View Full Version : Finding trailheads
JawsThemeSwimming428
10-18-2011, 22:10
I've been toying with the idea of doing a thru-hike since last year. I just bought a house so I probably won't be going this coming year but want to get some AT hiking in regardless. However, I'm not sure where to look to find the nearest trailhead to my town. I live in PA. Is there a good site that I can go to that can tell me where to get on the AT at?
Chaco Taco
10-18-2011, 22:12
I've been toying with the idea of doing a thru-hike since last year. I just bought a house so I probably won't be going this coming year but want to get some AT hiking in regardless. However, I'm not sure where to look to find the nearest trailhead to my town. I live in PA. Is there a good site that I can go to that can tell me where to get on the AT at?
Get a map or a guidebook
Here is a link to parking areas for the AT (at trailheads).
http://rohland.homedns.org/AT/at_menu.aspx
Spirit Walker
10-18-2011, 23:48
Get the mapset for Pennsylvania from the ATC. There are a lot of easily accessible trailheads, but some are a bit hard to find.
Johnny Thunder
10-19-2011, 01:33
that's easy. you're in PA...i have a (near) encyclopedic knowledge of all trail heads in PA.
step one: drive to the mountains.
step 2: drive to the top of the ridge. look left. look right.
step 3: if you're heading down you've gone too far. turn around.
that's easy. you're in PA...i have a (near) encyclopedic knowledge of all trail heads in PA.
step one: drive to the mountains.
step 2: drive to the top of the ridge. look left. look right.
step 3: if you're heading down you've gone too far. turn around.
I have actually done this(not in Pa.) but if you don't get lucky and hit a trail head parking can be a problem. A better method is get a map.
max patch
10-19-2011, 08:52
this is what you need:
https://www.atctrailstore.org/catalog/iteminfo.cfm?itemid=30&compid=1
Johnny Thunder
10-19-2011, 09:05
Ok so. here comes my semi-encyclopedia.
i don't remember more than a gravel pull-off on rt 16 east of waynesboro.
there's lots of parking at the state park on rt 30
lots of parking at pine grove furnace state park
gravel pull off on 34
plenty of parking in boiling springs
gravel shoulders through most of the cumberland valley
parking near the pedestrian overpass at rt 11
no parking at the work camp (is that on sherwood drive)
spot for a few cars at 944
same at 850
lots of parking in duncannon
new and exciting parking lot at 225
parking at 209 (i think it's 209). a lot
parking near the pedestrian bridge under 81
parking at 501 near the shelter. two or three more spaces tucked back in the woods.
parking in port clinton
parking near the windsor furnace reservoir.
no parking that i know of at eckville (is that the weird shelter behind that guy's house?)
parking at 309
parking on ashfield rd.
parking at palmerton
parking at blue mtn drive
parking at 33 in wind gap
parking at 191 (?)
parking in delaware water gap
JawsThemeSwimming428
10-20-2011, 00:06
Thanks JT and everyone. JT that's sorta what I was looking for. I'm short on cash so I can't buy maps or anything yet but I wanted to get somewhere and check it out.
Johnny Thunder
10-20-2011, 02:29
yeah. i figured you'd be fine. easiest thing to do is take the list. go to google maps. click satellite view. then search duncannon. starting there, it's pretty easy to just follow the one uninterrupted ridge line northeast towards delaware water gap. match road crossings to the map and you're done. heading southwest from duncannon to the gettysburg area is a bit more troublesome but you can figure it out.
GoldenBear
10-20-2011, 16:59
I'm short on cash so I can't buy maps or anything yet but I wanted to get somewhere and check it out.
Can't afford to buy maps?
I could easily afford them (I've been blessed enough to have the cash) but I'm too cheap to buy them. Thus, I constantly look for free online maps.
In Pennsylvania, a lot of the AT is either in or near Michaux State Forest, for which this PDF would be useful:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd2/groups/public/documents/document/D_000828.pdf
or near state parks, where you can find maps via this URL:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/where/south/index.htm
or the trail goes through state game lands (PaSGL) , for which these two URLs
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_126465_11363_0_43/default.aspx?rgn=Southeast
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_126465_11363_0_43/default.aspx?rgn=Southcentral
provide links to similar PDFs for PaSGL maps. You'll have to look up the specific name or number, of the park or the PaSGL of interest to you, on your free Pennsylvania highway map.
The nice thing about PDFs is that you can magnify them as much as you like with no blurring of detail, and then print out only that part of the map that is on your screen.
Important note about PaSGL: there are severe restrictions on both alcohol possession and on overnight camping in these areas, and violations can be VERY expensive.
Tushay,,,JT:)
Er.........touche, too (minus the accent over the e).
I never have any trouble finding Trail Heads. You just follow the smell of the pot smoke ;).
My URBAN dictionary does not know French or even accents!
My URBAN dictionary does not know French or even accents!
C'est dommage. (and I'm not sure I spelled the second word correctly - I haven't taken French since grammar school). Btw: another poster corrected me on my spelling of grammar. I had once spelled it grammer and was taken to school for it. Thank God for folks who help me correct my erroneous ways. :)
............for those who aren't following the dialogue between moytoy and moi -
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=c%27est%20dommage
Of course, the aforementioned dictionary uses the often misused phrase "I could care less". Of course, the phrase should be "I could not care less", indicating that you care as little as you possibly can.
Is English evolving or de-volving? Am I an epicurean or a stoic? Oh, the drama! ........................;) :)
pyroman53
10-20-2011, 19:00
Some other trail access pts in Eastern PA, where I grew up...moving east (north) direction:
Little Gap Road near Danielsville(paved rd)..is that Blue Mtn Drive?? Not sure about parking these days but there used to be.
Smith Gap Road (really small gravel rd I think). Not sure about parking these days but there used to be.
Parking lot below Leroy Smith Shelter near Katellen ( a short hike up the hill)
There's one between 191 and Del. Water Gap. We never could find that (40 years ago) from the outside world.
Order your maps, but in meantime...Pick any one and you can post for info how to get there. Go and have fun.
Use Bing maps http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?encType=1&where1=Danielsville%2c+Pennsylvania&cp=40.799107~-75.542404&FORM=MIRE1
and you can figure this out. The trail is shown as a dotted line. Click and drag the map, keeping the trail in view and see the roads that cross. Follow them downhill to see where they connect.
Live_for_hiking
10-21-2011, 10:26
I've decided to hike the PA trail this upcoming summer. I intend on doing it over weekends ... with a few extended weekends thrown in. It's always easiest with two hikers. Park at the start and end trail-heads to make life easy.
My intent is to hike north to south. Let me know if want a hiking buddy here and there. I do have the maps, guide book, etc.
erichkopp
10-21-2011, 19:48
http://postholer.com/gmap/gmap.php
Select "Appalachian Trail" from the "Trail" menu and "Trailhead/Parking" from the "Location Type" menu. Hope this helps.
entirelynutz
10-28-2011, 14:17
PAHiker gave you this website but this is the PA page: http://rohland.homedns.org/AT/State/state_menu/at_state_menu.aspx?id=1. Here you'll find a map of all of the parking/access areas to the PA AT. If you go to the section pages, you'll find directions and google maps for almost all of the parking areas. I use it as a reference for all of my hikes. BTW, there are also picture pages for each section so you can preview what you'll be hiking. Some of the parking areas have safety ratings.
The simplest and cheapest is an official Pa state highway map -- the AT is on there as a dashed line.