Cowan's Gap State Park campground with lake. On this hike, I took a detour for a night while finishing hiking the Appalachian Trail in PA. After finishing 10.5 miles of hiking on the AT, I drove over to the parking near Waggoners Gap just outside the Parking at Audubon Hawk Watch and hiked 0.9 miles of the Tuscarora Trail to the Charlie Irvin Shelter to meet fellow hiker White Castle for the night. The shelter was pretty cool, and I would like to return to stay up here for a night. . We saw nobody else the entire day. There are three ways to complete the challenge: hiking, doing volunteer trail maintenance with the PATC, or completing a combination of both hiking and trail maintenance that adds up to 60. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) maintains and manages the approximate 250 mile Tuscarora Trail that is located in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. Max Elevation: 2200 ft. Min Elevation: 1260 ft. Access:The trail can be accessed by road from both the northern and southern termini of section 4 in Tuscarora State Forest: Limited parking at Cowpens Road (40.219, -77.543), Parking at Hemlock Road (40.234, -77.639). Learn how your comment data is processed. **All GPS coordinates given on this site use the WGS-84 datum**. PA-641 to Cowans Gap State Park, 15.7 miles, PATC Map K, Guide to the North Half of the Tuscarora Trail. This is not on the white trail leading down. The trail follows an extensive route that bypasses the Appalachian Trail by following mountain ridges to the west. Advisory: Exercise caution in the Buchanan State Forest during hunting season. There are some nice views on both sides of Great North Mountain from the ridge just before arriving at Gerhard Shelter. Proudly created with Wix.com. Camping: I've never camped on one of these hikes so I don't have an experiential benchmark. My options for shelter would be to either use the Gerhard Shelter lean-to if I had the place to myself, or a lightweight tarp and minimalist hammock if I decided to wander out further into the woods and camp near the search area and nearby spring. (I'm hiking the Southern Section in the Fall, 2012) I have the latest guide book to the Northern Section, and map for the lower 1/2 of this section. When you park at the parking area, just off the road, there is a fire road that heads off past a gate, this is where the trail starts (the trail is the fire road). Weenjoyed our small lunch, signed the book and off we went. Please respect the landowner's decision. It also turned out to be a rather long day. Theres plenty of room for everyone, too. It didnt help that these areas of low maintenance also coincided with some of the most rugged areas on the trail, and there were places in Pennsylvania where I struggled to maintain one mile per hour. The 7th edition (2020) of The Tuscarora Trail: A Guide to the North Half in Maryland and Pennsylvania incorporates recent trail changes or relocations into the detailed trail descriptions of the 10 sections comprising the north half. Max Elevation: 2300ft. Min Elevation: 800 ft. Access: The trail can be accessed by road from both the northern and southern termini of section 5: Advisory: No water along this section, Exercise caution in the Tuscarora State Forest during hunting season. With warm temperatures and little chance of rain again, we did not use the flies. Carry lots of water. CAUTION: Not all sections of the Tuscarora Trail are appropriate for young or inexperienced hikers. At the 2.2-mile mark, the trail splits, but youll want to stay right for the Tuscarora Trail. Re-trace your steps to the trail, then turn left to continue on. Reservations can be made online at the Pennsylvania State Parks and Forests Reservation website at any time, or by calling 888-PA-PARKS (888-727-2757), Monday through Saturday, 7:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. except on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. In honor of the 60th anniversary of the Tuscarora Trail, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club is hosting the TT60Challenge. Hmm? I never made it to the Shelter and decided to turn back -- I was probably within a half mile. Stay to the left and you will re-enter the forest by way of the yellow-blazed Frye Path. There are wooden platforms for tents. There are some loose stones/rocks under foot as you make your way up though. There's a book where you can leave a note for other hikers/backpackers. On the return on the fire road, a mile or so is along a large stream I noted a guy fishing in. Since the trailhead is located in a neighborhood, there is no parking lot. A beautiful day for Labor Day weekend of 2010. I did this hike on 5/17 in the direction suggested in this guide and in reverse on 5/24. No direct access to northernterminus, but can be accessed from the Lucas Woods side trail with road access at WV 23/2 (39.183,-78.432). But its a difficult trail to thru-hike because of the challenges presented by the trails location and design. Camping is limited to one night without a permit. The information available on this site, including without limitation, overviews, opinions,directions, GPS data, photographs, (collectively "Content") may contain information relating to a hazardous activity. It's not so bad that it's not doable, but I'm hoping she'll come to enjoy hiking so I didn't want to overdo it with her. Trail. THE AUTHORS OF THIS SITE AND THE PATC ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR HARM TO PERSONS OR PROPERTY THAT RESULTS FROM YOUR USE OF THIS SITE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, USE OF ANY CONTENT ON THE SITE. That would add another six plus miles to our day and most of that would be uphill. I would expect ticks in season given the grasses growing along part of the ridge. Re-trace your steps on the Tuscarora Trail and Biby Wilderness Trail to reach your vehicle. As far as resupply in PA, Spring Run is a good spot for resupply/town food (the hoagies from Path Valley Market . I did hear some rustling leaves from a scurrying something, so maybe a hidden rabbit or two. Proudly created with Wix.com, **All GPS coordinates given on this site use the WGS-84 datum**. Photos from previous days were youll uploaded but you have to go to the bottom of each days post to see that days photos. I didn't get lost either, which is always a plus. I didn't see it but I believe one does exist. Looks like cell service is good here. All the roads in Shawneeland are called trails, including Maple Trail, Timber Ridge Trail and Fir Trail. Cowans Gap State Park to PA 16, 9.6 miles, PATC Map K, Guide to the North Half of the Tuscarora Trail. If you start going downward on the FS road you missed the right turn. A lot of rotted and dying trees and there were a couple of signs about chemicals that had been applied, so who knows. The nearest being maybe 3/4 of a mile, give or take, in the direction that you come in on. One of the challenges of maintaining the Tuscarora Trail has been its incomplete, inconsistent, and inadequate signage. The club also built several shelters along the route as well. Trail conditions and routes may be subject to frequent and unannounced change. First shelter was Burd Run shelter. The Great Eastern Trail is roughly 1600 miles long, a consists of a patchwork of other trails and roadwalks that will eventually stretch from the northern terminus of the Florida Trail, to the North Country Trail. I would recommend wearing a hat during this hike about 50 percent of the hike is in a field also bring sun block I have a little red to me today. Bob and I put on our camp sandals to cross stopping on the other side to put our hiking shoes back on. We passed 2 mountain bikers early on in the hike but for the rest of the day we had the trail to ourselves. Reese Hollow Shelter in Pennsylvania had a beautiful crystal-clear spring flowing just off to the side from the shelter. Much of the ridge and fire roads are jog-able, as is part of the ascent (most if your in a little better shape than I am). I noted other comments about the decent from the shelter being hard on knees. Continue to your right on Waites Run FS Road road for another 0.8 miles back to the parking area. It connects to the AT near Harrisburg and in Shenandoah National Park (SNP). That might be a good shakedown hike for my twice-delayed but upcoming Continental Divide Trail hike. (Day 33: A Race Against The Rain) Previous Entry. It was a beautiful day to go hiking but honestly, this was not one of our favorites. US Route 50, limited shoulder parking (39.268, -78.314). It rained a little that night and I ended up hammocking because there was no place to put the tent with all the rocks. Shelters along the Tuscarora Trail (photos)and info Just wanted to share some photos of the shelters I stayed at along the TT on a recent section from PA641 to PA456. There are several overlooks, too. 2021 Tuscarora 2021 Tuscarora Trail - Day Three - Barclays Run Shelter Posted by stoffa on 20 May 2021 Thursday, 20 May Bob and I did not put the flies on our tents last night since we knew it works be warm and almost no chance of rain in the HR forecast. This is a popular trail for hiking and running, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. Information on this site is presented with intent to be as accurate as possible at the time of posting, but it is provided as is and we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information. In terms of gear malfunctions per mile, the Tuscarora Trail was my worst. I pretty much had the entire hike to myself besides a few fishermen in the last 20 min of the hike. To detour this section, please consult the updates page for current detour information. The Tuscarora is a bypass route of the Appalachian Trail (AT) that is about 250 miles long. Chincoteague Island: A Relaxing Hike on the Woodland & Bivalve Trails, Massanutten Hiking Trails: Massanutten Ridge & Kaylors Knob in McGaheysville, Virginia, Mountain Lake Lodge: 3 Scenic Hikes for Dirty Dancing Fans in Pembroke, Virginia, Strickler Knob: An Eye-Pleasing Rock Scramble Hike Near Luray, Virginia, Mostly dirt and rock trails, some grass and rock scrambles. It is worth doing, please don't take my points as negative, simply trying to round out my opinion. A note that you will actually pass two gates/small parking areas - the first off the yellow trail, then the second one mentioned in the directions above after you pass the pink blazed trail on your left (you'll see a bench and trailhead, which is the start to the White Rocks hike, another great one posted here on HU). " An alternative to the Appalachian Trail, the 252-mile Tuscarora Trail traverses four states, including Pennsylvania. Weather was crisp and perfect. " A W OpenMapTiles OSM 9.8 Miles Point to Point 2,451' High 1,222' Low 1,779' Up 1,076' Down 6% Avg Grade (3) 38% Max Grade (21) Toolbox Plan in onX Backcountry Driving directions Download GPX File Know This Trail? For this backpacking trip, I decided to head down to the border of West Virginia and Virginia to check out a pretty cool mountaintop lean-to shelter and do a little airplane scavenger hunt in-between the occasional rain showers that always tend to follow me around. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. At this point the trail is a closed forestry road (FS) that slowly climbs the side of the mountain for 0.8 miles before the blue blazed Tuscarora Trail makes a sharp right, and the FS road continues straight. It may have been in the high 20s up high, as my beanie cap seemed stiff in parts, I think from frozen sweat. The Charlie Irvin Shelter is nestled on the edge of a cliff with wonderful a wonderful view of the valley. Day 1 Gross Elevation Gain: 1,474 before you embark upon your trip. At the shelter I talked to a gal for a second. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. There are three ways to complete the challenge: hiking, doing volunteer trail maintenance with the PATC, or completing a combination of both hiking and trail maintenance that adds up to 60. We have never seen other hikers on this route. The shelter sits overlooking the valley, so on Saturday, June 21, they had to build a temporary scaffold to complete the roofing boards, underlayment & install the roofing metal. This was a very pleasant walk in the woods. The information available on this site, including without limitation, overviews, opinions,directions, GPS data, photographs, (collectively "Content") may contain information relating to a hazardous activity. In full sun at the overlook, I was comfortable. THE AUTHORS OF THIS SITE AND THE PATC ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR HARM TO PERSONS OR PROPERTY THAT RESULTS FROM YOUR USE OF THIS SITE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, USE OF ANY CONTENT ON THE SITE. It is less busy and a bit more rugged compared to the A.T. I noted no hidden patches of ice on trail rocks (as tends to occur under leaves sometimes) that would make for 'awesome' footing. It wasn't raining on us as expected but it was pretty cool and overcast for much of the day. The Tuscarora runs through Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Shockeys Knob Shelter in West Virginia had some of the most difficult to collect water I've ever collected, and it smelled so bad that I had to filter it three times before it seemed edible. But it does make hiking the trail somewhat inconvenient. At the trailhead, youll be in full sun, but not to worry. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. In a few more steps, you will exit the forest and reach a graffiti-laden powerline clearing with views. The BMT can only carry a small number of overnight hikers, because its designers intentionally did not set aside space for large number of hikers to camp. Temperatures in the mid eighties. Camping: Barclays Run Shelter (39.253, -78.319),PinnacleShelter (39.193,-78.3815), Pinnacle Camp (39.193,-78.385), Lucas Woods Hiker Camp (39.177, -78.409). Full GPS track data, including campsites, etc, for this tripand many others can be downloaded on my Trip Data Page. Additional Road Access in Tuscarora State Forest: Limited Parking at Three Square Hollow Road (40.228, -77.569), Limited Parking at 2nd Narrow Road (40.224, -77.594). Erin Gifford is the editor of Go Hike Virginia. Camping: Fowlers Hollow Shelter (40.247,-77.611), Fowlers Hollow State Park. You should verify critical information such as directions, park hours, gate closings, blaze colors and specific regulations (pet policies, firearm/hunting regulations, etc.) The BMT aims at being a more wild experience than the AT, and this partly manifests by the BMT having few campsites and only two shelters (one of which seemed placed explicitly to compensate for a lengthy no-camping zone). Exercisecaution in Buchanan State Forest during hunting season. Exercise caution in SGL #124 during hunting season. The ascent up to ridge was as described, and a very good workout. Lesson learned. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.
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