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View Full Version : Boiling Springs to Caledonia State Park



SmokySectionHiker
12-17-2016, 15:39
Hey all,
I'm thinking of hiking from boiling springs to Caledonia state park between Christmas and new years, think it can be done in 2 days?
Thanks!

SkeeterPee
12-17-2016, 15:46
I did it the other way a year ago. it was 40 miles. Some ups and downs, but not bad. I took 4 days 10, 10, 15, 5. That was plenty for me. But if you are used to 20mpd then that would be possible. There were 3 young sobo-ers who stayed at the Allenberry with me. They did it in 2 days.

SmokySectionHiker
12-17-2016, 15:58
Thanks! Sorry for the vague question and thanks for answering what I really meant. I should've said: "how's the terrain and elevation changes?"

tdoczi
12-17-2016, 18:33
i did it in 2 days one june. was pretty easy. but that was june. how are you fixed for hiking at night when its freezing cold and icey out?

NinjaFace
12-17-2016, 19:58
i would say 3 days.. ..
boiling springs,tagg run shelter,birch run shelter * if you make it to Birch Run with still four hours left in daytime you can probably make in the Caledonia..

NinjaFace
12-17-2016, 20:04
pretty easy , gentle slopes, no real hard climbs.. rocks are not that bad through there.

la.lindsey
12-17-2016, 21:21
Just did this a few days ago- took me longer than I would have thought, but I chalked it up to a heavier pack and being out of shape. I didn't have an actual resupply planned, so if you're only carrying for 2 or 3 days, you should be ok.

There may be some useful info here: https://birthdaygirlhikes.com/2016/12/12/1-3-boiling-springs-to/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Slo-go'en
12-17-2016, 22:32
2 days would definitely be a challenge this time of year, even if there were no weather issues to deal with. Back to back 20 mile days. That's a lot of night hiking. Plan on 3 and hope it don't take 4. The first 7-8 miles south of Boiling Springs is a bit bumpy, but rolling woods type road for the most part to Caledonia if I remember right.

Weather is the big unknown. Seeing how stormy it's been so far this season, I'd plan on encountering some.

cliffordbarnabus
12-17-2016, 23:53
wake up early. hike during all lit part of day despite weather. you got it!

SmokySectionHiker
12-18-2016, 12:32
Thanks for all the replies! I did a few days last month with below freezing weather and didn't feel too bad. If the slopes aren't too rough I think back to back 20 mile days is do-able for me. Thinking about spending the night at ironmasters and waking up super early to make it to caledonia then hitching a ride back to my car in boiling springs.

Slo-go'en
12-18-2016, 13:31
Ironmasters closed Nov 1st. The state park closed Dec 9th. I suppose you could still camp there though, though I never explored the area to find where the camping area is. Otherwise your looking at a 25 mile first day to get to the Toms Run shelter. Although there are a couple of campsites shown in the guide a few miles before the park. No water though, which could be a problem for that whole stretch.

u.w.
12-18-2016, 14:21
The mileage is definitely doable, and that's a pretty easy stretch for sure. Two twenty-ish mile days worth of food - easy peazy,, add a skosh more for cold-er temps, good to go. With it being winter, having short daylight hours, you'll likely be doing some walking when it's dark. Couple of small ups and downs of course - nothing bad at all. When I went through there in May this year, there was tons of water. That was May, and it's been a mighty dry year since. You'll get to see Center Point Knob, and "The Maze" not to long after you leave the fields heading south out of Boiling Springs. It's a pretty nice section. Definitely enjoy it,
Might be easier to shuttle from your car to your starting point, than to hitch to your car from your ending point... HYOH of course :)

u.w.

SkeeterPee
12-18-2016, 17:21
Ironmasters closed Nov 1st. The state park closed Dec 9th. I suppose you could still camp there though, though I never explored the area to find where the camping area is. Otherwise your looking at a 25 mile first day to get to the Toms Run shelter. Although there are a couple of campsites shown in the guide a few miles before the park. No water though, which could be a problem for that whole stretch.

you raise a good point. I stayed there end of November so the state park was still open. It is about 1 mi south of Ironmasters following a road. When open it was nice as they had heated restrooms with showers.

No idea if you could stay there, but I bet everything is locked up. Also there were signs on the AT that there is no camping along the trail inside the SP. Guthooks shows campsite 3 miles north of Ironmasters and Toms run shelter 3.6 miles south of ironmasters.

Slo-go'en
12-18-2016, 22:26
Well, lots of places to bail out of there if things don't work out.

I forgot about "the Maze". I did some serious cursing going through there in the rain after a long day. The path was less then obvious and the rocks slippery. That seemed like a really, really long 3/10ths of a mile!

Brewguy
12-19-2016, 11:20
I find some of the hills to be pretty hard on knees, and thats without the pack. Lots of up and down.

ki0eh
12-19-2016, 12:05
At the moment the woods are full of icy glop. In normal light and traction conditions the two rocky areas either side of Whiskey Spring Rd (between Center Point Knob and PA Route 34) are more fun than annoying (by PA standards at least). Possibly one of these is what is referred to up-thread as "The Maze." There used to be illegal MTB trails that bypassed these, but I think they have been pretty well blocked and obscured.

So one might need to evaluate the need for traction aids as well, when running in the dark on what for the most part is relatively smooth treadway by PA standards (meaning the little ankle-turning rocks might be only every 3rd or 4th step :D )

tdoczi
12-19-2016, 12:07
I find some of the hills to be pretty hard on knees, and thats without the pack. Lots of up and down.


huh?

ya know theres a long stretch through there called "the big flat" and another called, i believe, the "big pine flat."


i said this once before a little while ago in another thread and it comes to mind again now- never go to new hampshire.

Brewguy
12-19-2016, 13:02
huh?

ya know theres a long stretch through there called "the big flat" and another called, i believe, the "big pine flat."


i said this once before a little while ago in another thread and it comes to mind again now- never go to new hampshire.

I was just saying that for me I find the area outside boiling springs, through whiskey springs rd to be tough on me. I thought I'd share my thoughts for someone who is not from the area and planning long miles. It's certainly not mostly flat.

tdoczi
12-19-2016, 16:44
It's certainly not mostly flat.


like all things, its a matter of perspective, and of what you're comparing it to. is the entire thing as flat as a brand new sidewalk in a small town in kansas? not even close.

but, compared to the rest of the AT, it is in fact one of the flatter prolonged sections you will find. there are occasional cllmbs. they are far apart, not long and not steep and very few in number.

or like i said. don't go to NH. thats said only partially sarcastically- if one hikes one of the flatter sections of the AT and finds it hard on their knees, going to NH (or ME, or a few other places) could truly be a bad, if not dangerous, idea.

SmokySectionHiker
12-19-2016, 20:26
Thanks for all the great replies! It's great to hear from other hikers since none of my friends are really into hiking. My plans as of now are to parking at boiling springs to get on the trail by 5-6am and try to get to Toms Run Shelter by the end of the day (23.1 miles). On the second day I'll aim to get to Caledonia state park by 4-5pm and arrange for a shuttle to be there around that time (with some buffer built in) to get a ride back to Boiling Springs that evening to head out. I'll carry 5L of water, so that should get me through both days without too much trouble. I have poles and yaktrax (early christmas presents!) so I'll bring those. I did the Great Smokys in ~4.5 days a little while ago and have been keeping in shape since then so hopefully that won't be an issue, but we'll see!

Again, really appreciate all the replies!

SkeeterPee
12-19-2016, 21:53
Perhaps others will comment, but I've used yaktrax on some fairly smooth trails with occasional root and rock. Even then I have had them break. This is still PA so there are a lot of rocks, but not as bad as some other sections. I wonder how well yaktrax would hold up. Of course 95% chance you not need them at all.

SkeeterPee
12-19-2016, 21:55
But if they do break and you have some extra line you could probably fix them.

ki0eh
12-19-2016, 23:09
I've found the standard yaktrax to be pretty well useless in PA. Kahtoola microspikes hold up much better, even in far worse rocks than this stretch.