where do PA rocks start?

[Pages]

so i'm seriously thinking of getting back on the trail in HF and moving north VERY slowly to make sure my knee has healed sufficiently.
about how many miles do i have before the trail gets bad and rocky?

my internet connection is very slow so that's why i'm asking. tried to search but it was talking for ever. i KNOW this has been asked before. please humor me.

thanks

-Pages

[Blissful]

Some rocky areas in Maryland, but short. Worst of it in PA is between Port Clinton and DWG

[Pages]

thanks blissful. don't have my guide with me. about how many miles in would that be from HF?

thanks

-Pages

[Monkeywrench]

Southern Pennsylvania is really nice trail. Once you cross the Susquehanna River in Duncannon the rocks start, and get worse as you move further north. Once you've reached Delaware Water Gap and cross into New Jersey, you've got about a day of rock-hopping left.

[Mountain Mike]

Harpers Ferry Mile 1014.3
PA/MD Border 1055
Duncannon 1138.6
Port Clinton 1207.2
DWG 1285.3

Like mentioned above they don't disappear once you cross into NJ. They just requre some careful foot placement as many are unstable. I recall at one section of pointing myself towards a white blaze. Walking forward watching my feet. Then looking up to reorient myself toward the next blaze. They are just one of those "insurountable obstacles" that hundreds of hikes get through every year, lol.

[Spokes]

Fear the word...... "Palmerton"

[Pages]

Fear the word...... "Palmerton"

thanks all, and ah...yes...the superfund site. should be interesting...

-Pages

[GoldenBear]

That's why I took the photos I did during my hike between Hiway and 850 and Duncannon.

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/show...mageuser=13863

And, I'm hoping this is just a coincidence, but I first noticed a problem with my knee after hiking on this part of the trail.
With my surgery to take place in about fourteen hours, this fact is on my mind.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/entr...he-best-timing

[Montana Mac]

Good luck with the surgery!!

[trippclark]

so i'm seriously thinking of getting back on the trail in HF and moving north VERY slowly to make sure my knee has healed sufficiently.
about how many miles do i have before the trail gets bad and rocky?

my internet connection is very slow so that's why i'm asking. tried to search but it was talking for ever. i KNOW this has been asked before. please humor me.

thanks

-Pages

Pennsylvania is rather fresh on my mind since my section hikes in 2010 and 2011 covered that state. I thought the rockiest areas were north of the 501 shelter all the way to DWG, and also just before entering Pennsylvania while still in Maryland. To be honest though, I found that the PA rocks are over-hyped. Your impression may be different, but all that I had read for years talked about how horrible the rocks were going to be in PA. Sure, there were rocks, and in some areas, there were lots of them. However, I think that I had built it up in my mind to be much more extreme than it was. I actually found PA to be a fun state to hike through. YMMV.

[redseal]

Interesting...most people ask when do the rocks end? I Some rocks start to show up after Swatara Gap but really intensify after Port Clinton and go until DWG.

[ScottP]

Southern Pennsylvania is really nice trail. Once you cross the Susquehanna River in Duncannon the rocks start, and get worse as you move further north. Once you've reached Delaware Water Gap and cross into New Jersey, you've got about a day of rock-hopping left.

sounds about right

[rocketsocks]

Interesting...most people ask when do the rocks end? I Some rocks start to show up after Swatara Gap but really intensify after Port Clinton and go until DWG.

kinda the same question,and agree with your description.

[stranger]

The PA rocks that most people are referring to start just outside Port Clinton and extend into New Jersey, a distance of around 100 miles or so. The most severe section in my view is from Leroy Smith Shelter to DWG - a very annoying and rocky 20 miles.

I agree that southern PA is beautiful, with very well groomed trail, few rocks. You get a few glimpses in places of what is to come but until Duncannon there isn't much.

If you are not used to rocky terrain then you will probably think PA is rocky, but it's really not bad compared to some of the places I've hiked. Like anything, personal experience determines alot out there, and it's all relative to what you have seen before. The PA rocks are very over-hyped in my view, but you do need to take care, boulder fields are no picnic if you take a fall.