Splendid views in Pennsylvania on the Mid-State Trail

[Kolesar]

Which is, of course, in the middle of Pennsylvania. This is where the Allegheny Plateau transitions to the ridge-and-valley system. The terrain in this region has the greatest relief I have seen in this state. The views over the farms in the valleys are a pastoral delight.

At Blackwell there is a 900' climb up Gillespie Point. At the top, there is a rock outcrop with a clear view down Pine Creek Gorge and up the upper gorge, which is known as the "Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania" (no snickering, please). The Grand Canyon is roadless, and if you bike or hike the rail-trail, keep your eye on the river. We saw a flock of grebes, several bald eagles, and other wildlife in the corridor. This is a noted fly-fishing river. This area is quite wild and unpopulated. The terrain makes it difficult to establish and maintain roads in that region. The only industry was the long-gone timber industry, so there are about no towns and no people around.

The next favorite MST hike is in Blair County on Tussey Mountain. Hiking south for an hour or so, you come to a bald face of the mountain, covered with acres of half-billion year old rubble, where the mountain is bisected by the Little Juniata River. You have views over a series of adjacent ridges and down onto the town of Tyrone. We shared the bald face with several black vultures who kept a wary eye on our golden retriever while we ate lunch.

We did Tom Thwaite's recommended three day backpack trip on the MST from Poe Paddy SP to Raymond B. Winter SP. It was summer and the thick foliage obscured the views. The best views there were at a power line corridor (sigh) and a small outcrop. If you want solitude, though, this hike excels! We saw only one other hiking party away from the state parks we passed through. The climb up Winklebech Mountain was a hoot. Straight up the mountainside with no switchbacks, climbing hand and foot over boulders as big as microwave ovens. Woo hoo!

If you are traveling to Central Pa, I recommend Tom Thwaites' book, 50 Hikes in Central Pennsylvania. 50 hikes

[Township75]

1. Got any picks?

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