Backpacking the West Rim Trail

[jmitchell]

https://endlessmountains.wordpress.c...ve-high-rocks/


https://www.flickr.com/photos/492395...h/29574631345/


Over Labor Day weekend, I backpacked the 30 mile West Rim Trail. The weather was perfect, if a little warm. The trail provided many great vistas of the Pine Creek Gorge, one of the largest canyons in the east, carved by glacial meltwater. The trail also winds in and out of side glens with small streams. The woodland hiking was very scenic. The trail stays near the rim of the gorge and side glens; even when there aren't views, you can often look down the steep terrain through the trees from the trail. Due to dry weather, many streams were low, but we were able to find enough water. We camped at Horse and Bohen Runs. We woke early one morning to see the sun rise over the canyon, as the mist hung below. We saw a bear and two cubs, and heard the eerie calls of coyotes one night. A great trip.

[RangerZ]

Great pictures. We were out there also, we were the six from the SW PA Backpackers that you saw enroute and at Rattlesnake Rock Trailhead. Our pictures are at: https://www.meetup.com/swpabackpackers/photos/27249433/ .

[perrito]

Nice pics.
Your Bohen Run camp - was it at the campsites at the edge of Pine Creek? Great spot.

[jmitchell]

Attached the wrong link to my report, here is the correct one:

https://endlessmountains.wordpress.c...est-rim-trail/

The Bohen Run campsite was along the WRT, not Pine Creek. There were two nice sites. The ones along Pine Creek are beautiful.

[ki0eh]

There is now a Purple Lizard map covering this area. http://www.purplelizard.com/products...a-grand-canyon

[Miles 2 Go]

Great trip report that I enjoyed reading. I've hiked the Black Forest Trail but have not hiked the West Rim Trail yet. Looks like I need to get out to hike it.

[Spirit Walker]

We hiked the WRT in October several years ago. It is even more gorgeous in the Fall.

[Malto]

I have been doing the West Rim and Pine Creek Creek loop a couple times a year. The last few times I have left Blackwell or Rattlesnake rock in the evening and walked through the gorge at night camping just beyond the northern trailhead on the WRT. I have done this twice with a full moon and the gorge is incredibly cool in the moonlight. On my last loop three weeks ago we saw a bear, fisher, raccoon, possum, dozens of deer. It is pretty cool to shine a headlamp in the woods and see shiny little eyes peering out. We were not alone. On a side note, the bar at the northern end of loop closed at 11:40 which was a bummer because we were prepared to have a beer before finishing up for the night.

[Toolshed]

Thanks for the memories. Have hiked and Backpacked the WRT many times in the 90's, always preferring to bring new hikers there on my beginner backpacking trips. My favorite time to camp each year around the 2nd week of June - My Mountain Laurel hike. My favorite spot was Bradley Wales SP. Water, views and the ledge are incredible. Your snapshots have insired me to get back out there and start enjoying the NCPA Trails again.

[ki0eh]

If WRT is too short for you, an appendage that could be considered is section 17 of Mid State Trail. That path takes a different approach to the rimrock, and also showcases water magic in a large tributary Stony Fork. If you get the Pine Creek Outfitters shuttle, they like it because that shortens their drive considerably. http://www.hike-mst.org/index.php/th...153-section-17 Download free map from that link, buy a topo-based map from PCO, or use the new Purple Lizard map.

[TS-WNY]

Did you run across an rattle snakes??

[jmitchell]

No, didn't see any snakes.