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My husband and I are planning a trip to Jim Thorpe, PA and want to hike some of the Appalachian Trail nearby. Are there any loops created by adjoining trails or suggested sections we should do? We will only have a couple days to hike and want to do day hikes only. TYIA!
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The entire stretch from Pen Mar to Duncannon is one of my personal favorites on the whole AT. It does not contain the rocks that PA is known for, and is some nice strolling trail for the majority of the way.
Never heard of Jim Thorpe, had to google it. Looks to be an interesting area in the Poconos. The AT is not very close to that area and the part which is, is very rocky and the section which gives PA a very bad reputation amongst thru hikers. The climb out the Lehigh valley in Palmerton and the Delaware Water Gap are the two highlights of that area. In between is not very interesting, unless you like stumbling on rocks with tricky footing for most of the day. Your probably better off just staying in Thorpe.
Anyway, there are very few places along the AT where a loop is possible, PA is not one of them. There are three options. 1) use a shuttle to get back to your starting point, 2) spot cars at each end, or 3) turn around and hike back to where you started (out and back).
Thank you! I’ll research the suggestions. We are a little limited by having to stay in state due to COVID, so this is helpful!
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There are other options. As Gambit says, the southern end of the AT in PA is pretty mellow. Basically a walk in the woods. I only took about a dozen photos along the AT in the entire length of PA. I believe there are some interesting trails in the middle and western end of PA too.
We live in the western side of PA so we were looking for something different and want some AT time while that close to it.
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Are you looking for overnight trips or day hikes? One possible day hike loop would be out of Palmerton. Climb out of the gap on the AT, then loop back on the winter trail. That is one of the more interesting pieces of the AT in PA. Another a bit farther south is Pulpit rock and the Pinnacle, just north of Windsor furnace. As you can imagine, these are popular day hikes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Squirrel!
For an overnighter, Eckville to Palmerton is an interesting section. You get to do some rock scrambling on the knife edge and there are a couple of vistas. And some very odd looking trees near Palmerton from the zinc smelter which operated there for decades.
I had gone to AllTrails earlier this evening and found some loops around Palmerton. It’s funny and reassuring to see that I was in the right area. Google map states the AT is only a 30 minute drive from Jim Thorpe.
We are looking to do a day hike. We are only in the area for a short time for our wedding anniversary. We want a nice mix of hiking and culture while staying in PA and not in a big town.
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