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 Reporter |
Summary: NOTE: A sign at the trailhead says that the Pinchot Trail is blazed blue, when in fact most of the blue blazes have been painted over in ORANGE. The included map shows the route I took on the second day of a 2 day backpacking trip. This could easily be turned into a looped dayhike by starting off taking the Powder Magazine Trail north from the parking area, to the Frank Gantz Trail, then west to the described route, for a total of 12.8 mi. In fact, the network of foot and snowmobile trails in the Lackawanna State Forest allows for many hiking options. Atop a hill on the aptly named Stone Lookout Trail, sits the remains of an old stone "lookout" tower. According to the District Forester, this tower was in existence as long ago as the early 1900's, and although it's original purpose is uncertain, it probably served as a tourist attraction, and eventually a fire tower. This tower was already in ruins when a fire cleared the trees from the of top the hill in 1976. Trailhead: From Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania, take PA 115 north towards Wilkes-Barre. Pass the junction with PA 940 in Blakeslee (at a traffic light), and continue another 4.6 miles to SR 2040. Make a right onto SR 2040, which becomes SR 2013 at the county line. Take SR 2040 5.1 miles, and turn left onto Bear Lake road (SR 2016). Continue another 4.3 miles to a sign advertising the main trailhead for the Pinchot trail system. Turn right into the parking area. You will have passed the Lackawanna State Forest Headquarters on Bear Lake Road. (Lat:41.21874 Lon:-75.6315) Trail Guides for Pinchot Trail - South: 50 Hikes in Eastern Pennsylvania by Tom Thwaites (The Countryman Press) Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Summer, User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Ranger Contact: Bureau of Forestry, Forest District #11, (570) 963-4561, fd11@state.pa.us Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Jeremy Taitelbaum, who has posted 9 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Submit your own review 
Reviewed by Maciej on 9/14/2006 We did this trail(north/south) as a 3 day trip September 7-9, 2006. The south loop is very rocky and has lots of roots, especially Choke creek trail. We camped along choke creek, there are 3 campsites. Going ccw, the 1st is medium sized and is in an open spot with lots of sunlight, the 2nd is smaller and has a huge hemlock in the middle, the 3rd is the largest and is a great campsite. The water along choke creek is not very good, it clogged my MSR filter after a few uses. I recommend getting water at Butler Run. Overall, great variety of terrain, swamps, hills, pine stand, hemlock groves, everything you can imagine. A great local hike. The only complaint is that you hear lots of planes overhead on the south loop(scranton airport?) Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: Pennsylvania Hiking, Pennsylvania Trails, Pennsylvania Hikes, Wayne County Hiking, Wayne County Trails, Wayne County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||