SATC - Hiking Southcentral Pennsylvania

Closer In Trails (within 45 minutes or so from Harrisburg)

Capital Area Greenbelt	A multi-use trail encircling the City of Harrisburg. It is about 20 miles long, or will be when completed (it almost is, now). The Greenbelt was conceived about 100 years ago during the "City Beautiful" movement and in recent years has experienced a renaissance sponsored by the Capital Area Greenbelt Association, a volunteer group most worthy of your support. The *map* on the CAGA website will get you started. Some areas, such as Riverfront Park (along Front Street by the Susquehanna River), show dramatically scenic interplay between the best of urban Harrisburg and one of America's great rivers. Some other areas are subject, shall we say, to the same social forces at work in the adjacent urban neighborhoods. All areas offer rewarding discoveries just around the next bend. Many streets cross the Greenbelt but hiker parking is not a priority on any, take your chances and explore. There is one dedicated parking lot on PA 441 behind the Harrisburg Mall.
City Island & Walnut Street Bridge	A park on the northern half of an island in the Susquehanna River, connected by a bridge for pedestrian and muscle-powered vehicle traffic to downtown Harrisburg. People-watching is the main attraction on this stroll through various concessions and amusements, with views of the Harrisburg skyline as a bonus. Evenings and non-event weekends make the parking area on the southern half of the island attractive to those willing to walk a bit. The bridge once continued the whole way across the river until an errant iceberg (well, something like that...-WM) did it in in 1996, and proposals to rebuild it have so far foundered on bureaucratic icebergs. *Access* to the City Island parking areas is from the Market Street bridge which also crosses the island.
Wildwood Lake Sanctuary	A Dauphin County park within the Harrisburg City limits but separated from the rest of the City by Interstate 81 and US 22/322. It is a well-known birding spot and home to the Olewine Nature Center, the headquarters of Pennsylvania Audubon. The 3-1/3 mile circuit (mostly paved, partly woodchipped, some boardwalk, NOT entirely flat!) around the lake is a common leg-stretcher for local hikers, and the most likely locale for SATC's summer get-acquainted "ice cream" hikes. The circuit can be lengthened slightly by taking a couple of side footpaths that loop from the main trail. Wildwood Lake is also the north end of the Capital Area Greenbelt (see above). The main attraction is the lake itself and the surrounding wetland, home to thousands of lotus blooms in July. The trails close at dark. Best *access* is US 22-322 north from I-81 to PA 39/Linglestown Rd exit, take PA 39 west but turn left immediately on Industrial Road. Wildwood Lake, and its three vehicle access points, line the left side of the road for the next mile. Trails in Wildwood Lake are shown on 1998 and 2004 editions of the map "Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, Sections 7 & 8, Susquehanna River to Swatara Gap," published by KTA. This map should be available at outlets such as Wildware Backcountry (East Shore).
McCormick's Island	Can you imagine over a hundred acres of wilderness within the City limits of Harrisburg, entirely without road access? Such a place is McCormick's Island, as of October 2007 the latest beneficiary of SATC's land fund. SATC looks forward to opportunities to help restore this unique area to quiet enjoyment of all, by supporting Central Pennsylvania Conservancy's pending acquisition of this long neglected haven for wild life.
Goddard Trail	Marked walkway, mostly on side streets, in the Borough of Camp Hill. It is a pretty walk through an older, well-preserved West Shore suburb that was recently named first in the under-10,000-population size class nationwide in the America in Bloom competition for its beautification efforts. Like the Capital Area Greenbelt, hiker parking is not a priority on the residential streets it uses, and the Goddard Trail is only one-tenth as long.
Darlington Trail	The first mountain trail we encounter on our ever-increasing radius from the Capitol. Originally a project of the Pennsylvania Alpine Club in the early 1900's, it once ran for many tens of miles along the crest of Blue Mountain, the first mountain ridge emerging from the Great Valley both west and east of Harrisburg. Later the Appalachian Trail was superimposed on much of the earlier Darlington route, then the A.T. was relocated shortly after World War II by Ralph Kinter, Earl Shaffer, and the then-new Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club. Many years of use and abuse took its toll on the historic ridgetop trail, along with encroaching suburbia. One section of mountain top was saved from cell phone towers by the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy with financial help from SATC, and SATC relocated much of the Darlington 1998-2001 onto newly constructed footpath entirely within public land. The current orange-blazed 7.74 mile route of the Darlington Trail extends from Tower Road west of Marysville to the Appalachian Trail. The two-page *map* and guide to the Darlington Trail is available online through the SATC web site. The eastern section of Darlington Trail is also shown on the edge of the 2004 edition of the map "Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, Sections 7 & 8, Susquehanna River to Swatara Gap," published by KTA. Best *access* is from Lambs Gap Road and Millers Gap Road, both extending north from PA 944/Wertzville Rd west of I-81 exit 61. However the most beautiful section of the trail is near its east end, accessible only by a series of local roads from Marysville Borough. (Tip: Do NOT even TRY, even with 4WD, to take Tower Road from Enola! Don't say you haven't been warned!) SATC volunteers are now working with the Borough to identify ways to enhance the east end of the route.
Boyd Big Tree Conservation Area	On Blue Mountain northeast of Harrisburg, the Boyd is run by the DCNR Bureau of State Parks, without all the Recreational Development of a standard-issue State Park. It is an oasis from encroaching suburbia where hiking and hunting are allowed. *Access* is from PA 443/Fishing Creek Valley Rd east of the PA 443 interchange from US 22-322 north of Harrisburg. Along the ridgetop a tiny remnant of the east-shore Darlington Trail provides access to the Lower Paxton Township Hocker Park, on top of the mountain on Blue Mountain Parkway north of PA 39/Linglestown Rd. If you enjoy this area and wish to ensure its future as a hiking destination, support the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy. Trails in and near the Boyd Area are shown on the *brand new 2004 edition map* "Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, Sections 7 & 8, Susquehanna River to Swatara Gap," published by KTA. This map should be available at outlets such as Wildware Backcountry (East Shore).
Shank Park	Hidden in a corner of the Township of Derry , tourists can't usually find Hershey's largest park. It features a 1.63 mile loop nature trail that is in turn connected via an ever-lengthening multi-use trail (Jonathan Eshenaur Trail) with more familiar sections of Derry Township (like Cocoa Avenue). *Access* is from Bullfrog Valley Road, which intersects US 322 just east of the US 322/US 422/PA 39 interchange at the west end of Hershey. When coming from Harrisburg, exit the US 322 expressway onto US 322 (yes, that's right) then turn right again immediately at the "Receiving Dock" sign for Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
Horse-Shoe Trail	Laid out before World War II, this long distance route connects Valley Forge with the Appalachian Trail. The Keystone Trails Association has named the H-ST one of its "Endangered Trails" because encroaching development has repeatedly caused the private landowners who host the Trail to put up strip malls and townhouse developments incompatible with the horse and foot path. Consequently many sections of the yellow-blazed H-ST follow roads. Link to maps of H-ST in Dauphin and Lebanon counties. The nearest non-roadwalk H-ST (to Harrisburg) is the surprisingly pleasant stretch through lands owned by the Milton Hershey School Trust, most easily *accessible near Derry Township's Boathouse Park (from Hersheypark Drive, take Sand Beach Road north over the hill past Hershey Foods corporate headquarters, turn left on Boathouse Road, park on right, walk back to the Sand Beach Road intersection to find the yellow blazes) and the Palmdale Park one block south of where the yellow blazes cross US 422/Chocolate Ave. Another off-road section of Horse-Shoe Trail* connects the intersection of PA 443 and McLean Rd at Manada Gap (for some odd reason the Rand McNally Road Atlas actually shows Manada Gap, northeast of Harrisburg), through such peaceful pastoral areas as an ATV/dirt bike riding club, then eventually on a pipeline over Second Mountain to Stony Creek (see below). Parking is available in the grass along McLean Rd just a few yards from the PA 443 intersection. SATC maintains this section under the aegis of the Horse-Shoe Trail Club, another organization worthy of your support. This portion of H-ST is shown on the *2004 edition map* "Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, Sections 7 & 8, Susquehanna River to Swatara Gap," published by KTA.
Conewago Recreation Trail & Lebanon Valley Trail	The Conewago is a rail-trail with a newly improved stone-dust surface that connects an *access* point at PA 230 just east of Middletown, crossing several local roads and PA 743, with the Lebanon County line. Because this trail is entirely on the south side of the Conewago Creek it is in Lancaster County and maintained as a Lancaster County Park. Views of farmland abound and somehow suburbia still feels far away. Upon crossing into Lebanon County the Lebanon Valley Trail, continues almost to Lebanon.
"St. Anthony's Wilderness," SGL 211	Pennsylvania's second largest Game Land stretches some *25,000 acres over four mountains and three counties* northeast of Harrisburg. This natural area exercises fascination over hikers, hunters, and outdoors people of all stripes, but suffice it to say that it is possible to spend days, months, years, or even a lifetime exploring the natural and cultural history of SGL 211 and its surroundings. SATC members Brandy and Annette Watts have developed websites centering on the former railroad and all the features radiating from it and showing many beautiful images taken in this tract. Another enthusiast tells some of the stories on his St. Anthony's Wilderness website. Some key points of interest are: Rausch Gap Devil's Race Course Stony Mountain fire tower Chinese Wall/Boxcar Rocks Yellow Springs "The General" connected by the Appalachian, Horse-Shoe, and many other trails. An abandoned railroad bed 19 miles long passes through the core of SGL 211 and intersects many of the other trails. The nearest *access* to Harrisburg is at a place detailed maps call Ellendale Forge, more commonly known as "Stony Creek" because that's as far as you can drive up the creek (a PA Scenic River). Take the Dauphin Boro/Stony Creek exit from US 22-322 northbound, turn right at your first opportunity, turn right again at the next block, turn left at the Stoney Creek restaurant, and keep going. Other major *access* points are: PA 325/Clarks Valley Rd at several points east of PA 225; the Appalachian Trail parking lot near the junction of PA 443 and PA 72; and several points along Gold Mine Road north of PA 443. *Maps* are usually available on the Game Commission's website (try this link, the PGC's web site is being reconstructed), but the best ways around SGL 211 are shown on the *2004 edition map* "Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, Sections 7 & 8, Susquehanna River to Swatara Gap," published by KTA and available online or at Wildware Backcountry (East Shore).
Appalachian Trail (East/North of Susquehanna River)	Certainly America's best-known footpath, the "A.T." is the raison d'etre for SATC and the backbone of the hiking trail network in southcentral Pennsylvania. From the US 22-322 Clarks Ferry Bridge, "A.T." runs over 1,000 miles from the Harrisburg area to Maine. From an *access* point at the park-and-ride lot under the east end of the bridge (at the PA 147/Halifax exit from US 22-322) it ascends the point of Peters Mountain following either the scenic switchbacked white-blazed official route passing sweeping vistas north and south along the river, or the shorter steeper blue-blazed Susquehanna Trail which forms a popular loop hike with the A.T. The white blazes continue easterly on the Peters Mountain crest to PA 225 where SATC maintenance responsibility begins. The sweeping north view from the first power line crossing was the inspiration for SATC's current T-shirt. Continuing past the Ralph Kinter View commemorating SATC's founding President on Shikellamy Rocks, the A.T. crosses the blue-blazed Victoria Trail which descends alternately south to PA 325 and north to the Ibberson Conservation Area (see below). Eventually the A.T. leaves the Peters Mountain ridge, crosses PA 325, and plunges through the heart of "St. Anthony's Wilderness" (see above)-climbing Stony Mountain to Yellow Springs, descending through Rausch Gap where it leaves the SATC's tender care, then climbing over Second Mountain to Swatara State Park (see below) in Swatara Gap, then rising onto Blue Mountain which the A.T. generally follows northeast to New Jersey. This web site offers directions to parking areas along the Pennsylvania A.T. *Maps* of the A.T. from the Susquehanna River east to the Delaware River are published by Keystone Trails Association, and are generally available at Wildware Backcountry (East Shore), or on the A.T. Conference Trail Store web site. Insist on the 2004 edition from Susquehanna River to Swatara Gap, not the 1998.
Appalachian Trail (West/South of Susquehanna River)	From Clarks Ferry Bridge the A.T. passes Duncannon Borough (including the justly famed Doyle Hotel ) on its way up Cove Mountain and the dramatic overlook of Hawk Rock, the founding place of SATC and still the site where its officers are officially installed. (To *access* the "base of Hawk Rock" often mentioned in the SATC hike listings, exit US 11-15 at PA 274, drive towards the Ford dealership, keep going across the Sherman Creek bridge, turn around at the dead-end, and park your car near the trees as best you can facing back towards Duncannon.) The A.T. continues southwest along the north limb of Cove Mountain in the north block of SGL 170, then descends to the two parking lots of PA 850. Rising again for the last time along Blue Mountain (which folks from Carlisle here call "North Mountain") it meets the orange-blazed Darlington Trail (see above) and blue-blazed Tuscarora Trail (see below) at the summit, where it becomes the maintenance responsibility of Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club. In approximately 0.29 miles there is a dramatic overlook of the Cumberland Valley, the North's answer to the Shenandoah. The trail then descends to the valley floor, or actually a cross-valley low ridge, for the next twelve miles. *Access* to the Cumberland Valley A.T. is a bit tricky but their *map* should help you find a spot. Do not even THINK of parking along PA 944/Wertzville Rd, cross very quickly until the underpass is finished in late 2008. The A.T. Trail Work Center at Scott Farm, on Bernheisel Bridge Road at the north end of the bridge over the Conodoguinet Creek, offers surprisingly little parking. A township park in Boiling Springs (see below) offers the most convenient *access* to the south end of the Cumberland Valley A.T. section, just south of PA 174 at the bottom of the hill on Bucher Hill Road. Just south of Boiling Springs the A.T. ascends South Mountain, the northernmost point of the Blue Ridge geological province (are you confused yet?) which it approximately follows for about 1,000 miles to Georgia. This web site offers directions to parking areas along the Pennsylvania A.T. *Maps* are published by Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, and the first few maps covering the area immediately south of Harrisburg are generally available at Wildware Backcountry (East Shore) or at Yellow Breeches Outfitters on PA 174 in downtown Boiling Springs.
Boiling Springs	Fishermen, bikers, and (not least!) hikers converge on this favored spot in the Great Valley to enjoy its sublime beauty. The Appalachian Trail Conference Mid-Atlantic Regional Office nestles across from the post office on PA 174 beside the exquisite "Children's Lake" and its gazebo which has served as the venue for numerous Trail weddings. This friendly, relaxed community invites strollers to serious hikers with seemingly infinite scales of exploration possible from this single point. The community is named for upwelling cold springs which chill the downstream Yellow Breeches Creek, creating a famed trout fishing spot. The first summit on South Mountain south of Boiling Springs is called Center Point Knob, in honor of its former distinction as the half-way point of the A.T. before World War II. The area around Center Point Knob is laced with unblazed trails that offer a new wonderful discovery around each bend, such as traces of several different former A.T. routes. The most delightful of these is the White Rocks Ridge Trail, only 1.3 miles long, blue blazed, offering very limited parking at the Kuhn Road trailhead, but also giving generations of local children and new residents a satisfying sample of the rocks and views characteristic of Pennsylvania's mountain footpaths. Only the land around the current blazed trail routes was purchased by the National Park Service, so step lightly on private land and obey any posted signs you encounter. The best *access* is to park your car next to the iron furnace in the township park at the south end of the lake and just start walking around. Don't stop at the pool, there is a hidden gem of a nature preserve behind it. Don't leave town without a look at "The Bubble" behind the post office. (Two warnings: The railroad is surprisingly active and thoroughly policed so it is best avoided to the extent possible. The sidewalks are more treacherous than the trails!) You may encounter a *map* of the historic district on your stroll around the community, and some of the nearby trails are shown on PATC Map 1. Both are usually available at the Yellow Breeches Outfitters store at the north end of the lake beside the ATC office. As you enjoy the area, remember that it was saved from high-density development at almost the very last minute by an odd coalition of groups and agencies (such as the PA Fish and Boat Commission and the ATC Land Trust) that bought the land around the lake and relocated the A.T. off nearby roads. Sometimes the good guys win, but they need your help to beat the bulldozers.
Letort Spring Run Nature Trail	A footpath mostly on rail-trail about 2 miles long. It connects a park near the center of Carlisle to an *access* point on Bonny Brook Road, just behind a trailer park off PA 34 south of town. It passes pastoral views, historic farmsteads, and a lovely stream that is one of the last holdouts of native wild trout. (You will NOT believe how nice a trail it is from the drive to the trailhead!) If you walk in from the Bonny Brook Road end be sure to spend some time exploring the blocks surrounding the "Square" in Carlisle to capture traces of 250+ years of history. (One subtle example: Look closely at the old courthouse for Confederate cannonball dents, each almost invisibly marked "July 1, 1863.") The Letort Regional Authority is planning extensions and enhancements.

There is not even a half mile walk from the trailhead parking lot to access a hawk watch point, but even the non-birdwatching hiker is amply rewarded for the slight effort over the rocks to reach a fine view over the Great Valley to South Mountain beyond. Although Pennsylvania Audubon received a DCNR grant requiring continued public access, their gate is often closed.

A grand loop through four states, from the junction of the Appalachian and Darlington trails (on Blue Mountain north of Carlisle) to Shenandoah National Park where it again reaches the A.T. This blue blazed trail offers a more remote, less crowded, and rougher experience than the parallel A.T. between these points. You will occasionally find orange blazes along the Tuscarora and the trail's homepage at Potomac Appalachian Trail Club explains why. Map and guide sets are available from PATC, which continues a program of placing shelters and securing adjacent property and permission to relocate the trail to improve the route. Still, the one area where you are likely to encounter even one or two other hikers is the climb to the dramatic viewpoint of Flat Rock from Colonel Denning State Park on PA 233 north of Newville. There is essentially no parking on roads crossing the Tuscarora between Colonel Denning and the A.T., so the trail paradoxically becomes less well-used closer to Harrisburg. A notorious stretch of Tuscarora Trail crosses four rocky ridges in just over 8 miles for a cumulative 2400 foot climb between Cowpens Road and Hemlock Road in far southwestern Perry County. The next major hub along the Tuscarora is Cowans Gap State Park north of US 30 in eastern Fulton County where it encounters the Standing Stone Trail (see below).

Circling the lake is more of an adventure than many bargain for. In Perry County, southwest of Newport.

Tuscarora Wild Area which intriguingly occupies the summit of one of the more dramatic mountain ridges on the Perry/Juniata county line west of US 22-322.
Big Spring State Park isn't much of a Park by itself, but is a fine access point to the Iron Horse Trail (a very rough ankle-biter rocky version of a rail trail) and many more trails shown on the Tuscarora State Forest Public Use Map, accessible also from;
Fowlers Hollow State Park, and somewhat on PATC Tuscarora Trail maps.
Hemlocks Natural Area, back in a seasonal road that leaves PA 274 west of Big Spring, is the gem. You might have waited too long to get there, because an introduced insect pest, the hemlock wooly adelgid, has killed most of the trees that stood to greet Columbus.

Mount Holly Marsh Preserve abuts the northeast corner of Michaux on the edge of Mount Holly Springs borough (a commuity usually called "Holly" by locals). A trail system not shown on the PATC Maps, surrounding a wetland (wetlands are rare here, take note) in the gap formed by Mountain Creek, is the attraction. These trails were developed by Lamberton Middle School students of the Carlisle Area School District, on Cumberland County land in association with Nature Conservancy. Click here for a map of these interesting, but occasionally maintained and confusing, trails. Access is from the back of the parking lot of the (temporarily closed as of winter 2009) "Deer Lodge" restaurant, on PA 34 just north of the PA 94 junction.
Kings Gap is a kind of State Park with an odd-looking old mansion hosting various events. The Buck Ridge Trail crosses the mountain from Kings Gap to Pine Grove Furnace. The mountain is dissected into jumbled non-oriented hills (rare for here), well covered with interesting trail loops, making it a safe bet for SATC hikes despite the relative distance from Harrisburg. Orienteers train here too, since the hills are rich in iron ore this must be an interesting experience trying to find your way with no grain to the terrain, and unreliable compass tracks. Follow signs to access this tract from PA 233 south of I-81. A map is on DCNR's website.
Pine Grove Furnace State Park is just north of the actual half-way point of the entire A.T. Many thru-hikers mark their half-passage by undertaking the half gallon challenge at the Park's general store. Some stay at the friendly, historic hostel here. The half-way marker from Maine to Georgia was about a mile north of the Park but has been removed to become an exhibit in the Appalachian Trail Museum that will open here in 2010. Nearby is Pole Steeple, a quartzite rock formation affording a view of the park's two lakes and surrounding forest, on a short side trail from the A.T. or a steep trail from a parking lot just east of the State Park. The climb up is more than half the fun.
Rocky Knob Trail is a delightful 4 mile balloon loop off the A.T., accessed from a State Forest dirt road leading west from the high point ("Big Flat") of SR 3003 south of Shippensburg. (Turn off US 11 in downtown "Ship" at the Sheetz convenience store onto South Queen Street.) You can write the State Forest headquarters for a guide to what the numbered posts showed 25 years ago. Rocky Knob Trail is shown on PATC Map 2. (This area hosted a macabre event in 1988, of which there is no outward sign along the trail--if you're interested you can search out information, including two published books about it, yourself.)
Caledonia State Park, where the A.T. crosses US 30 between Gettysburg and Chambersburg, is a popular access point, also featuring plenty of rhododendron blooming in early July. North of US 30 is PATC Map 2, south of the "Lincoln Highway" is Map 3. The fastest way to get there from Harrisburg is I-81 south to PA 997 south to US 30 east, a course often not immediately apparent to the non-local.

Gettysburg National Military Park, certainly a must stop if only to view the preserved rural landscape of the battlefield itself, in an area gradually succumbing to suburban sprawl. This Park presents a non-ideal choice to the hiker between the narrow well-traveled auto tour route and the heavily used horse trails. (The "infantry" comes last again...)
SGL 242 has a few grassy roads for a winter cabin fever break. (map: click http://www.pgc.state.pa.us then click "State Game Lands" in left menu, click York County, then look for "242")
Gifford Pinchot State Park is named for the institutional father of American forestry, but only in consequence of his actions as Pennsylvania's Governor in getting the nearby road paved. There is an eight-mile mostly muddy walk around the obligatory lake, and some of this is part of the Mason-Dixon Trail.
Mason-Dixon Trail begins (or ends) at the A.T. at Whiskey Springs, southwest of Boiling Springs. From there it roughly parallels the west side of the Susquehanna River to Maryland, where it crosses the river, then winds into Delaware and eventually back into Pennsylvania. Many of the sections of M-DT near Harrisburg are road walks, even past some public land parcels, and some off-road routes along the river bluffs east of York have suffered from landowner closures. Checking the M-DTS web site and contacting a club member for currrent conditions is highly recommended. This hard working group continues improving the trail despite adverse conditions and certainly merits your support.
Rocky Ridge County Park off PA 24 north of the York Galleria exit from US 30 east of York, has rocky trails that offer the local mountain bikers plenty of tube-patching practice.
Richard M. Nixon County Park is named for who you think it's named for, perhaps just to perpetuate the regional stereotype of York County as the home of butthead conservatism. It is supposedly very nice.

Just west of McConnellsburg in Fulton County. Hike #10 in 50 Hikes in Central Pennsylvania, 4th ed., by Thwaites (Woodstock, VT: Backcountry Guides, 2001) provides a current published description and map, as well as the necessarily somewhat complicated directions to the access point. This hike is very rough through the most scenic area (the ravine and waterfall south of the lake) and several hikers have been injured here. If you have limited mobility or agility, or wet or icy conditions prevail, STAY AWAY. (map: click http://www.pgc.state.pa.us to look for SGL 53)

Martin Hill Wild Area, accessed from SR 3005 in southern Bedford County, an extension of Pleasant Valley Road in Allegany County, Maryland, leading north from exit 50 of I-68, is a section one could spend a lifetime exploring. With the Public Use Map or this map in hand, pages 95-96 of the 12th edition of Pennsylvania Hiking Trails, describes some of the trails in the southern part of Martin Hill. With the permission of Bureau of Forestry hikers are adding new connections and newly improved routes as well.
An abandoned superhighway could be the strangest exploration opportunity in this area. Most of this abandoned highway has recently been transferred from the Turnpike Commission to the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy. (try this link) Access behind the Ramada Inn in Breezewood, or less trespassingly from US 30 east from Breezewood to the top of the first ridge, turning left on Oregon Road, turning right to stay on Oregon Road after crossing under the PA Turnpike, then continuing on this gravel forest road down and down to a second underpass and parking as best you can there.

The spine trail of the Tiltrock Country received a new name in early 2007. Originally named for occupying the space between the Tuscarora Trail and Mid State Trail, the SST offers spectacular geological and botanical highlights offering the best of Pennsylvania hiking--notwithstanding occasional closures (due to attitude changes among private landowners and public land managers). The new Public Use Maps of Rothrock and Buchanan State Forests show the SST as "Link Trail." Order a guide from the SST web site. Download the maps. The SST is maintained by the hard working and ambitious Standing Stone Trail Club. Access to the south end follows the Tuscarora Trail north from Cowans Gap State Park.

A little-known but stupendous hiking destination on the Standing Stone Trail. From an access point in Dublin Township, Fulton County, on SR 1011, 2.6 miles north of US 522 at Fort Littleton (following occasional blue blazes, passing Camp Sinoquipe on the left), you can sort of park one or two cars off the left shoulder where the blue blazes turn right off the road on the Ramsey Path (routed sign). Following blue blazes uphill on Ramsey Path through private land (stay on trail!) and into SGL 81, brings you eventually to a tee intersection. Turn left (north) on the orange blazed trail, go first to the blue side trail to Monument Rock to left, then back to the orange route continuing north to Betty's View, both very nice. Return to the tee with the Ramsey Path, then continue south on the orange-blazed Link to the wooded mountain summit. Just beyond the top, a blue blaze with no sign will appear on the right. Follow blue blazes carefully over the rocks to the surprising and astounding view called Priceless Point. The crowds are far away. See the guide and download the maps.

Almost 1100 rough stone steps climb halfway up Jacks Mountain above Mount Union on SGL 112.

If you can only do one hike in southcentral Pennsylvania, this would be it!

Hike #22 in 50 Hikes in Central Pennsylvania, 4th ed., by Thwaites (Woodstock, VT: Backcountry Guides, 2001) provides a current published description and map. Access is from US 22, at a gravel wide spot in the road marked "Foot Access to State Game Lands," 1.9 miles west of the US 522 junction at Mount Union. The 50 Hikes description begins to cover the interplay of nature and culture in this dramatically scenic area. Download the maps.

On the north bank of the Juniata River opposite Mapleton Borough. The SST south of the Thousand Steps to Mapleton is a surprisingly wild and scenic parallel to US 22. Download the maps.

North of the top of the Thousand Steps loop, the Standing Stone Trail goes over the ultimate summit of Jacks Mountain, passes chestnut trees continually struggling to survive the blight, and takes in a dramatic view down the Kishacoquillas Valley at a flowing piped spring on the way back down the mountain to the PA 655 bridge north of Fousetown. (More detailed directions: Take PA 655 north from Mill Creek through Fousetown, cross a quarry road at a blinker light, then cross a bridge with orange SST blazes. Just after crossing the SST, take the second right (it comes quickly) on a dirt road, then right again into a Game Land parking area which is JUST out of sight from PA 655. Back-track walk on the dirt road and PA 655 a short distance to the bridge to pick up SST.) Download the maps.

At the southwest margin of the Rothrock, this park is a day-hiker's jewel and an access point to Terrace Mountain Trail, a remote backpacking trail along the roadless east shore of Raystown Lake.

Another park within the Rothrock, at the north end of Standing Stone Trail. Historically interesting in itself, this park is a base for exploring the "Seven Mountains" area where the ridges jumble together to exclude the valleys south of State College.

Exquisitely spiritual any time of the year, a hike here is indescribably dramatic in early July when the never-cut wild rhododendron blooms. A hefty climb and descent of Broad Mountain on a blue-blazed trail (bearing the gloriously understated awkward name of "Greenwood Spur of Mid State Trail") brings the hiker here from Greenwood Furnace. You can also drive the Seeger Road.

If you have good boots continue north on the blue-blazed trail from Alan Seeger to turn right on an orange blazed trail over Central Pennsylvania's most notorious stretch of ankle-biter rocks to see more remote old growth.

The orange blazes carrying you past Detweiler Run and many other Natural Areas are on the Mid State Trail, the ultimate challenge to the Pennsylvania hiker as the longest and wildest footpath in the state. Like others this trail arguably deserves a better name, but is at least apt as the trail crosses the waist of the Keystone State from the Mason-Dixon Line in Bedford County north to the NY State line in Tioga County. Mid State Trail Association is the volunteer organization responsible for keeping this going, and the 11th edition of its trail guide and map set is available at Wildware Backcountry or from the MSTA web site.

Waggoners Gap	There is not even a half mile walk from the trailhead parking lot to access a hawk watch point, but even the non-birdwatching hiker is amply rewarded for the slight effort over the rocks to reach a fine view over the Great Valley to South Mountain beyond. Although Pennsylvania Audubon received a DCNR grant requiring continued public access, their gate is often closed.
Tuscarora Trail	A grand loop through four states, from the junction of the Appalachian and Darlington trails (on Blue Mountain north of Carlisle) to Shenandoah National Park where it again reaches the A.T. This blue blazed trail offers a more remote, less crowded, and rougher experience than the parallel A.T. between these points. You will occasionally find orange blazes along the Tuscarora and the trail's homepage at Potomac Appalachian Trail Club explains why. *Map* and *guide* sets are available from PATC, which continues a program of placing shelters and securing adjacent property and permission to relocate the trail to improve the route. Still, the one area where you are likely to encounter even one or two other hikers is the climb to the dramatic viewpoint of Flat Rock from Colonel Denning State Park on PA 233 north of Newville. There is essentially no parking on roads crossing the Tuscarora between Colonel Denning and the A.T., so the trail paradoxically becomes less well-used closer to Harrisburg. A notorious stretch of Tuscarora Trail crosses four rocky ridges in just over 8 miles for a cumulative 2400 foot climb between Cowpens Road and Hemlock Road in far southwestern Perry County. The next major hub along the Tuscarora is Cowans Gap State Park north of US 30 in eastern Fulton County where it encounters the Standing Stone Trail (see below).
Little Buffalo State Park	Circling the lake is more of an adventure than many bargain for. In Perry County, southwest of Newport.
Tuscarora State Forest	including: Tuscarora Wild Area which intriguingly occupies the summit of one of the more dramatic mountain ridges on the Perry/Juniata county line west of US 22-322. Big Spring State Park isn't much of a Park by itself, but is a fine *access* point to the Iron Horse Trail (a very rough ankle-biter rocky version of a rail trail) and many more trails shown on the Tuscarora State Forest Public Use Map, accessible also from; Fowlers Hollow State Park, and somewhat on PATC Tuscarora Trail maps. Hemlocks Natural Area, back in a seasonal road that leaves PA 274 west of Big Spring, is the gem. You might have waited too long to get there, because an introduced insect pest, the hemlock wooly adelgid, has killed most of the trees that stood to greet Columbus.
Michaux State Forest	Pronounced (MEE-sho), this tract occupies most of the South Mountain (aka Blue Ridge) of Cumberland, Adams, and Franklin Counties. Hikers are not alone in this closest tract of wild land to Baltimore and the Maryland D.C. suburbs, mountain bikers are king, and even ATV's run there, along with periodic enduros (noisy motorized dirt bike races). PATC Maps 2 and 3 show most of the trails of interest to hikers, including the ATV trails which are surprisingly pleasant hiking, and must be gonad-shatteringly rocky on an ATV. Highlights of the Michaux Forest area include: Mount Holly Marsh Preserve abuts the northeast corner of Michaux on the edge of Mount Holly Springs borough (a commuity usually called "Holly" by locals). A trail system not shown on the PATC Maps, surrounding a wetland (wetlands are rare here, take note) in the gap formed by Mountain Creek, is the attraction. These trails were developed by Lamberton Middle School students of the Carlisle Area School District, on Cumberland County land in association with Nature Conservancy. *Click here for a map* of these interesting, but occasionally maintained and confusing, trails. *Access* is from the back of the parking lot of the (temporarily closed as of winter 2009) "Deer Lodge" restaurant, on PA 34 just north of the PA 94 junction. Kings Gap is a kind of State Park with an odd-looking old mansion hosting various events. The Buck Ridge Trail crosses the mountain from Kings Gap to Pine Grove Furnace. The mountain is dissected into jumbled non-oriented hills (rare for here), well covered with interesting trail loops, making it a safe bet for SATC hikes despite the relative distance from Harrisburg. Orienteers train here too, since the hills are rich in iron ore this must be an interesting experience trying to find your way with no grain to the terrain, and unreliable compass tracks. Follow signs to access this tract from PA 233 south of I-81. A *map* is on DCNR's website. Pine Grove Furnace State Park is just north of the actual half-way point of the entire A.T. Many thru-hikers mark their half-passage by undertaking the half gallon challenge at the Park's general store. Some stay at the friendly, historic hostel here. The half-way marker from Maine to Georgia was about a mile north of the Park but has been removed to become an exhibit in the Appalachian Trail Museum that will open here in 2010. Nearby is Pole Steeple, a quartzite rock formation affording a view of the park's two lakes and surrounding forest, on a short side trail from the A.T. or a steep trail from a parking lot just east of the State Park. The climb up is more than half the fun. Rocky Knob Trail is a delightful 4 mile balloon loop off the A.T., *accessed from a State Forest dirt road leading west from the high point ("Big Flat") of SR 3003 south of Shippensburg. (Turn off US 11 in downtown "Ship" at the Sheetz convenience store onto South Queen Street.) You can write the State Forest headquarters for a guide to what the numbered posts showed 25 years ago. Rocky Knob Trail is shown on PATC Map* 2. (This area hosted a macabre event in 1988, of which there is no outward sign along the trail--if you're interested you can search out information, including two published books about it, yourself.) Caledonia State Park, where the A.T. crosses US 30 between Gettysburg and Chambersburg, is a popular *access* point, also featuring plenty of rhododendron blooming in early July. North of US 30 is PATC *Map* 2, south of the "Lincoln Highway" is *Map* 3. The fastest way to get there from Harrisburg is I-81 south to PA 997 south to US 30 east, a course often not immediately apparent to the non-local.
Piedmont Region in Adams and York Counties	Gettysburg National Military Park, certainly a must stop if only to view the preserved rural landscape of the battlefield itself, in an area gradually succumbing to suburban sprawl. This Park presents a non-ideal choice to the hiker between the narrow well-traveled auto tour route and the heavily used horse trails. (The "infantry" comes last again...) SGL 242 has a few grassy roads for a winter cabin fever break. (*map: click http://www.pgc.state.pa.us then click "State Game Lands" in left menu, click York County, then look for "242") Gifford Pinchot State Park* is named for the institutional father of American forestry, but only in consequence of his actions as Pennsylvania's Governor in getting the nearby road paved. There is an eight-mile mostly muddy walk around the obligatory lake, and some of this is part of the Mason-Dixon Trail. Mason-Dixon Trail begins (or ends) at the A.T. at Whiskey Springs, southwest of Boiling Springs. From there it roughly parallels the west side of the Susquehanna River to Maryland, where it crosses the river, then winds into Delaware and eventually back into Pennsylvania. Many of the sections of M-DT near Harrisburg are road walks, even past some public land parcels, and some off-road routes along the river bluffs east of York have suffered from landowner closures. Checking the M-DTS web site and contacting a club member for currrent conditions is highly recommended. This hard working group continues improving the trail despite adverse conditions and certainly merits your support. Rocky Ridge County Park off PA 24 north of the York Galleria exit from US 30 east of York, has rocky trails that offer the local mountain bikers plenty of tube-patching practice. Richard M. Nixon County Park is named for who you think it's named for, perhaps just to perpetuate the regional stereotype of York County as the home of butthead conservatism. It is supposedly very nice.
Ridge and Valley areas of Bedford, Fulton, and Huntingdon Counties	A little further west but well worth the drive, these areas are occasional day-trip hiker destinations from Harrisburg, part of the newly state-defined The Alleghenies region, sometimes more romantically known as the "Tiltrock Country."
Meadow Grounds Lake on SGL 53	Just west of McConnellsburg in Fulton County. Hike #10 in 50 Hikes in Central Pennsylvania, 4th ed., by Thwaites (Woodstock, VT: Backcountry Guides, 2001) provides a current published description and *map, as well as the necessarily somewhat complicated directions to the access* point. This hike is very rough through the most scenic area (the ravine and waterfall south of the lake) and several hikers have been injured here. If you have limited mobility or agility, or wet or icy conditions prevail, STAY AWAY. (*map*: click http://www.pgc.state.pa.us to look for SGL 53)
Buchanan State Forest	Scattered tracts are an explorer's delight, start with the Public Use *Map. Martin Hill Wild Area, accessed from SR 3005 in southern Bedford County, an extension of Pleasant Valley Road in Allegany County, Maryland, leading north from exit 50 of I-68, is a section one could spend a lifetime exploring. With the Public Use Map or this map in hand, pages 95-96 of the 12th edition of Pennsylvania Hiking Trails, describes some of the trails in the southern part of Martin Hill. With the permission of Bureau of Forestry hikers are adding new connections and newly improved routes as well. An abandoned superhighway* could be the strangest exploration opportunity in this area. Most of this abandoned highway has recently been transferred from the Turnpike Commission to the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy. (try this link) *Access* behind the Ramada Inn in Breezewood, or less trespassingly from US 30 east from Breezewood to the top of the first ridge, turning left on Oregon Road, turning right to stay on Oregon Road after crossing under the PA Turnpike, then continuing on this gravel forest road down and down to a second underpass and parking as best you can there.
Standing Stone Trail (formerly known as "Link Trail")	The spine trail of the Tiltrock Country received a new name in early 2007. Originally named for occupying the space between the Tuscarora Trail and Mid State Trail, the SST offers spectacular geological and botanical highlights offering the best of Pennsylvania hiking--notwithstanding occasional closures (due to attitude changes among private landowners and public land managers). The new Public Use Maps of Rothrock and Buchanan State Forests show the SST as "Link Trail." Order a guide from the SST web site. Download the maps. The SST is maintained by the hard working and ambitious Standing Stone Trail Club. *Access* to the south end follows the Tuscarora Trail north from Cowans Gap State Park.
Blacklog Mountain, SGL 81	A little-known but stupendous hiking destination on the Standing Stone Trail. From an *access* point in Dublin Township, Fulton County, on SR 1011, 2.6 miles north of US 522 at Fort Littleton (following occasional blue blazes, passing Camp Sinoquipe on the left), you can sort of park one or two cars off the left shoulder where the blue blazes turn right off the road on the Ramsey Path (routed sign). Following blue blazes uphill on Ramsey Path through private land (stay on trail!) and into SGL 81, brings you eventually to a tee intersection. Turn left (north) on the orange blazed trail, go first to the blue side trail to Monument Rock to left, then back to the orange route continuing north to Betty's View, both very nice. Return to the tee with the Ramsey Path, then continue south on the orange-blazed Link to the wooded mountain summit. Just beyond the top, a blue blaze with no sign will appear on the right. Follow blue blazes carefully over the rocks to the surprising and astounding view called Priceless Point. The crowds are far away. See the guide and download the maps.
Thousand Steps, SGL 112	Almost 1100 rough stone steps climb halfway up Jacks Mountain above Mount Union on SGL 112. *If you can only do one hike in southcentral Pennsylvania, this would be it!* Hike #22 in 50 Hikes in Central Pennsylvania, 4th ed., by Thwaites (Woodstock, VT: Backcountry Guides, 2001) provides a current published description and *map. Access* is from US 22, at a gravel wide spot in the road marked "Foot Access to State Game Lands," 1.9 miles west of the US 522 junction at Mount Union. The 50 Hikes description begins to cover the interplay of nature and culture in this dramatically scenic area. Download the maps.
Mapleton Park	On the north bank of the Juniata River opposite Mapleton Borough. The SST south of the Thousand Steps to Mapleton is a surprisingly wild and scenic parallel to US 22. Download the maps.
Jacks Mtn Beyond the Steps	North of the top of the Thousand Steps loop, the Standing Stone Trail goes over the ultimate summit of Jacks Mountain, passes chestnut trees continually struggling to survive the blight, and takes in a dramatic view down the Kishacoquillas Valley at a flowing piped spring on the way back down the mountain to the PA 655 bridge north of Fousetown. (More detailed directions: Take PA 655 north from Mill Creek through Fousetown, cross a quarry road at a blinker light, then cross a bridge with orange SST blazes. Just after crossing the SST, take the second right (it comes quickly) on a dirt road, then right again into a Game Land parking area which is JUST out of sight from PA 655. Back-track walk on the dirt road and PA 655 a short distance to the bridge to pick up SST.) Download the maps.
Rothrock State Forest	Often considered the jewel of the State Forest system, large tracts of the Rothrock occupy much of Huntingdon County.
Trough Creek State Park	At the southwest margin of the Rothrock, this park is a day-hiker's jewel and an access point to Terrace Mountain Trail, a remote backpacking trail along the roadless east shore of Raystown Lake.
Greenwood Furnace State Park	Another park within the Rothrock, at the north end of Standing Stone Trail. Historically interesting in itself, this park is a base for exploring the "Seven Mountains" area where the ridges jumble together to exclude the valleys south of State College.
Alan Seeger Natural Area	Exquisitely spiritual any time of the year, a hike here is indescribably dramatic in early July when the never-cut wild rhododendron blooms. A hefty climb and descent of Broad Mountain on a blue-blazed trail (bearing the gloriously understated awkward name of "Greenwood Spur of Mid State Trail") brings the hiker here from Greenwood Furnace. You can also drive the Seeger Road.
Detweiler Run Natural Area	If you have good boots continue north on the blue-blazed trail from Alan Seeger to turn right on an orange blazed trail over Central Pennsylvania's most notorious stretch of ankle-biter rocks to see more remote old growth.
Mid State Trail	The orange blazes carrying you past Detweiler Run and many other Natural Areas are on the Mid State Trail, the ultimate challenge to the Pennsylvania hiker as the longest and wildest footpath in the state. Like others this trail arguably deserves a better name, but is at least apt as the trail crosses the waist of the Keystone State from the Mason-Dixon Line in Bedford County north to the NY State line in Tioga County. Mid State Trail Association is the volunteer organization responsible for keeping this going, and the 11th edition of its trail guide and map set is available at Wildware Backcountry or from the MSTA web site.
Bald Eagle State Forest	East of the "Seven Mountains" are some rougher gems: White Mountain Wild Area and best of all Snyder-Middleswarth Natural Area, quickest reached from Harrisburg by taking US 22-322 west to PA 235 north to Troxelville where signs direct you on a series of gravel roads. See Hike #16 in 50 Hikes in Central Pennsylvania, 4th ed., by Thwaites (Woodstock, VT: Backcountry Guides, 2001) to get you started, and the Bald Eagle State Forest Public Use *Map* to keep you going.
Great Eastern Trail	The long-awaited better name for a combination of the Mid State, Standing Stone, Tuscarora, and many other footpaths was announced in 2006. Acoordinated network spanning the more rural, rougher Appalachians from New York to Alabama. While the GET is nearly complete in PA, work continues to complete and improve the Mid State and SST components, and to establish final connections in NY, VA, and elsewhere.

Hiking Southcentral Pennsylvania

Maps and Other Information Sources

Closer In Trails (within 45 minutes or so from Harrisburg)

Further Out Trails, West of Harrisburg

Further Out Trails, East of Harrisburg (45-90 minutes' drive)