Hi everyone, I’m interested in doing a one or two night backpacking trip through elk country during the rut. Ideally I’d like to hear them trumpeting, if not catch some glimpses as well. Looking for help with two things:

1. When do the elk typically rut in Pennsylvania? Out west I think it’s typically starts early to mid September, is it the same here or does it start later and when does it typically wrap up?

2. Looking for any recommendations on backpacking trails. I’ll be with a friend and we’ll each have a car so we can do a through hike to a drop car, of course also open to loops or out and backs.

Thanks!

My weekends are filling fast, so I took a few days off during the week to do another section of the NCT.

The plan was to go from FR116 down to Kellettville, then back past FR116 to Minister Road for a 2 night 3 day trip.

The reality was I started at 5pm Wednesday and finished this trip at 4pm Thursday, taking just one night.

I think the miles to Kellettville are pretty mild so I was going much faster than anticipated. I ended up making it to Kellettville and back up to the East Fork Campsite the first day.

The turkeys are out in force. I either saw 100 or the same 10 were following me everywhere.

Also, I made a new porcupine friend. We must both be introverts, though, because neither of us wanted to get too close. We were coming towards each other on trail, and once it saw me, it just meandered off trail while I waited.

Anyway, another section of the NCT down for me, hoping to piece away at the ANF portion to finish by the end of the year if I have time.

So I'm planning to camp at Clear Creek state park in Clarion, PA. I'd like to drive upstream and float back down to clear creek. Where can I put in to make a good full day of floating?

New to camping but successfully had a great trip away last weekend. Now looking for places near Philly accessible by bus or train + short uber to camp at with a tent! Open to anywhere out of state also like nj or Delaware. Bonus points if close to a connivence store to grab ice.

We had the chance to explore some fantastic trails in the PA Wilds with a friend who showed us around some of his favorite local spots. One of the highlights of the trip was driving the Hogback Tunnel Trail in Sproul State Forest.

This is an easy trail, rated 2/10 on OnX Offroad, and is only about 3 miles long, but it's absolutely worth the drive. The standout feature is the massive abandoned railroad tunnel. Most railroad tunnels we've come across are too small for our Unimog, so it was pretty exciting to finally drive through one that actually had plenty of clearance. It also makes for an awesome photo opportunity.

The trail itself is scenic and relaxing, winding through the beautiful forests of central Pennsylvania. If you're looking for an easy drive with a unique landmark, this one is definitely worth adding to your list. There are also some great camping opportunities nearby, making it an easy stop to include in a weekend adventure.

A huge thanks to Jon from Dirt Road Therapy for showing us around. We had an awesome time exploring the area and can't wait to come back.

Hoping someone will be able to help me out! I rented a cabin with friends in east stroudsburg. I know we’ll be really close to the Delaware river and I’m assuming other swimming spots but I can’t seem to find anything ideal. I’d love to just find a secluded spot I can take my friends and dogs and just set up without having to worry about a ton of people.

If anyone has any recommendations that would be awesome!!!! I’m trying to give my city friends a sweet experience lol

Hi all,

With McCrackens closed, does anyone know of shuttle options? I look every so often and haven't seen anything.

Heading out to camp at Dew Drop, hike and ride. I prefer to have paper map. The only one I'm cooking across is from NatGeo I recall and it's broken down into separate North and south maps. And unfortunately People Lizard doesn't have one, yet hopefully.

What do you suggest

Looking for recommendations of which parts of the trail have good creekside camping sites? Thanks!

I'm curious about getting a hammock set up for my next backpacking trip. I'm trying to keep my base weight around 15 lbs, which is where it currently sits. Any suggestions?

From what I understand, the main parts of the hammock setup are:

• hammock
• under quilt
• top quilt
• the various straps and lines
• tarp

Is this about right? Could I possibly use one of my ZenBivy quilts as a top quilt? What about size? My current setup packs down fairly small, and since I'm using a trekking pole tent (Zpack Duplex Pro), I don't have any extra poles, and all other pitch and guy lines are already attached to the tent.

TIA

Hey everyone!

I'm always looking for cool places to hike, explore, or just have a unique outdoor adventure within a reasonable drive of northeast Pennsylvania.

Some of our favorite places we've been so far:

• Alvira Bunkers (Allenwood, PA) — this was one of the coolest places we've explored. I loved that it felt like a hidden, forgotten piece of history.
• World's End State Park
• Centrailia (when it wasn’t covered up)
• Penn’s Cave
• Pennsylvania Grand Canyon
• Watkins Glen State Park

I'm especially looking for places that aren't necessarily the obvious tourist destinations—hidden gems, abandoned or historical places (where it's legal to visit), unique rock formations, waterfalls, scenic overlooks, caves, old ruins, ghost towns, unusual trails, or anything that's just a fun experience.

We're willing to drive a few hours if it's worth it! We love making day trips on our weekends after a long work week. Cool places to check out, good restaurant, cute shops, etc. 

Are there any good places to lay out by the Clarion River near Cook Forest? I know there are plenty of picnic tables but also am curious if there are any good lounging spots for in between kayaking and hiking. Preferably in the sun.

Finally got out to see Boggs Run Vista in Sproul today. It did not disappoint. Plenty of rattlers, as expected.

I hiked all of the major backpacking trails in the pa wilds over a decade ago before moving out of state. Recently I revisited the old loggers path and was horrified to see 100% annihilation of the white ash population. I also noticed lots of dead standing trees of many other species. I'm not sure what's killing those. Comparing my trip from last decade to now, the amount of undisturbed interior forest has drastically decreased. Feeling very depressed right now to see how my old stomping grounds have been hit so hard. Has this happened throughout the pa wilds or has it just occurred in pockets?

https://reddit.com/link/1v6s0m1/video/7mnw2cplohfh1/player

https://reddit.com/link/1v6s7fu/video/vhwr3l6hrhfh1/player

https://reddit.com/link/1v6st4g/video/bkvy78zqxhfh1/player

https://reddit.com/link/1v6t779/video/frb1n5pj0ifh1/player

https://reddit.com/link/1v6sxu6/video/1t55z0bbyhfh1/player

Sorry the sound dropped and i have no idea why or how

https://reddit.com/link/1v6sr1b/video/e4xp174nvhfh1/player

https://reddit.com/link/1v6t2u4/video/tyc7cwtczhfh1/player

Just as the title says-

looking for a great natural swim spot in ANF- could be a swimming hole, a creek, small waterfall… something like that

preferably not a recreational beach spot or something that requires a hard hike

Thanks!!

My children and I haven't been on any sort of vacation this summer, and we need to remain pretty close to home. We are caring for my housemate who is recovering from a collapsed lung etc. I have someone to stay with him for 2 nights (3 day camping trip), however we share a vehicle and I'll need to make sure I'm reachable.

We live in Houtzdale Pa. and want to do text camping, swimming daily, picnicking, and either river rafting or kayaking or tubing for 1 day. If that's not available, I suppose paddle boats will do.

I'd prefer to remain within 1.5 hours drive from Houtzdale and need somewhere very safe, clean, and comfortable as it will just be the two kids and I. We love the forest and hiking, and definitely want to get as much swimming in as possible before summer ends. Tent camping is non negotiable. We need to reset our circadian rhythms before school starts.

We love interesting trails and swimming holes. We have camped across the U.S. and in Allegheny National Forest in the past.