I am planning a northbound hike from the PA/MD line just north of Penn Mar park, to either Boiling Springs or Duncannon. This will be probably last week in May. Anything i should know about? good water? weather? how many thru-hikers? must-stop places? is there anywhere to stay in Port Clinton? How is the terrain compared to areas of the trail such as Maryland, Connecticut and Massachussetts? Thanks for your help guys…A-Train
A-Train
Hey A-Train!! We haven’t talked for a while. Penn Mar to Duncannon should be a great hike for you. By the way, Penn Mar is a great spot. If you can hit it on a Sunday you’ll be amazed. The park fills up with lots of people having picnics, they have a band, and it’s just lots of fun. Heck, even a dead hiker could score some major Trail Magic on a Sunday in Penn Mar!! You’ll see good trail. The infamous PA rocks don’t really start until after Duncannon. The one issue you may run into is water. There are areas that water is pretty limited. With the drought going on in the N.E., you may run into some water problems. The one area that immediately comes to mind is around Boiling Springs and crossing the Cumberland Valley. The first shelter North of Cumberland Valley seems to always have water issues. In a drought year, might be very bad. Port Clinton has a pavillion that hikers can stay at. Just be aware it’s not the quitest place on the trail. There is a major 4 lane road just above the pavillion. The trucks rumble up and down the road all night long. Give me a shout if you need more info!
Moose
Hey Moose,
long time no talk! saw that you added some pics to your journal, very nice. we should do some more hiking when the weather warms a bit. Vermont is cold!!! Anyway, thanks for the info on Pa…looking forward to a great hike. I started in pen-mar south thru maryland and it was dead…A rainy friday afternoon didn’t bring out the crowds like your sunday experience. Anyway, drop me a line and ill email you…Be good alex
A-train
I am pretty much parrotting a lot of what Moose has already told you, but Southern PA is very, very similar to MD (which you imply you’ve already hiked). It has lots of ridge walking, which, in turn, means that there are occassional rocks (though nothing like you will see further north in PA) and that water can be a problem, especially this year since rainfall has been way below normal (Hopefully, by the time you get out there, this will have changed).
Aside from the occassional rocky sections, the trail is quite easy here. I highly doubt it ever gets above 2000 feet above sea level at any point, so the ascents and descents are quite easy. Generally, you will hit a major gap every ten miles or so, but the climb down and back out is rarely more than 500 vertical feet so there is little to fear. Of course, this low elevation means that the views/scenery, while still great, will simply not compare to what you can see further north or south (again, MD is a good comparison with regard to this).
This section also contains several local and/or state parks (Pen Mar Park, Caledonia State Park, Old Forge Picnic Ground, etc., etc.). These are useful for replenishing water supplies; taking a break; and for getting a nice, high-fat meal without getting too far off the trail. If you don’t happen to be near a park, you will still rarely be more than a few miles from a well-traveled road crossing from which you can walk and/or hitch to a store for resupply and/or a good meal.
I haven’t really researched off-trail lodging in this stretch, so I can’t help much. I know that the trail essentially parallels I-81 in this area and I-81 has a couple of hotels at almost every off-ramp so until you cross the Cumberland Valley, you will likely always be within a few mile hitch of a hotel. After you cross the Cumberland Valley, there is the infamous Doyle Hotel in Duncannon and the Port Clinton Hotel in Port Clinton. I haven’t stayed in either so I cannot vouch for them, but I know the Doyle is considered a must-see for hikers due to the tremendous amount of “character” it possesses along with the fact that it is very cheap, convenient and hiker-friendly. I don’t think the Port Clinton Hotel is quite so hiker-friendly nowadays so I would recommend you research it more before deciding to stay there.
By the way, if you are a history buff and you have time to spare, you will pass quite close (within 10 miles or so) to Gettysburg National Battlefield. It is well worth long hitch and potential time lost. Simply follow PA Route 30 east (which ironically follows the route that much of the Confederate army took to Gettysburg in 1863) and it takes you right through the battlefield and into town.
FYI, winter has pretty much skipped this part of the world so far this season. Assuming this anomalously warm weather continues, you can expect that, due to the lack of a real, varmint-killing cold spell, there will be lots and lots of bugs, mice and other undesirable critters on the trail and at shelters.
Ken G.
One caveat - at the moment PA has been declared under a drought emergency. When we hiked near Caledonia in December, the springs were almost gone. There has been very little rain/snow since. If we don’t get some soon, it may be a very very dry hike for you.
Ginny
Ginny raises a very important point. I’ve done some hiking a bit further north in PA in late January. At that point, the last remnants of snow from a couple of mid/early January snowstorms was still not quite melted from more sheltered areas. Even with some melting snow still around, all of the springs and small streams that I saw were nearly dry. Even a couple of larger streams weren’t much more than a trickle. I was mostly day-hiking so water was not a major issue for me and, as a result, I didn’t check every possible water source. However, what I saw did NOT look good. Furthermore, since we’ve gotten virtually no snow or rain since then, I can only assume conditions are worse now, and, with a complete lack of snowcover, we may not be able to count on snow-melt this year to boost the water table when Springtime rolls around (at least not in the mid-Atlantic).
Luckily, even in the worst of times, Southern PA may be a bit easier during a drought than some other areas. You can fill up with tap and/or well water at several of the parks you will pass through, and you will also cross a couple of larger streams that I don’t think will run completely dry (those who do not like to filter/treat water would be well-advised to do so to anything coming out of one of these streams, especially in times of low water. There can be some nasty bugs floating in them).
Ken G.
I spoke with ATC HQ yesterday. They said there is currently
no problem with thru-hikers crossing the dams in NC/TN, but
it depends on the ranger on duty at the time. They might
want to search your pack before you cross.
The lady at HQ was much more concerned about the water
situation in MD and PA. She said that the wells in MD are
just about dried up, and she knew PA is under a drought
emergency. She indicated that some ‘committee’(s) plan to
meet on how to address the drought situation. Her advice
was to carry as much water as you can, when you find it.
Ken J
Scamp
Yesterday I spoke to Nancy at THE HIKE INN ( a great place to stay in Fontana ) concerning this. She informed me that as of 9-11-01 that crossing Fontana was not allowed, however that decision has been changed. Although cars are still not allowed across ( there is a crane in the way ), hikers may hike across the Fontana dam and up to the Trailhead. I hope this helps.
Jim Deane, Rebel with a Cause !!
Jim Deane
After getting this info on the water situation in southern PA, you guys are kinda scaring me…i suppose if its a wet spring i will be fine, but for planning sake can you guys give me some other suggestions…places you liked along the trail. Me and my friend will be hiking in late May, and want to hike for about 5-7 days…Have hiked maryland, conn, southern Mass, small parts of ny, nj, pa and white mts. I live in NY, she lives in souther jersey. We cant go too far (south and maine). I am looking for relative to average trail and a bunch of seasoned thru-hikers too. Also somewhere where we are bound to find water. can anyone suggest a nice stretch. Scenary would be cool too. thanks a million
A-Train
Alex, the drought problem is all up and down the East coast. If it’s not a wet spring, water problems could be anywhere. Having said that… if you’re looking for other suggestions… How about the Shenadoah’s? Not that far South, good trail, you’ll see AT hikers by then, don’t recall any serious water problems, and the scenery is pretty good… as VA goes that is. Start at Waynesboro and work North. You could spot a second car at Front Royal or maybe even Harper’s Ferry.
Moose
It has been dry up and down the east coast since late summer. Consequently, I suspect that there is not going to be any section within your proposed range that is going to have an abundance of water so you probably need not make that your deciding factor. Of course, if the weather changes (some long-term forecasts are hinting that it might) and some area gets a lot of rain/snow over the next few months, then you certainly should focus on that area.
Assuming the weather doesn’t change, all things considered, I actually think that southern PA might be as good a choice as any. As I said above, in addition to the usual springs, there a lot of places in southern PA (i.e. parks, historic sites, recreation areas) that have water that is NOT from a spring. These locations are fairly evenly spaced, so even in the worst of conditions, you should be able to keep yourself hydrated without too much difficulty as long as you do some planning and are willing to carry a bit more water than usual as a security measure. In addition, Southern PA has a lot of the other things you are looking for including accessibility, moderate terrain, scenery, etc.
Another thought might be Shenandoah National Park in Northern VA. As far as I know, it is as dry there as it is in PA, however, the park has lots and lots of campgrounds, waysides, stores, restaurants, along with lots of nice tourists. Consequently, there are lots and lots of places to get water even if every spring were to be dry. The park is designed for the car-bound tourist so the trail is very accessible and it is quite easy (all the ascents and descents are so well-graded you barely notice them). In addition, there are plenty of overlooks (to keep all the short-attention-spanned tourists occupied) and lots of animals (including bear and some of the tamest deer you’ve ever seen).
Whatever you decide, have fun!!
Ken G.