View Full Version : 3 Day Mid-Atlantic Winter Section?
I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for an AT section that is:
- about three 10 mile days
- somewhere between MD and CT
- good for novice winter hikers
- has an easy start / end point (for two cars or trail shuttle)
- pretty?
Thanks in advance for any ideas.
If you are a novice to winter hiking I suggest a section on the C&O Canal trail. Nice and flat with plenty of camping and right in your back yard. http://www.bikewashington.org/canal/
rswanson
11-27-2006, 19:12
Kor,
The entire 42 mile section through Maryland is a fairly easy hike and is very acheivable over 3 days. You could leave cars in Harper's Ferry on the sourthern end and Penn Mar park on the northern end. Plenty of shelters and a few campgrounds alongs that stretch. A short section of the trail just before Pen Mar is rocky and steep...might be tough to negotiate in snowy/icy conditions. You're never more than a few miles from a road along this stretch so you have good bailout options if need be. The first 35 (+/-) miles in PA aren't too bad, either. That would be Pen Mar to Pine Grove Furnace Park, through Michaux State Forest. Again, lots of good camping areas through the forest make the route flexible. Once you get much further into PA the rocks become very prevalent which could make for slow hiking in unfavorable conditions.
Thank you, Rswanson. The information you included is extremely helpful.
If anyone has any similar information on the trail through New Jersey, I'd love to hear that, too.
A short section of the trail just before Pen Mar is rocky and steep...might be tough to negotiate in snowy/icy conditions.
You can road walk to PenMar from the lookout and avoid that stretch.