Looking for a 4-5 day East Coast loop Mid-September, Suggestions?

I do a lot of backpacking in PA, mostly in the north-central part of the state, but finding a 4-5 day (40-70) mile loop will be tough.  I do, however, have a couple of thoughts:

• Allegheny Front Trail – It’s a 42-mile loop around Black Moshannon State Park.  It’s one of my favorite trails and in mid-September it should be about perfect hiking.  Lots of huckleberries and plentiful water.
• Alternatively what about doing 2 separate loops of around 25 miles each?  For example, you could do the Old Loggers Path (27 mile loop), finish it up and drive 40 minutes and do the Loyalsock-Link Trail (a 25 mile loop).
• You could also do the West Rim Trail (27 mile linear trail) and have the local outfitter shuttle your car to the end of the trail for $50 and then drive 1:15 to do the Old Loggers Path.

Please PM me if you’d like more information on any of these hikes and I’d be happy to help you.  If your point is to be out in the woods for 4-5 days carrying everything without resupply then these options won’t work for you, but if you’re flexible and are simply interested in spending 4-5 nights on the trail then it might work (with a convenient bail-out option if you twist an ankle or the weather is truly lousy).

Kevin makes some great suggestions. I’d add two more – Black Forest Trail (42 miles with lots of elevation changes, I’d say one of the tougher trails in PA, but well worth it) and the STS (Susquehanna Trail System). It’s about 80 miles, give or take, but you can shorten it easily. Fun hike.

How about Dolly Sods in Monongahela National Forest, there seems to be many, many miles of trails there, just need to figure out the best way to link them all together.  Midatlantichikes.com has a lot of them listed but I’m not sure how to find an easy way to make them into a bigger trip.  Most hikes end around 25 miles.

Are there any apps that will let you download the gpx files to see them together?

The Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (LHHT) is about 70 miles, IIRC.  It’s not a loop but hiring an outfitter in Ohiopyle to shuttle you is easy.  It’s sort of a “Mini-AT”, since there are regular shelters.  In fact I think that in some spots they are mandatory.

Kevin- Thanks for the recommendations, the West Rim trail looks amazing. I’m going to look a little more into it but its definitely a contender. You brought up a good point too, I am open to doing two smaller loops. Just trying to spend as many days on the trail as I can with my week off.

Doug-  The Black Forest trial looks awesome as well, and it’s only about an hour from the West Rim Trail. So I think that might be my trip. Thanks for the input.

Todd- I have hiked almost exclusively in the Mon. Don’t get me wrong Dolly Sods and Red Creek are incredible but I’m just lookin for something different. As far as GPS apps go, I do not have any. Recommendations?

Dean- I have looked into the LHHT a while back, I will need to look into it some more.

It’s funny that I completely forgot about the Black Forest Trail…I drove past the trail head I used when I hiked it three times this past weekend as we were family camping in the area.  I’m doing the West Rim Trail in two weeks with some friends – it’s clearly one of my favorites.

I’m not sure how well it’s enforced, but the entire Laurel Highlands Trail is considered a 70-mile PA State Park and as such you are not allowed to camp except in designated spots (and you have to pay for each night you camp).  We hiked the first 15 miles last April (starting in Ohiopyle).  I’m still not sure how I feel about it – especially if I were hiking on my own.  I like to have the flexibility to stop when I want to or keep going past a campsite if I’m feeling good and it’s still early.  Of course on the LHT you’re not passing other campsites so perhaps this is a moot point.

Have you looked into the Quehanna trail in PA?  it has a 74 mile outer loop with some tough climbs.

https://www.pahikes.com/trails/quehanna-trail

Jason,

A couple of other BPL’ers and I did the West Rim Trail (WRT) this past weekend and, as we neared the end of the trail, it reminded me of something.  About two miles from the southern end of the WRT there’s a sign:  “Long Branch Trail – To Black Forest Trail”.  I looked up the Long Branch Trail and it’s a 9-mile link trail that connects the WRT to the Black Forest Trail (BFT).

Here’s another suggestion for what would turn out to be around a 80-mile hike that is not a loop but that would not require you to have a second car:

• Drive to Pine Creek Outfitters in Ansonia PA (about a mile from the northern end of the WRT)
• Pay them to shuttle you to the BFT near where it meets the Long Branch Trail (around $40 – they might use your car)
• Hike the 42-mile BFT back to the Long Branch Trail
• Take the 9-mile Long Branch Trail to where it meets the WRT
• Hike 30 miles of the WRT north to the end
• Walk the last mile from the northern terminus of the WRT back to your waiting car at Pine Creek Outfitters

This will give you a chance to hike some of the best trails in that section of PA with the secure knowledge that your car isn’t parked for 5+ days in some random trail parking area.  PM me if you would like more info.

• Allegheny Front Trail – It’s a 42-mile loop around Black Moshannon State Park.  It’s one of my favorite trails and in mid-September it should be about perfect hiking.  Lots of huckleberries and plentiful water.

On the Allegheny Front Trail, I’m thinking of trying to do that in when I get a weekend that I can take off early.  Is there anything I should know about parking for a few days?  I think I’d like to park where the trail crosses 504 at either end but I don’t know if either would be better to leave a car at for a few days.  Or if I should take the bother of putting my car by the park office and adding a few miles to the hike.

There’s plenty of parking where the trail crosses Rte. 504 (Rattlesnake Pike) and we’ve never had an issue leaving a car there.  It’s definitely personal preference, but I’ve always started where the trail crosses Underwood Road (a gravel road) and then I hike it clockwise.  There’s plenty of parky there as well.  Basically what that means is that we spend the first night in the Black Moshannon State Park campground (flush toilets and hot showers) and the second night at one of the campsites along Rock Run (2-5 miles north of Rte. 504).  That saves the best views of the trail for the last day along with just about 4 hours of hiking.

Please feel free to PM me if you have any other questions about the AFT.  I’ve hiked it three times and will probably try to do it again this fall.

I’ve hiked the AFT a number of times, always parking off 504 and not by the park office. I’ve always done it as an overnighter, but never had any issues with anyone bothering the car.

Thanks guys.

Kevin, I see that parking lot on the map (I have Ben Cramer’s guide).  That does seem like a good starting point.  I hadn’t considered the trail heads on dirt roads.