Pine Creek Gorge is getting a lot of love in this section of the forum and for good reason. The scenery down there is spectacular!
The first stop on my trip was an open area a little east of Cherry Springs State Park to do some stargazing. Probably the most impressive night sky I've seen outside of the deserts out west. Seeing meteors dash across the sky is always a treat!
Right before sunrise, I made my way to the Black Forest Trail where I hiked around six miles. The narrow, grassy trails and occasional rocky incline kept me on constant lookout for rattlers. Thankfully, the only one I saw was on a stone road on my way to Hyner View. I spent a good amount of time at several overlooks that offered incredible views below. A thick layer of fog covered the valley floor, making for excellent photo opportunities.
My next stop was Hyner View State Park, where I beat the crowds to the main viewing area before hitting the Hyner View Challenge Trail that lived up to its namesake. If there's a steeper trail in the Keystone State, I have yet to hike it! A good place to train for the Adirondacks and other mountains for anyone living in the area or visiting.
Stone roads led me to my next stop, Lebo Vista, which provided outstanding 180-degree views. I did a bit of walking along paths and roads, but nothing too notable in terms of hiking.
I then drove up to Colton Point State Park, where I spent considerably less time than I had planned because it was a complete madhouse there. The West Rim Trail and Barbour Rock parking lots were overflowing with cars from all over the place (PA, NY, NJ, MD, among others). I took a quick photo at Colton Point where it was impossible to socially distance and then found a more secluded area to hike than the insanely crowded West Rim Trail. I'll probably save the WRT for some other time during the off-season and complete the Golden Eagle Trail as well (jmitch's photos sold me on going there).
Now for some photos from my favorite outing of 2020 so far. Additional photos can be seen on my photoblog that's linked in my signature...
The first stop on my trip was an open area a little east of Cherry Springs State Park to do some stargazing. Probably the most impressive night sky I've seen outside of the deserts out west. Seeing meteors dash across the sky is always a treat!
Right before sunrise, I made my way to the Black Forest Trail where I hiked around six miles. The narrow, grassy trails and occasional rocky incline kept me on constant lookout for rattlers. Thankfully, the only one I saw was on a stone road on my way to Hyner View. I spent a good amount of time at several overlooks that offered incredible views below. A thick layer of fog covered the valley floor, making for excellent photo opportunities.
My next stop was Hyner View State Park, where I beat the crowds to the main viewing area before hitting the Hyner View Challenge Trail that lived up to its namesake. If there's a steeper trail in the Keystone State, I have yet to hike it! A good place to train for the Adirondacks and other mountains for anyone living in the area or visiting.
Stone roads led me to my next stop, Lebo Vista, which provided outstanding 180-degree views. I did a bit of walking along paths and roads, but nothing too notable in terms of hiking.
I then drove up to Colton Point State Park, where I spent considerably less time than I had planned because it was a complete madhouse there. The West Rim Trail and Barbour Rock parking lots were overflowing with cars from all over the place (PA, NY, NJ, MD, among others). I took a quick photo at Colton Point where it was impossible to socially distance and then found a more secluded area to hike than the insanely crowded West Rim Trail. I'll probably save the WRT for some other time during the off-season and complete the Golden Eagle Trail as well (jmitch's photos sold me on going there).
Now for some photos from my favorite outing of 2020 so far. Additional photos can be seen on my photoblog that's linked in my signature...
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