Indian Pipe Trail - Near Allegheny N.F.

Yesterday, I took advantage of some amazing weather and conditions for this time of year. The sun was shining for most of the day, temps ranged from around 15-30F, and there was minimal wind. I spent half of my day in Allegany State Park (New York) and the other half across the state line in Allegheny National Forest (Pennsylvania). Both parts of my trip were outstanding when I wasn't dealing with thorns off-trail and unexpectedly dropping a few inches into the crunchy snow.

Located next to Allegheny National Park's northeast boundary and Allegany State Park's southern boundary, Indian Pipe Trail is a wide snowmobile trail that hikers can also use. The trailhead coordinates are 41.998065, -78.718081 and is listed on Google Maps and CalTopo. The trail takes you up and over the gentle summit of Blacksnake Mountain (2,340+ feet) before entering a wide open area with decent views of the nearby hills. Multiple snowmobile trails break off from here and you can descend all down to the valley floor if you'd like.

The actual trail wasn't very challenging, so I ventured off-trail for some added adventure. Large boulders were scattered all over the place, which is typical for this area (see jmitch's Minister Creek report for an example). The most interesting rocks were found in an open area on top of one of the hills. This particular area was a blast to explore!

Here are some of my favorite photos from yesterday's outing. More pics, including ones from New York that I won't include here, can be found on my hiking photoblog.