Camping on AT between Eagles Nest Shelter and Port Clinton in PA

[loriet]

Hi, Anyone know how the land is on the Trail between Eagles Nest Shelter and Port Clinton in Pennsylvania? I am looking to do a section hike from PA 183 to Port Clinton and would rather hike past the shelter in order to have a shorter day hikng out the next morning. I have heard the trail is rocky in that area, but am wondering if there are areas to camp, maybe near Auburn Lookout? Thanks.

[Disco]

Can't say for sure if you will find camping past Eagles Nest. Try contacting Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club, maintainers of that section: www.bmecc.org ; [email protected] ; (610) 326-1656. The 133 miles of PA that I've hiked so far (Mason-Dixon line to RoundHead/ShowersSteps) have ranged from delightful grassy farm fields to boulder fields. Plan on rocks!! Also, the descent into Port Clinton is very steep. I hear the rocks keep getting worse as you head NOBO in PA. I still need to finish 6.2 mi to reach PA183. If you'd like company from PA183 to Port Clinton, let us know. Happy Hiking - Disco

[Slo-go'en]

You might be on State Game lands up on that ridge, which would add another wrinkle. The ground is littered with fist sized rocks, which makes finding a spot to put up a tent a real challenge. Here's a situation where a hammock has a clear advantage.

[SteelCut]

My iPhone Guthook AT app lists camping past Eagles Nest at mile markers 1208.5, 1210.1, 1211.6, 1212.4, 1212.9, and 1213.6. It provides pictures of the sites and they all look pretty decent and they all hold at least 2 tents most of them had existing fire rings so I would think you should be able to notice them. I don't know where Auburn Lookout is so I don't know how close any of these are to that.

[fiddlehead]

Yeah, I remember a nice one, not too far from Auburn lookout.
But, as someone said, it is PA state game land and not exactly legal to camp I believe unless you are a thru-hiker.
I believe I've read that the PA state game commission defines a thru-hiker as someone who is hiking from one point to another and not a loop.
So, you might be legal if that definition is valid.

I hike up there every time I get my car inspected as my mechanic is the closest house to Ney's gap (where Ney's shelters used to be a long time ago) and is just south of the small village of Jefferson (about 3 miles from Auburn)
Next time, I'll go a little further and see if I can pinpoint that campsite I remember.
My car inspection is up the end of Oct I believe.

[fiddlehead]

Yeah, I remember a nice one, not too far from Auburn lookout.
But, as someone said, it is PA state game land and not exactly legal to camp I believe unless you are a thru-hiker.
I believe I've read that the PA state game commission defines a thru-hiker as someone who is hiking from one point to another and not a loop.
So, you might be legal if that definition is valid.

I hike up there every time I get my car inspected as my mechanic is the closest house to Ney's gap (where Ney's shelters used to be a long time ago) and is just south of the small village of Jefferson (about 3 miles from Auburn)
Next time, I'll go a little further and see if I can pinpoint that campsite I remember.
My car inspection is up the end of Oct I believe.

[howlinmadman]

There is a campsite right at the Auburn lookout, although if you camp there and it's windy there is nothing to stop the wind. I did that as a day hike in early spring and stopped there for lunch, I didn't stay long cause it was so windy at the lookout! The trail in that section is mostly flat with one steeper but short uphill in the middle(there is a campsite at the top of this uphill climb as well). Of course it's rocky and the descent into Port Clinton is long and steep!

[shelterbuilder]

Most of that stretch IS on State Game Lands, but if you are hiking "point-to-point (that is, NOT an out-and-back hike)", and are camped within 200 feet of the footpath BUT ALSO more than 500 feet away from trailheads, road crossings, parking lots, and water sources, you'll be legal. (The Game Commission tries to minimize impact on its land by using these regs to contain impact within a narrow corridor.) Not sure if the Auburn Lookout area is legal - IIRC, this rocky outcropping is literally a stone's throw away from a Game Commission access road, so they may try to call it a road "crossing". LOTS of rocks in this section - hammocks are useful here! The old Ney's Shelter location is between the Eagle's Nest Shelter and the Auburn Lookout, and is located along the Game Lands/State Forest boundary, so if you are on S.F land, you can camp legally overnight. (The first woods road that you cross NORTH of the shelter runs out TO THE RIGHT and joins a ridgetop access road on State Game Lands - immediately on the other side of the gate, there's an old gullied trail that leads down to the old spring impoundment and to the LEFT of the spring is State Forest land. If you use this water, treat it: it's been contaminated for decades. This site is about 2 miles - give or take - from the Eagle's Nest Shelter, and might be a good overnight site for you. DO NOT CAMP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SPRING, AS THIS IS ALL STATE GAME LANDS AND IS NOT WITHIN THE LEGAL CAMPING AREA ALONG THE A.T.)