In 0.5 miles pass a side trail on the left that takes you to a spring, and in another 0.2 miles emerge onto a FS road. 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. Tuscarora Trail: Biby Trail to Pinnacle Shelter Hard (377) High View, West Virginia Photos (495) Directions Print/PDF Map Discover this 9.0-km out-and-back trail near High View, West Virginia. Today is my last full day on the AT before reaching the Tuscarora Trail. In a few more steps, this white-blazed trail will re-connect with the blue-blazed Tuscarora Trail. We had trouble finding the trail head at first but after backtracking 0.8 miles (per directions) from the last point, we found it. Perhaps a bit cold up on top in the wintertime (of course that's what fires are for, lol, and there is a spot for one at the shelter). And occasionally, you do get nice landscapes. PATC Map J, Guide to the North Half of the Tuscarora Trail. Additional trail connections in the Tuscarora State Forest include: North Fork Trail, Couch Haul Road, Perry Lumber Co Trail, Twig Trail. Lots of rock covered with wet leaves -- hmmmm. On the TT the shelters are Big Mountain, Burd Run, Charlie Irvin (Pictured), Fowler Hollow, Reese Hollow and Wagon Wheel. What the Tuscarora lacks, though, is campsites. The valleys were clear and pleasant. There are some loose stones/rocks under foot as you make your way up though. **All GPS coordinates given on this site use the WGS-84 datum**. Solitude: I met three others as I went along. It also turned out to be a rather long 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. You will see a mostly grassy trail to the right of the Biby Wilderness Trail sign. Lean-to Shelter Camping - Tuscarora Trail | Sintax77 2017by PATC. It looks like a zipline platform, but to be clear, there is no zipline. Tuscarora Trail Section 7: Cowan's Gap State Park to PA 16 - Hiking Project As in, the view doesnt improve the further down you go on the rock scramble. Additional trail connections in the Buchanan State Forest and Cowans Gap State Park include: Standing Stone Trail, Geyer Trail, Logslide Trail, Richmond Trail, Fore Trail, Lincoln Trail. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Get to know this 6.1-mile loop trail near Concord, Pennsylvania. That was after they hauled in materials. before you embark upon your trip. You'll find the hiking trail is mostly dirt and rocks, often way more rocks. I pretty much had the entire hike to myself besides a few fishermen in the last 20 min of the hike. 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). Links: Fowlers Hollow State Park,Tuscarora State Forest. before you embark upon your trip. However, much to my surprise, every day I was on the trail, I saw at least one other person. Weather: Thereabouts low 30s on the day of. On a cold, drizzly December Saturday before Christmas, after a week of rain and wintry mix, I got a late start and left my rain and head gear at home -- what was I thinking? This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The trail connects with the A.T. near Waggoner's Gap. Primitive camping is allowed throughout Buchanan State Forest with free permit. 2021 Tuscarora Trail - Day Three - Barclays Run Shelter Temperatures in the mid eighties. From here, re-trace your steps to the Tuscarora Trail or continue walking on the path that runs behind the shelter. My experience largely matched my expectation: there were relatively few hikers on the trail, and, I only met a handful of other people who were attempting to hike the whole trail (though, no one that was thru-hiking). Erin Gifford is the editor of Go Hike Virginia. 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. FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through some of my links. Freeze dried dinners and inside tents by seven to hide from the bugs. Get to know this 8.5-mile loop trail near Newville, Pennsylvania. Established in the 1960's as an alternate route for the Appalachian Trail (AT), the Tuscarora Trail is a 250-mile long trail through the Ridge and Valley Appalachians of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. This trail soon re-connects with the blue-blazed Tuscarora Trail. At this point, we should have been at the 4.0 mile marker butour GPS was 3.87 mi. Sleeping was pleasant and we were up early since we knew we had nearly seven and a half miles of road walking to start the day. The forestry road is normally closed to motorized traffic, unless your hiking during hunting season (bad idea!). I was dumb. Location: Gravel Springs Hut (66.4 miles) Tags: Appalachian Trail, Shenandoah National Park, Tuscarora Trail, Virginia. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 2 h 51 min to complete. Day 25: Shelter With A View | Tuscarora Trail, 2020 Trail conditions and routes may be subject to frequent and unannounced change. We maintain twelve hiking shelters (and the privys!) 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. This long-distance trail was created in the 1960's as an alternate route for the Appalachian Trail. There are wooden platforms for tents. There were also a couple places here and there where water was flowing across the trail/road. We bypassed the Spring, and off we continued until we hit the WVA/VA crossing, then all the way down the FS road to the parking lot where we first turned aroundin the morning. Turn right onto the spur trail to reach the three-sided Pinnacle Shelter. I enjoyed the yellow blazed trail on the FS road a lot. The club also built several shelters along the route as well. There's easily another 40 miles of gravel and dirt roads, which makes nearly the entirety of the trail in Maryland "on road". Carry lots of water. But it's a gradual ascent - in fact, I never thought this hike was ever difficult. I recently hiked a section of the blue-blazed Tuscarora Trail in Winchester to Pinnacle Shelter and Pinnacle Overlook. Erin Metcalf PA Tuscarora Trail ~ Bill Miller Trail to Cowpens Road. We saw nobody else the entire day. Timber Ridge Trail is not an actual trail. My April temperature range for this trip was between 40 and 75. These signs are now fullyinstalled. They built bridges, campsites, and shelters. Further, I expected there would be days where I saw nobody else. A hiking destination in its own right, the Tuscarora Trail leaves the AT near Mathews Arm Campground in Shenandoah National Park making its way west and north to rejoin the AT atop Blue Mountain, 10 miles south of Duncannon, Pa. Coupling the experience of remote wilderness, green pastures, small towns, rugged tread-way and country back roads, the Tuscarora offers a truly unique hiking adventure. Day 1 Mileage: 4.7 miles Advisory: Exercisecaution in Buchanan State Forest during hunting season. Turn right on the blue blazed trail. It does not store any personal data. Camping: Reese Hollow Shelter (39.852, -77.979), PATC Little Cove Cabin (by reservation only). I really enjoyed this hike and felt good afterwards. We realized it about 2 miles in but decided to keep going. The first day in Pennsylvania snapped one of my poles in half, but that did allow me to finish the trail with a nice souvenir; the next day, I found a nice branch, and completed my hike with one pole and a hiking staff. Ridge was not clearly marked to Gerhard Shelter. The trail has been rerouted onto Va 689, Adams Rd. Exercisecaution in Buchanan State Forest during hunting season. Some great views some very long walks down a fire road and always fun to see a well maintained shelter. Virginia had the best view at a campsite, in the George Washington National Forest on Little North Ridge Mountain. 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 leads to a small waterfall. This is a beautiful shelter and the trail, although rocky, appears well maintained on this tiny section I hiked. Tuscarora - Little N. Mountain (Forest TR #405.4) The trail head was a little tricky to find, but once I found it and parked, I wondered how I could have missed it. I didn't see it but I believe one does exist. Trail conditions and routes may be subject to frequent and unannounced change. Tuscarora Trail thru hike experience? : r/Ultralight - Reddit Day 1 Gross Descent: 1,003, Day 1 Elevation Profile Gerhard Shelter Tuscarora Trail Backpacking Trip 2022 Sintax77, Day 3 Mileage: 5.1 miles We passed 2 mountain bikers early on in the hike but for the rest of the day we had the trail to ourselves. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The switchbacked section was sometimes obscured by a layer of leaves, but otherwise the trail was very easy to follow, even the unmarked connector trail towards the end of the loop. The Tuscarora Trail section just west of Massanutten Mountain is closed due to loss of landowner permission. As in, nearly 600 feet over the course of one mile. I'll review the standard route. Weather was crisp and perfect. on our section trails. Continue down to Waites Run FS Road passing a private driveway on your left at the bottom of the hill. 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. I Did this in 5 hrs with 120 pictures taken. I really dont know its use. Camping: Basore Ridge Shelter (39.324, -78.255), Gore, VA to West Virginia State Line, 10.4miles. Very easy to do hike not to many blazes on the trees but the trail is very easy to follow. Additional trail connections in the Tuscarora State Forest include: North Fork Trail, Couch Haul Road, Perry Lumber Co Trail, Twig Trail. 2017by PATC. Stay to the left and you will re-enter the forest by way of the yellow-blazed Frye Path. This is a pretty hike that rewardsyou for the early miles of uphill exertionwith wide views to the east and west anda very well-maintained shelter for a rest stop. Reese Hollow Shelter in Pennsylvania had a beautiful crystal-clear spring flowing just off to the side from the shelter. Camping:Primitivecamping is allowed throughout the Tuscarora State Forest. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. This is a beautiful shelter and the trail, although rocky, appears well maintained on this tiny section I hiked. She is also the author of three hiking guidebooks from Falcon Guides. It's intended to be a western alternative through the Appalachians to the Appalachian Trail. Advisory: Exercise caution in the Tuscarora State Forest during hunting season. Most other water sources fell somewhere in-between. The crossing looked iffy on getting across without wet feet. In Maryland, a little more than half the trail is the C&O Canal Tow Path. This time of year, the fragrant mountain laurel is out in full force all along the trail, too. Tags: Pennsylvania, Tuscarora Trail Today is the penultimate day of my Tuscarora Trail thru-hike, to the northernmost shelter on the Tuscarora, the Charlie Irvin Shelter. There was remnants of a snow dusting on the ridgeline. Advisory: Exercise caution in the Buchanan State Forest during hunting season. This is a popular trail for birding, hiking, and walking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. The views are excellent. Once you reach the open ridge, though, it was really nice. Where it existed, water quality on the trail was wildly inconsistent. Create Recommended Route or Camping in Tuscarora State Forest - Pennsylvania Department of It was a bit cold this morning, but not terribly so. The trail can be accessed by road from both the northern and southern termini of section 4 in Tuscarora State Forest: Exercise caution in the Tuscarora State Forest during hunting season. It took less than fifteen minutes in the sun to decide that it was okay if we arrived at the shelter around noon. The Kindle is nice when you crawl in before you are ready to sleep. From here, begin your descent along the rocky switchback-laden trail. This is my personal website. Section Update, Camping:Licking Creek Campground (39.651, -78.048). Camping: Fowlers Hollow Shelter (40.247,-77.611), Fowlers Hollow State Park. Tuscarora Trail-Burd Run shelter question - WhiteBlaze Trail Spotlight: Tuscarora Trail | Trail Sisters There is evidently a trail leading from the shelter to an outhouse. The trail is generally very well marked and easy to follow, but the leaf covering made some of the switchbacks hard todiscern in a number of places. For more information, visit. Access:The trail can be accessed from both the northern and southern termini of section 10: Little Tonoloway Day Use Area (39.698,-78.182), Little Pool C&O Canal Parking (39.684,-78.104), Camping: Licking Creek Campground (39.651, -78.048), Little Pool Campground (39.685, -78.113), 2017by PATC. Max Elevation: 990 ft. Min Elevation:600 ft. Access: The trail can be accessed from both the southern and northern termini of section 14: Siler, VA. Va Route 600 and 690 (39.351, -78.240). These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Tuscarora Trail I'm in the early planning stages to hike the Northern section of the Tuscarora Trail (Darlington Shelter to Hancock, MD) in May 2012. Tuscarora - Three Ponds Trail (Forest TR #1013.1) - US Forest Service Yes, all roads. The highlight of the road walk was the dozen or so cows in a field that followed us along the road. This section of the Tuscarora Trail has several overlooks, highlighted by one at Terrapin Spring near the southern end, and the Paul Gerhard Shelter at the midpoint. The first time I went to "scout" the area to see if it would be a good trip for my wife's second ever backpacking trip. It was a beautiful day to go hiking but honestly, this was not one of our favorites. It rained a little that night and I ended up hammocking because there was no place to put the tent with all the rocks. Unusual. 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. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. 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. Dont forget, the last mile is nearly all uphill until the end. At the shelter, the white trail would be at your 10 o'clockposition if you were in the shelter and looking out (I didn't note a blaze on the trail until going down the trail a bit). It connects to the AT near Harrisburg and in Shenandoah National Park (SNP). This means that hikers generally must hike shelter-to-shelter, which in a couple of cases forces some relatively long days. That might be a good shakedown hike for my twice-delayed but upcoming Continental Divide Trail hike. Turn right when it does. One of the challenges of maintaining the Tuscarora Trail has been its incomplete, inconsistent, and inadequate signage. Tuscarora Trail: Hike to Pinnacle Overlook in Winchester As far as resupply in PA, Spring Run is a good spot for resupply/town food (the hoagies from Path Valley Market . Tuscarora Trail - Waites Run to US 50 - 4 All Outdoors The spring off the white blazed trail is just a small creek - it's a very short hike down a steep hill. There is another nice shelter here. The view was pleasant, but it was also obstructed by leaves, so it may be better in late-fall or winter. The Tuscarora is a somewhat dry trail. Wildlife. Turn right downhill on the white blazed Gerhard Shelter Trail that very steeply descends Great North Mountain. By contrast, the Tuscarora does have plenty of shelters (and hikers are encouraged to use them), and with only a couple of exceptions, they are reasonably well-spaced. More recently, sections of the Tuscarora from Mill Mountain in West Virginia to Cove Mountain in Pennsylvania, have been included in the long-distance Great Eastern Trail. But hey, it was a good excuse to get out into the woods, so I grabbed my pack and headed out for some adventure, Route Overview Gerhard Shelter Tuscarora Trail Backpacking Trip 2022 Sintax77, Trailhead Used: Tuscarora Trail Waites Run Rd, 390055.0N 783617.8W 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. Isaac Eagan Birch Bluff Trail. The last part back to the parking area follows Waites Run - beautiful. To the left of the overlook, you will see a white-blazed trail, which basically runs parallel to the Tuscarora Trail, but also runs alongside several more overlooks. Our trusty mountain dog, Boone, also came along. I really enjoyed myself. I will go back and startearlier on a better day - the trail was worth it. Besides the elevation change early on, this hike is lacking a bit of challenge and variety, but I found those both to be forgivable. The ridge walk itself was not nearly asinteresting as I thought it would be either, but that may have had something to do with the constant tick removal we were doing at that point. CAUTION: Not all sections of the Tuscarora Trail are appropriate for young or inexperienced hikers. 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. The Tuscarora is both a less-well-known trail, and somewhat remote, so I didnt expect to see many people on the trail at all. Keep your eyes open, it is easy to walk on by (I missed it the first time). Youll see a double white blaze on a telephone pole and a small sign for the Biby Wilderness Trail. So yeah, it was a nice day but not much to look at other than service roads for the majority of the hike. On day one I would hike up to the ridge using the Tuscarora Trail, day two I would base camp and explore, and on day three I would hike back out via a different set of trails to complete the loop. 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. The shelter is generally used by through hikers. 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). Max Elevation: 1950ft. Min Elevation: 790 ft. 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. One was a couple 100 yards north of shelter and was a spring (pretty easy to get to). In fact, there are several very nice shelters that seem almost too good for the trail (and are palatial mansions by AT standards), given the relatively small number of hikers on the Tuscarora. With warm temperatures and little chance of rain again, we did not use the flies. A somewhat similar tail to the Tuscarora is the Benton MacKaye Trail, located in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. But it was getting late, had started to drizzle, and fog was settling in as the ridge walk started to climb more severely. The Tuscarora wasnt my favorite hike, but, on the whole, I had a good time. The first 3 miles were uphill via the switchbacks, which were decentlymarked. Additional trail connections in section 15: Gore Connector Trail, Biby WildernessTrail, Laurel Run Trail, Fry Path, Lucas Woods Trail. As we entered the woods, we had a discussion about hiking to the next shelter since it was so early. The trail follows an extensive route that bypasses the Appalachian Trail by following mountain ridges to the west. You drive up and up and up to reach Timber Ridge Trail. There is also a picnic shelter, two stone fire pits (one for cooking) and an outdoor privy. When I thru-hiked the Benton MacKaye Trail in 2018, I came away with the impression that it made a quite reasonable alternate to the Appalachian Trail. Motorized, roadside campsites may be reserved up to eleven months in advance. Weenjoyed our small lunch, signed the book and off we went. Additional trail connections in the Buchanan State Forest include: Bird Run Trail, Ellisic Trail, Allen Trail, Cove Trail, Sharpe Trail, Fox Trail Wagner Trail, Horseshoe Trail. Tuscarora Trail | Newville, PA 17241 Proudly created with Wix.com. They definitely encourage you to take it slow though. Enjoy! Links: PA State Game Lands,PATC Cabins Rentals, PATC Maps K and L, Guide to the North Half of the Tuscarora Trail, Max Elevation: 395 ft. Min Elevation: 415 ft, Highlights: C&O Canal NHP Visitor Center, Little Tonoloway Day Use Area. I had spotty ATT cell service on the hike. PA-641 to Cowans Gap State Park, 15.7 miles, PATC Map K, Guide to the North Half of the Tuscarora Trail. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. I hiked this two days ago on Saturday with my wife, my sister-in-law and her boyfriend. Also, I have in mind a thru-hike of the 71-mile Massanutten Trail, which circles the ridge of Massanutten Mountain. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Tuscarora - County Line Trail (Forest TR #1013.1) First shelter was Burd Run shelter. Trail conditions and routes may be subject to frequent and unannounced change. Again, the views were lovely, not spectacular. Re-trace your steps to the Biby Wilderness Trail, then turn left to continue along the switchback trail until you reach the Tuscarora Trail. Its a beautiful rocky overlook with far-reaching mountain views. It is worth doing, please don't take my points as negative, simply trying to round out my opinion. Proudly created with Wix.com, **All GPS coordinates given on this site use the WGS-84 datum**. At the 2.2-mile mark, the trail splits, but youll want to stay right for the Tuscarora Trail. Youll arrive at a platform at the 1.8-mile mark. High Rock/Shockeys Knob Hike - HikingUpward Pennsylvania, though, had very uneven maintenance; some areas were very well maintained, while others were very poorly kept.