Mile 23.19 to 25.13, circled via Big Trail and Trout Run roads, hiked November 2, 1997
Mile 25.13 to 27.84, circled via other roads/trails, hiked November 9, 1997
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To reach the Trout Run Road parking area by car, take PA Route 44 north approximately 30 miles from US Route 220 in the vicinity of Jersey Shore. You will pass junctions with PA Routes 973, 414 and 664, and a side road to Hyner Run State Park. Beyond that, occasional unpaved roads intersect Route 44. Trout Run Road is an unpaved sideroad to the right -- and it is also a point where the BFT crosses Route 44, at mile 23.19. Immediately after turning right onto the road, there is a cleared area to the left, essentially a gravel road paralleling Route 44, which provides parking. At one time, it could be used as a turnaround for Route 44 but lately a large pile of dirt defeats this purpose. This point is mile 23.19 of the BFT. Continuing on Trout Run Road heads toward mile 24, crossing Route 44 and following the orange blazes heads toward mile 23. To reach mile 25.13 of the BFT, hike or drive along Trout Run Road about 1/2 mile, then turn left onto the Big Trail forestry road. A little over a mile along this road, the BFT will meet it in the oncoming direction and turn left downhill at mile 25.13. Continuing straight on the road heads toward mile 25. Turning left downhill heads toward mile 26. To reach mile 27.84 of the BFT, follow Big Trail Road about 1/4 mile beyond Trout Run Road. There is a pulloff area on the left to park, and a sign indicating a trail name -- which we don't remember -- and showing the distance to Hemlock Mountain as 2.0 miles. Follow this trail 0.8 miles, and the BFT will intersect from the right at mile 27.84. Continuing straight heads toward mile 28. Turning right heads toward mile 27. On our fourth BFT hike of Fall, 1997, we covered the segment just west of the BFT/Route 44 intersection on October 5. Parking at mile 23.19 along Route 44, we crossed the highway, descended into and out of Yellow Jacket Hollow, passed the mile 21.55 intersection with the South Link Trail -- a connection to the Susquehannock Trail -- and the Baldwin-Gas Line Trail. When we reached the George B. Will Trail at mile 20.71, we turned right on it and followed it 0.78 miles back to Route 44. There, we hiked a little over a mile along the road back to the point where our car was parked. Our next BFT hike, on November 2, 1997, took us to the east from the same starting point. The trail followed Trout Run Road from mile 23.19 to mile 23.50, then turned off the road and made its way to the headwaters of Trout Run near mile 24.03. It followed along this stream to mile 24.32, where it crossed the intersection of Trout Run and Boyer Mills Roads, the low point of the hike near elevation 1720 ft. The remainder of the hike was slightly to moderately uphill, reaching Big Trail Road at mile 25.04. There, the trail turned left and followed the road for 0.09 mile. At that point, mile 25.13, the BFT turns right off the road. We continued straight on the road approximately one mile to Trout Run Road, where we turned right and completed the final half mile to the car. On November 9, for our final hike of 1997, and the most strenuous of this set of three, we drove Trout Run and Big Trail roads for a total of about 3/4 mile east from Route 44, to a small parking turnoff north of the road. A sign there indicated 2.0 miles to Hemlock Mountain. We began by continuing to hike down the road to the BFT turnoff at mile 25.13. There, we turned left on the BFT route shared with the Middle Callahan Trail. Descent was moderate and continuous, and in a short distance we began to parallel the Middle Fork of Callahan Run. Weather had been rainy that day, and a light sprinkle was continuing, so the stream was probably flowing more than usual and it featured a series of waterfalls and rapids as it dropped. The trail rose away from the stream bottom at mile 25.85, but dropped back down to it at mile 26.45. By this time, we had dropped 1000 ft and were at the bottom of a steep canyon. Suddenly, two side canyons merged with us, first from our left, then from our right. We crossed the stream, and doubled back to the first canyon where we continued upstream along the Right Fork of Callahan Run. This ascent did not seem as steep as the descent, but the trail followed the stream about 1 1/4 miles to mile 27.84. There, it intersected the trail leading from our parking area and turned right on that trail, leading to Hemlock Mountain. We continued to Hemlock Mountain before doubling back to our car. However, we later realized that segment was unnecessary because we had to repeat it on a later loop the next year. Fortunately, the rain had finally stopped, and the view from Hemlock Mountain was spectacular. By the time we returned to the car, our total hiking distance for the day was about seven miles, and we had completed our first 1000 ft descent/ascent on the BFT. Other Possible Hikes in this Area: You could also hike one-way from the Trout Run Road vicinity to the Manor Road vicinity. We did that hike in the opposite direction as described on the "Segments accessed from Manor Road" page. |
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