View Full Version : Tuscarora Trail information requested
Greetings,
I am thinking of hiking the Tuscarora and would like some feedback on whether others found this trail to their liking. If so, why, and if not, why not.
Thanks. Wyo
Spirit Walker
02-11-2005, 15:38
We hiked it several years ago, in short weekend sections. Parts of it, especially in Virginia/West Virginia, were nice, but most of the trail in PA was extremely rocky and overgrown with briars and blowdowns. I know that there has been a lot of work on it since we hiked it, but I don't know if the shoulder high briars are still a problem. There was also a lot of paved roadwalking. Currently the section at the edge of SNP is 'broken' as the landowner has cut off access.
Better Eastern trails of medium length would be the Donut Hole (90 miles), Susquehannock (80 miles), and Quehanna Trails (60) or the Midstate Trail (200?). That one is very rocky in sections, but has some really nice sections up north. The Allegheny Trail has a lot of roadwalking, but it looks interesting.
Get a copy of Johnny Malloy's book, "Long Trails of the Southeast."
He features trails much nicer than the Tuscarora, or any of those trails up in PA...like the Bartram, Benton MacKaye, Black Creek, Foothills, and Pinhoti. Maybe a bit further if you live in the mid-Atlantic states--but worth the drive.
Nightwalker
02-12-2005, 02:28
Get a copy of Johnny Malloy's book, "Long Trails of the Southeast."
He features trails much nicer than the Tuscarora, or any of those trails up in PA...like the Bartram, Benton MacKaye, Black Creek, Foothills, and Pinhoti. Maybe a bit further if you live in the mid-Atlantic states--but worth the drive.
I can really speak for the Foothills and Bartram. The Foothills is ~75 miles long, the Bartram is ~125. If you hike the Foothills from the East--Table Rock State Park or Caesar's Head State Park (the latter is a little longer, a little easier)--and take the Bartram where it branches towards Georgia. It goes all the way to the AT in the southern part of NC.
Great hike. I've never finished the north part of the Bartram, but I'm old friends with the Foothills. The middle 30 or so miles--the Jocassee Gorges--is a wonderfully lonely hike that I've probably walked 15 times or so. Last week I didn't speak to a soul there from around 2 miles in to around 3 from the end.
It took me a few days because I'm just starting back LD hiking after a long illness. But it shore is fun gettin' back in shape. :D
Nightwalker
I can really speak for the Foothills and Bartram. The Foothills is ~75 miles long, the Bartram is ~125. If you hike the Foothills from the East--Table Rock State Park or Caesar's Head State Park (the latter is a little longer, a little easier)--and take the Bartram where it branches towards Georgia. It goes all the way to the AT in the southern part of NC.
Great hike. I've never finished the north part of the Bartram, but I'm old friends with the Foothills. The middle 30 or so miles--the Jocassee Gorges--is a wonderfully lonely hike that I've probably walked 15 times or so. Last week I didn't speak to a soul there from around 2 miles in to around 3 from the end.
It took me a few days because I'm just starting back LD hiking after a long illness. But it shore is fun gettin' back in shape. :D
Nightwalker
Has all the damage on the Foothills Trail from Hurricanes Ivan and Frances last Fall been cleaned up? I'm especially interested in knowing if the bridges are OK, but also about mudslides/erosion and downed trees.
C-Stepper
02-12-2005, 17:29
I hiked the Foothills Trail in December (section from Oconee to Whitewater Creek Falls). The only major problem on that section of trail was a mudslide caused by Ivan. It was right at Whitewater Creek Falls, so you had to detour through the parking lot and trot down the stairs to hook up with the trail again...no biggie. I saw lots of blowdowns, but nothing major. I had talked with volunteers with the trail conference before beginning my hike (which was planned as a thru, but I got lonely... :( ) and the volunteers told me there were no other sections with problems.
I hiked the Foothills Trail in December (section from Oconee to Whitewater Creek Falls). The only major problem on that section of trail was a mudslide caused by Ivan. It was right at Whitewater Creek Falls, so you had to detour through the parking lot and trot down the stairs to hook up with the trail again...no biggie. I saw lots of blowdowns, but nothing major. I had talked with volunteers with the trail conference before beginning my hike (which was planned as a thru, but I got lonely... :( ) and the volunteers told me there were no other sections with problems.
Thanks for the feedback. That's more than they're saying on the FT website. It hasn't been updated since BEFORE Ivan hit.
I'm mainly interested in the bridges--blowdowns I can deal with, but due to a health issue I have balance problems trying to rock-hop--where you CAN rock-hop. I still don't know how I made it thru Maine!
My plan was to hike it last October, but the storms' damage hadn't been cleared at all then from the little info I'd been able to gather. It was my plan to break the hike in two parts by having a vehicle positioned in the middle for resupply or possibly using it to get to a town a take a zero.
Yeah, it's not like the AT, I guess it could get lonely out there...
rambunny
02-16-2005, 15:18
Contact Mrs.Gorp or Chase-they give presentations at The Gathering on this