a night forecast in the 30s, we decided to wade across barefoot to keep our shoes dry (turned out to be a great choice). I later learned there was a campsite immediately downstream from this confluence, but we missed it and continued up Sebring Branch a mile or so to a flat spot where we camped. Unfortunately my attempted repairs on my sleeping pad didn’t account for the 3 new places the seam blew out, so this was a particularly cold night for me. FYI: a deflated sleeping pad still can insulate as a blanket.

Day 9: The cold made it easy to wake up early and get going this morning, which gave us one of our longest and hilliest days of the trip. Climbing out of Sebring Branch we quickly met up with the MST. I’d never been on this stretch before so this was a bonus for me. It ended up following miles of grassy gated roads, which could have been boring if we weren’t already getting worn out. Instead we were thankful for the chance to make some miles, and save our energy for the exceptional streams and hills near Trout Run. Eventually the trail climbed to Gillespie Point before descending to Blackwell (and ice cream). From here we crossed over to Bohen Trail, and with a slight detour to a lesser used side trail that afforded better views of the falls, climbed up to the West Rim Trail. After starting our trip on a weekend we were now back to another Saturday, and were a little unprepared for the crowds. We probably passed 10 sites that were in use before finding a vacant dry site a few miles farther than planned. After a dinner of Spam and cheese sandwiches, we settled in for our last night and coldest night on the trail. It definitely dropped below 40, but I’d luckily been able to patch enough of the holes in my pad to almost make it through the night before it deflated.

Day 10: Nothing too exciting about this day, except that it was beautiful weather to be on the WRT. With the end this close and with our packs as light as they’d been all week, we were motivated to get through the ~23 remaining miles in one go. I’d been able to contact my amazing parents the night before, so we now had a 6:30 deadline to make it to the northern terminus. Luckily the WRT is relatively mellow going, so we arrived with plenty of time to spare, and enjoyed a couple beers and sandwiches in the parking lot (did I mention my parents are amazing?).

Overall: This is an incredible, challenging, wild, rough, and varied route. I wouldn’t consider it a single trail, but instead a suggested path to tour the wilds of north central PA. At any point along the way there are countless options. You could take a 3.5 mile detour to Cross Fork for a resupply, tromp through Hammersley to a STS cross connector, and rejoin the route 30 miles later. Or instead of the North Link Trail you could opt for the much more direct but similarly beautiful South Link Trail. Or use the southern arm of the Golden Eagle Trail to add a few top-notch miles on your way to the MST. What you shouldn’t expect on this route is a decent treadway, abundant campsites, or easy supply options. This is definitely not a beginner friendly route.

Having now hiked the trail, I’m even more impressed with the earlier efforts of u/ANF_Hiker. I had the benefit of traveling with a good friend and experienced backpacker, which made route finding and snake avoiding less exhausting. We also had longer days and slightly warmer nights, meaning less to carry to more daylight to travel. I’d like to thank u/ANF_Hiker for his exhaustive trip report and trail data, as well as Jeff Mitchell and the rest of the PA hiking community for helping plan this route, and of course all the maintainers that make sure there are still trails to wander.