Quehanna Trail System
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Quehanna Trail is a
hiking trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...
in north-central
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, forming a loop through
Moshannon State Forest Moshannon State Forest is a List of Pennsylvania state forests, Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #9. The main offices are located in the unincorporated area, unincorporated village of Penfield in Huston Towns ...
and
Elk State Forest Elk State Forest is a Pennsylvania State Forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #13. The main offices are located in Emporium in Cameron County, Pennsylvania. The forest is located on , chiefly in Cameron and Elk counties, with s ...
. For about 34 miles, the trail traverses
Quehanna Wild Area Quehanna Wild Area () is a wildlife area within parts of Cameron County, Pennsylvania, Cameron, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, Clearfield and Elk County, Pennsylvania, Elk counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania; with a total area of , it co ...
, and its main trailhead is at
Parker Dam State Park Parker Dam State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Huston Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrounded by Moshannon State Forest. Parker Dam State park is north of Clearfield on Pennsylvania Route 1 ...
. It also passes through two State Game Lands. There are also three cross-connector trails allowing shorter loop hikes of various lengths.Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 9 A spur trail leads to the village of Wyside where the hiker can, via some relatively brief road walking, reach the Donut Hole Trail and Bucktail Path. The Quehanna Trail is known for visiting numerous vistas and a wide variety of landscapes, including open meadows that are relatively rare for this region of Pennsylvania, plus steep stream hollows, high plateau-tops, and several different forest ecosystems.Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 10


History

The Quehanna Trail was built in 1976-77 by workers who were members of a federal jobs program for welfare recipients, in addition to workers from the Youth and Adult Conservation Corps and the Pennsylvania Conservation Corps. Its length has been significantly altered several times in the years since.Thwaites, p. 209 In 1985, the western portion of the loop near Saunders Run was severely damaged by an outbreak of tornadoes,Thwaites p. 209-210 necessitating a temporary relocation of the hiking route onto nearby dirt roads until 2001.Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 101 In 2016, another significant relocation became necessary at Medix Run due to a failed footbridge.Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 149-150 Several relocations involving another failed footbridge and unstable topography have been necessary at the Corporation Dam site on Mosquito Creek.Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 140-141


Route

The route of the Quehanna Trail has traditionally been described in the counter-clockwise direction. The main trailhead is at
Parker Dam State Park Parker Dam State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Huston Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrounded by Moshannon State Forest. Parker Dam State park is north of Clearfield on Pennsylvania Route 1 ...
in northern
Clearfield County Clearfield County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,562. The county seat is Clearfield, and the largest city is DuBois. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1822. C ...
.Mitchell, p. 171 The trailhead features an informational display on the history of logging in the region.Seeley, p. 7 The trail heads east, first through the grounds of the state park. At 1.4 miles there is a junction with a trail that leads south about six miles to Simon B. Elliott State Park. At 3.5 miles, reach a junction with the 1.7 mile-long Cutoff Trail, one of the system's cross-connectors that can be used to form a short loop in and near Parker Dam State Park. The junction with the next such trail, the West Cross Connector Trail, is reached at 5.0 miles;Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 39-45 that trail heads north for 6.3 miles, with a significant vista near its northern end, and returns to the Quehanna Trail near Little Medix Run.Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 109-117 The Quehanna Trail crosses the historic Caledonia Pike at 14.4 miles,Seeley, p. 10 then reaches Gifford Run at the site of an old
splash dam A splash dam was a temporary wooden dam used to raise the water level in streams to float logs downstream to sawmills. By impounding water and allowing it to be released on the log drive's schedule, these dams allowed many more logs to be brought ...
at 15.4 miles. The trail enters
Quehanna Wild Area Quehanna Wild Area () is a wildlife area within parts of Cameron County, Pennsylvania, Cameron, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, Clearfield and Elk County, Pennsylvania, Elk counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania; with a total area of , it co ...
at 18.1 miles and remains in this protected district for about the next 34 miles. A junction with the East Cross Connector Trail is reached at 20.3 miles;Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 52-56 that trail heads north for 9.4 miles, passes through several high meadows and junctions with short cross-country skiing trails, and returns to the Quehanna Trail at the unpaved Losey Road.Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 121-130 At 22.0 miles the Quehanna Trail passes a historical monument of dubious authenticity called Wild Cat Rock,Seeley, p. 13 and then begins a significant plunge into a canyon formed by Mosquito Creek. At 24.3 miles, the trail enters an area of unstable ground that was formed by mud at the bottom of a defunct artificial lake that was in turn formed by a large
splash dam A splash dam was a temporary wooden dam used to raise the water level in streams to float logs downstream to sawmills. By impounding water and allowing it to be released on the log drive's schedule, these dams allowed many more logs to be brought ...
that was built in approximately 1870 and dismantled just a few years later.Seeley, p. 14-15 The unstable topography creates an unusual landscape of mini-canyons dug into the loose soil by Mosquito Creek and its incoming tributaries.Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 136-139 The trail reaches the site of several failed footbridges over Mosquito Creek at 24.4 miles. The bridges failed due to the unstable soil below their support piers; the most recent failed in 2011 and has not yet been replaced as of 2023, creating a potentially hazardous wet crossing of the creek.Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 140-141 The Quehanna Trail passes the site of the former Corporation Dam at 24.6 miles and then climbs strenuously back out of the canyon. The paved Quehanna Highway is crossed at 30.3 miles, near the small industrial complex known as
Piper Piper may refer to: People * Piper (given name) * Piper (surname) Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Comics * Piper (Morlock), in the Marvel Universe * Piper (Mutate), in the Marvel Universe Television * Piper Chapman, lea ...
. Now trending to the northeast then north, a junction with the Old Sinnemahoning Trail is reached at 39.9 miles; that trail leads northeast 4.3 miles to the village of Wyside, near junctions (via road) with the Donut Hole Trail and Bucktail Path.Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 132-133 The Quehanna Trail then descends into another steep canyon and crosses the paved Wykoff Run Road at 41.5 miles. After another significant climb back to the top of the plateau, the trail heads west and skirts the border of Marion Brooks Natural Area (where no trails are allowed)Seeley, p. 25-26 at 52.5 miles.Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 62-85 The trail crosses Quehanna Highway for the second time at 62.2 miles. Starting at the 63.3 mile point, the trail was rerouted in 2016 to avoid the site of several failed footbridges (caused by storms) at Medix Run;Seeley, p. 30 to the south, the Quehanna Trail has assumed a former portion of the West Cross Connector Trail. The current junction with that trail is reached at 64.6 miles. The Quehanna Trail turns south onto Saunders Road at 67.8 miles, and at 68.9 miles walks through a hollow that was severely damaged by tornadoes in 1985 but has since recovered.Seeley, p. 31 The trail then returns to the trailhead at
Parker Dam State Park Parker Dam State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Huston Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is surrounded by Moshannon State Forest. Parker Dam State park is north of Clearfield on Pennsylvania Route 1 ...
, ending the loop after 73.2 miles.Cramer, ''Guide to the Quehanna Trail'', p. 106


Notes


References

Hiking trails in Pennsylvania Long-distance trails in the United States {{coord, 41.1925593, -78.5039106, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title