where do the PA rocks start?

[tdoczi]

People think the PA rocks end at the NJ border. Nope, they go all the way to High Point State Park.

one of those things thats often said that ive found to be completely untrue. does NJ have rocks? sure. but theres one spot of all of maybe 2 miles where NJ is rocky in the way that PA is rocky enough to earn the reputation it has.

in fact, the PA rocks, imo, end several miles before PA does. from around the last shelter in PA all the way to shores of sunfish pond in NJ theres barely a rockfield to be found anywhere (on the AT anywhere at least, the mount minsi fire road and the red dot mt tammany trail arent the AT, which often seems to be forgotten). thats a good 10 miles of easy hiking the likes of which you will not find anywhere in PA from port clinton to wind gap at the very least.

[rocketsocks]

one of those things thats often said that ive found to be completely untrue. does NJ have rocks? sure. but theres one spot of all of maybe 2 miles where NJ is rocky in the way that PA is rocky enough to earn the reputation it has.

in fact, the PA rocks, imo, end several miles before PA does. from around the last shelter in PA all the way to shores of sunfish pond in NJ theres barely a rockfield to be found anywhere (on the AT anywhere at least, the mount minsi fire road and the red dot mt tammany trail arent the AT, which often seems to be forgotten). thats a good 10 miles of easy hiking the likes of which you will not find anywhere in PA from port clinton to wind gap at the very least.

You win, that is exactly right, and I concur with the smooth sailin' for almost 10 miles. Some of that hikin' is also on bridle paths, carriage roads, and old narrow gauge rail grade.

[Don H]

one of those things thats often said that ive found to be completely untrue. does NJ have rocks? sure. but theres one spot of all of maybe 2 miles where NJ is rocky in the way that PA is rocky enough to earn the reputation it has.

in fact, the PA rocks, imo, end several miles before PA does. from around the last shelter in PA all the way to shores of sunfish pond in NJ theres barely a rockfield to be found anywhere (on the AT anywhere at least, the mount minsi fire road and the red dot mt tammany trail arent the AT, which often seems to be forgotten). thats a good 10 miles of easy hiking the likes of which you will not find anywhere in PA from port clinton to wind gap at the very least.

Hmm, I recall Highpoint being very rocky.

Of course even the worst of PA has some smooth spots, only because they haven't installed the trail rocks in those sections yet!

[Cookerhiker]

My recollection of the first difficult rockfield was following the ascent from Swatara Gap - this is about 35 miles north of Duncannon. That's not to say there's no rocks from mid-Maryland north, but the first long rockfield was after Swatara Gap.

A rockfield that IMO exceeds any in PA is in Virginia in the stretch west of I-81 between Bailey Gap Shelter and Wind Rocks, starting about 23 miles north of Pearisburg. It seemed to go on forever.

[Cookerhiker]

one of those things thats often said that ive found to be completely untrue. does NJ have rocks? sure. but theres one spot of all of maybe 2 miles where NJ is rocky in the way that PA is rocky enough to earn the reputation it has.

in fact, the PA rocks, imo, end several miles before PA does. from around the last shelter in PA all the way to shores of sunfish pond in NJ theres barely a rockfield to be found anywhere (on the AT anywhere at least, the mount minsi fire road and the red dot mt tammany trail arent the AT, which often seems to be forgotten). thats a good 10 miles of easy hiking the likes of which you will not find anywhere in PA from port clinton to wind gap at the very least.

It's not a long stretch, but I recall the rocks around Sunfish Pond slowed me down considerably.

[tdoczi]

It's not a long stretch, but I recall the rocks around Sunfish Pond slowed me down considerably.

no argument here, those rock are a pain to walk on. but its about 2 miles at most (may be closer to 1) and theres nothing else in NJ anything like it. my recollection of PA around the wind gap area is rocks like that 5 or 6 miles at a time with breaks of a few hundred yards here and there at best. to me thats what gives PA its rep. yeah, all dirt trails in all woods everywhere have SOME rocks.

[Cookerhiker]

no argument here, those rock are a pain to walk on. but its about 2 miles at most (may be closer to 1) and theres nothing else in NJ anything like it. my recollection of PA around the wind gap area is rocks like that 5 or 6 miles at a time with breaks of a few hundred yards here and there at best. to me thats what gives PA its rep. yeah, all dirt trails in all woods everywhere have SOME rocks.

Agree, it's probably closer to 1 than 2 miles.

[Rusty Joints]

Thanks to everyone. It was exactly what I was looking for. Special thanks to Brian who went and pulled out his journal from that section - can't ask for better intel than that. Seems like there is agreement that Pen Mar to Duncannon is relatively rock-free compared to further north and east.

I did Snicker's Gap to Pen Mar a few years ago, and did not think it was very rocky. In all, I've done Blood Mtn GA to Pen Mar, and Hanover NH to Cheshire MA over the last 25 years. New England has a lot of rocky stuff, especially where the Long Trail and the AT overlap, but I have had conversations with people along that section who said that it weren't nothin' compared to the worst of PA, so it seemed like crowd sourcing some reliable info was a good idea.

Rusty Joints
I have "Underfoot"

[Rusty Joints]

For more than you want to know about geology on the AT, there is Underfoot
Underfoot: A Geologic Guide to the Appalachian Trail Paperback – January 1, 2010
by V. Collins Chew

and with that, I think I'll close the thread. thanks again