Tuscarora Trail

[Camping Dave]

I've done some hiking on the Tuscarora Trail in WVa, MD, and PA near Hancock MD recently. Except for roughly 3 miles of road walking just south of Hancock everything was great.

There is a beautiful shelter at Dugan's Gap at the very northern tip of WVa. It's not on the PATC trail map, so it must have been built in the last 2 years. My hiking buddy and I strolled in there about 3:00 one afternoon. The rain was just drizzling. We're sitting on the porch trying to decide whether we should push or call it a day. All of a sudden, the rain starts coming down in buckets. We took that as a sign from God. We broke out our dual use Aquafina water bottles and relaxed! (Dual use water bottle: 1) Purchase and drink contents. 2) Refill with Maker's Mark and drink contents again.)

[ki0eh]

I've seen drafts of both new guide and new map sections for parts of the Tuscarora so it's on the way! PATC has done quite a lot of work to improve the Tuscarora in the last 12 years - it will be good to have new maps and guides reflecting that. If it makes you think you were part of something grander, you were also on Great Eastern Trail http://www.greateasterntrail.org

[Cookerhiker]

Here's another thread on the Tuscarora Trail

[Route Step]

There is another new shelter on the trail. Its a few miles south of Cowans Gap state park on map K, but it is north of US 30. It was called Big Mountain shelter. A very nice timber frame 0.2 miles off the trail. Downside is there is no water at the shelter. I don't think it will get used much.

There is also a shelter at the Wagonwheel junction in the Flat Rock section. It is not depicted on the map (J) or in the writeup.

[Wise Old Owl]

I've done some hiking on the Tuscarora Trail in WVa, MD, and PA near Hancock MD recently. Except for roughly 3 miles of road walking just south of Hancock everything was great.

There is a beautiful shelter at Dugan's Gap at the very northern tip of WVa. It's not on the PATC trail map, so it must have been built in the last 2 years. My hiking buddy and I strolled in there about 3:00 one afternoon. The rain was just drizzling. We're sitting on the porch trying to decide whether we should push or call it a day. All of a sudden, the rain starts coming down in buckets. We took that as a sign from God. We broke out our dual use Aquafina water bottles and relaxed! (Dual use water bottle: 1) Purchase and drink contents. 2) Refill with Maker's Mark and drink contents again.)

Having been there, you make it sound like a dream....

[Nasty Dog Virus]

I've done a bunch of hiking on the Tuscarora Trail near its northern terminus and the trail has been very nice. There are shelters outside Fowlers Hollow St. Park and Col. Denning St. Park (Wagonwheel Shelter 1mi S of Flatrock). The Darlington Shelter on the AT is at the northern terminus of the trail. I'd like to come down to SNP and head north from the southern end for a week. Is the Tuscarora nice in Va?

[Route Step]

I've read in another thread that the southern half is much better that the northern half because it is more in the woods and less on the roads. I hope to find out later this year. Some of the roads were pretty quiet though and there was little tick potential.

[CowHead]

What's the best way to get to the waterfalls?

[thunderson]

I've done a bunch of hiking on the Tuscarora Trail near its northern terminus and the trail has been very nice. There are shelters outside Fowlers Hollow St. Park and Col. Denning St. Park (Wagonwheel Shelter 1mi S of Flatrock). The Darlington Shelter on the AT is at the northern terminus of the trail. I'd like to come down to SNP and head north from the southern end for a week. Is the Tuscarora nice in Va?

I've only been on a small part in Va. Last weekend I did a 7.2 mile hike on part of it and it was fantastic. All the rain we've gotten lately has literally made water available everywhere. Lunched near a nice PATC cabin called sugar knob cabin. There was an awesome spring 1/4 mile from the cabin. Great lunch spot.

[CrumbSnatcher]

i dove off the A.T.in the shenny's ONE YEAR TO STEALTH CAMP ON THE TUSCARORA TRAIL, I CAMPED A FEW MILES OFF THE A.T. i saw 6 bears in the first mile or so and a sweet waterfall. i'd like to hike that trail someday!

[Blue Sky II]

Hiked all the Pennsylvania section north to the AT and back into Duncannon last month before the trees leafed. The southern most ridge is pretty amazing. One key to hiking the PA section is to resupply at the country store/gas station in Spring Run. It opens by 6:00 am every day and stays open till at least 8:00 pm. A post office is right next to the store that has full service on Saturdays till 12:00 or 12:30 pm. There is no legal camping close to Spring Run.
The biggest problem on the trail is a lack of warning the trail is closed between Route#74 and McClures Gap which is 3.5 miles south. It seems that some people don't know the trail is closed and wander into an area where the blazes are few and far between. It's not a good situation. They say the road walk is 12 miles to bypass the closed section. All I know is that it took me about 3 1/2 hours, but it held a few amazing surprises along the way.
http://potomacappalachian.org/index....d=604&Itemid=2
This link should provide a little more information.
Thanks to the PATC for all their work. Many crews were on the trail in April.

[Green Bean]

I have always been interested in hiking the Tuscarora trail, but never got around to it. What I have heard it is less traveled, so not as many run-ins with people, which if you like to get away from "people", it seems to be a good trail to backpack.

~GB

[Nasty Dog Virus]

The biggest problem on the trail is a lack of warning the trail is closed between Route#74 and McClures Gap which is 3.5 miles south. It seems that some people don't know the trail is closed and wander into an area where the blazes are few and far between. It's not a good situation. They say the road walk is 12 miles to bypass the closed section.

Thanks for the info....I had no idea this section was closed.

[CowHead]

Hiked all the Pennsylvania section north to the AT and back into Duncannon last month before the trees leafed. The southern most ridge is pretty amazing. One key to hiking the PA section is to resupply at the country store/gas station in Spring Run. It opens by 6:00 am every day and stays open till at least 8:00 pm. A post office is right next to the store that has full service on Saturdays till 12:00 or 12:30 pm. There is no legal camping close to Spring Run.
The biggest problem on the trail is a lack of warning the trail is closed between Route#74 and McClures Gap which is 3.5 miles south. It seems that some people don't know the trail is closed and wander into an area where the blazes are few and far between. It's not a good situation. They say the road walk is 12 miles to bypass the closed section. All I know is that it took me about 3 1/2 hours, but it held a few amazing surprises along the way.
http://potomacappalachian.org/index....d=604&Itemid=2
This link should provide a little more information.
Thanks to the PATC for all their work. Many crews were on the trail in April.

also the road hike is not a safe one to many crazy behind the wheel

[Sleepy the Arab]

i dove off the A.T.in the shenny's ONE YEAR TO STEALTH CAMP ON THE TUSCARORA TRAIL, I CAMPED A FEW MILES OFF THE A.T. i saw 6 bears in the first mile or so and a sweet waterfall. i'd like to hike that trail someday!

Some '06 friends of mine hiked it just before Trail Days. They said it rocked!

[mikec]

I've hiked about half of the Tuscarora as either day hikes or weekend backpacking trips. There are some nice sections but alot of it is on roads. Also, I would think that resupplying would be very tough if one were to hike it as an AT alternative from Mathews Arm, SNP to the Darlington Trail/AT intersection in PA.

[Nasty Dog Virus]

I'm heading out on Big Blue in about an hour. Leaving out of Flowlers Hollow St. Park and hiking N. into Tuscarora St. Forest. There is a shelter about 2 miles outside of the St. Park. I'm going to have a late lunch there are then hike on until I get tired/find a beautiful spot and then hang my hammock. 20mph winds with possible severe thunderstorms tonight...should be fun!!!

[Downhill Trucker]

I'm highly considering thruing this trail soon. Any new info? Is there still a trail closure?

[Cookerhiker]

From the PATC website. If you navigate around the website, you can probably find someone at PATC to contact. The Pennsylvania portion of the Tuscarora is maintained by PATC's Yankee Clippers.

[Skyline]

For much of the TT, you get a lot of solitude. Good for some, not for everyone. The trail itself is sometimes not maintained to the standards PATC sets for the AT and many other trails it manages. There are long walks on narrow roads north of Gore, VA where the locals drive without regard to pedestrians. I've skipped that and will go back and do it when/if the trail is rerouted into the woods which it may be someday.

PATC volunteers are making slow, steady progress toward upgrading the Tuscarora Trail. As resources permit, additional shelters are being established; trail is coming off roads into woods; signage, maps and guidebooks are getting better; trail maintenance is being taken more seriously in some places. But anyone looking for an AT-like experience, with guaranteed shelters or pre-hardened tentsites spaced just right, dependable water sources several times per day, and easy access to resupply stores might be disappointed.

Resupply is challenging but not impossible along the parts I've done (south terminus in SNP to south of the Mason-Dixon line). You can also cache food if you know how to do that safely and competently.

IMHO it would make more sense to section hike the Tuscarora than do a thru. Eliminates tough resupplies and you can opt out of the roadwalks if you want to.