Quehanna Wild Area, Pennsylvania (May 4, 2019)
May 6, 2019 9:16:57 GMT -5
Post by GaliWalker on May 6, 2019 9:16:57 GMT -5
Quehanna Wild Area, Pennsylvania (May 4, 2019)
I left the house at 3:30am, heading to the Quehanna Wild Area, located in central Pennsylvania’s Moshannon State Forest. The Quehanna Wild Area is a smorgasbord of scenery: Remarkably expansive heath meadows atop plateaus that are deeply etched by cascading streams in forested ravines. An amazing variety of flora covers most of the region. The typical mid-Atlantic hardwood forests, which look their finest in spring or fall when the leaves are either emerging or departing and are hence at their most colorful, are given a run for their money by extensive stands of evergreens like hemlock, spruce and pines. Finally, two of my favorite types of trees have a significant presence in the area: white birch and tamarack, which is a type of deciduous conifer.
Table Falls
I began the day checking out Table Falls. This is a small 7ft tall waterfall on Paige Run, easily accessible by a short 0.1mi trail from Red Run Road.
Quehanna Trail
I began my hike from the Quehanna Trail East Cross Connector trailhead, on the Quehanna Highway. I headed north through heath meadows until I hit gravel Losey Road, where I took a right turn. A short stint on this and another right turn, now on the Quehanna Trail, had me dropping down into Porcupine Hollow. As I descended into the bowels of the ravine, the surround hardwood forest got prettier and prettier. The fresh leaves on the trees looked just lovely. Porcupine Hollow Run began as a trickle, but was flowing really well by the time I finished the descent.
At the bottom of the ravine I walked the gravel Red Run Road for a short while. Red Run was a gushing presence to my left, surrounded by lush greenery and mossy goodness.
I crossed Red Run on a sturdy bridge and then climbed out of the valley, hiking alongside Sanders Draft Run. This is one of the prettiest small streams you can hope to see. Cascades, punctuated by limpid green pools and hemmed in by rhododendron thickets tumbled their way down the steep ravine, while moss covered boulders completed the ambiance.
At the top of the climb I crossed Sanders Ski Trail and continued for a further 0.7mi to the prettiest grove of white birch I’ve ever seen. In fall, with the leaves turning yellow, these trees are magnificent. Unfortunately, this early in the spring they, as well as most of the surrounding hardwood forest, were still bare of leaves. I still thoroughly enjoyed myself wandering through the grove.
It was time to head back. I retraced my steps back to the Sanders Ski Trail junction, where I turned left. I followed this trail for a while, eventually trading it for the Red Run Trail. Around this point is where I encountered the first of the tamaracks. These deciduous conifers were sporting vibrant green, fresh new needles. The further south I walked the larger the tamaracks got. It was difficult to estimate their height, but the most impressive ones looked to be around 100ft tall.
I finished up the hike with an uninspiring, albeit quick, 2.5mi jaunt up the Quehanna Highway back to my car.
Hiking/photography stats: 13.5mi, 7hrs 45min
I left the house at 3:30am, heading to the Quehanna Wild Area, located in central Pennsylvania’s Moshannon State Forest. The Quehanna Wild Area is a smorgasbord of scenery: Remarkably expansive heath meadows atop plateaus that are deeply etched by cascading streams in forested ravines. An amazing variety of flora covers most of the region. The typical mid-Atlantic hardwood forests, which look their finest in spring or fall when the leaves are either emerging or departing and are hence at their most colorful, are given a run for their money by extensive stands of evergreens like hemlock, spruce and pines. Finally, two of my favorite types of trees have a significant presence in the area: white birch and tamarack, which is a type of deciduous conifer.
Table Falls
I began the day checking out Table Falls. This is a small 7ft tall waterfall on Paige Run, easily accessible by a short 0.1mi trail from Red Run Road.
Quehanna Trail
I began my hike from the Quehanna Trail East Cross Connector trailhead, on the Quehanna Highway. I headed north through heath meadows until I hit gravel Losey Road, where I took a right turn. A short stint on this and another right turn, now on the Quehanna Trail, had me dropping down into Porcupine Hollow. As I descended into the bowels of the ravine, the surround hardwood forest got prettier and prettier. The fresh leaves on the trees looked just lovely. Porcupine Hollow Run began as a trickle, but was flowing really well by the time I finished the descent.
At the bottom of the ravine I walked the gravel Red Run Road for a short while. Red Run was a gushing presence to my left, surrounded by lush greenery and mossy goodness.
I crossed Red Run on a sturdy bridge and then climbed out of the valley, hiking alongside Sanders Draft Run. This is one of the prettiest small streams you can hope to see. Cascades, punctuated by limpid green pools and hemmed in by rhododendron thickets tumbled their way down the steep ravine, while moss covered boulders completed the ambiance.
At the top of the climb I crossed Sanders Ski Trail and continued for a further 0.7mi to the prettiest grove of white birch I’ve ever seen. In fall, with the leaves turning yellow, these trees are magnificent. Unfortunately, this early in the spring they, as well as most of the surrounding hardwood forest, were still bare of leaves. I still thoroughly enjoyed myself wandering through the grove.
It was time to head back. I retraced my steps back to the Sanders Ski Trail junction, where I turned left. I followed this trail for a while, eventually trading it for the Red Run Trail. Around this point is where I encountered the first of the tamaracks. These deciduous conifers were sporting vibrant green, fresh new needles. The further south I walked the larger the tamaracks got. It was difficult to estimate their height, but the most impressive ones looked to be around 100ft tall.
I finished up the hike with an uninspiring, albeit quick, 2.5mi jaunt up the Quehanna Highway back to my car.
Hiking/photography stats: 13.5mi, 7hrs 45min
