tkb
New Member
Posts: 3
|
Post by tkb on Mar 21, 2017 1:48:13 GMT -8
I am looking for a 70ish mile backpacking trip. I'd prefer a loop, but would do a point to point with a safe, reliable shuttle. I want serious solitude, plentiful water, and beautiful scenery.
We have done Big South Fork, Foothills, Linville Gorge, Shenandoah, Mt Rogers, Cranberry Wilderness, and Quehanna. We fell in love with the scenery around Big South Fork, and want to see more like that but the Red River Gorge is entirely to overpopulated for us.
We are open to any and all ideas.
Sheltowee Trace?
Pisgah National Forest?
Part of the Mountains to Sea Trail?
Dolly Sods.....I don't think we can get anywhere near our milage.
Somewhere in the Smokies, away from people?
Many thanks!
|
|
|
Post by jmitch on Mar 21, 2017 5:17:36 GMT -8
Maybe the Susquehannock Trail, a very isolated 85 mile loop with great isolation, uncrowded, deep woods, many beautiful streams and campsites. Hammersley Wild Area is gorgeous. www.stc-hike.org/www.facebook.com/stc.hikeAnother idea is the 90ish mile Donut Hole Trail, but that is linear.
|
|
|
Post by jmitch on Mar 21, 2017 14:49:49 GMT -8
Or the Loyalsock Trail, a 60 mile linear trail with shuttle service. A diverse trail, has good isolation, rarely crowded, plenty of water, and has several views, streams, waterfalls, pond, rapids, streams. www.lycoming.org/alpine/Chuck Keiper Trail is a rugged, isolated 50 mile loop. Black Forest Trail is a very scenic 42 mile loop, but can extend with connector trails to Susquehannock and Donut Hole Trails.
|
|
|
Post by Coolkat on Mar 22, 2017 6:37:01 GMT -8
jmitch, is there a way to bisect the Susquehannock loop with another trail to shorten it a bit?
|
|
|
Post by jmitch on Mar 22, 2017 10:16:11 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by Coolkat on Mar 22, 2017 10:45:58 GMT -8
Nice... thanks for the info. I'd rather do the whole thing but that might have to wait till next year.
There is one nice feature to PA hiking and that is you rarely have to carry much water. It seems that there is a stream or a spring always right around the corner.
|
|
|
Post by Campfires&Concierges on Mar 28, 2017 6:30:25 GMT -8
|
|
Hungry Jack
Trail Wise!
Living and dying in 3/4 time...
Posts: 3,809
|
Post by Hungry Jack on Mar 29, 2017 8:12:20 GMT -8
Isle Royale is a good suggestion, esp if you can work in the Feldtman Ridge trail, which does not see a lot of use, and the Minong Ridge, which is used even less. Pictured Rocks might be another option, though solitude on the Shoreline Trail during high season is a pipe dream. One could start on the Fox River Pathway in Seney and connect its ~25 miles to the Shoreline Trail, finishing up at Munising Falls. Doing this trip mid-week in September should limit crowds. The added bonus is Grand Island, which has much more solitude once you get away from day trippers to Trout Bay (worth a visit--very nice beach). This trip has tons of water with swift rivers (more like creeks), gushing falls, sandy beaches, coves, and cliffs towering over Lake Superior. It is spectacular. The High Country Pathway might be another option offering more solitude than national park lands: www.upnorthtrails.org/trails/high-country-pathway.htmlFurther South, the River to River trail offers more solitude than one would think, mostly because it sees very few backpackers. This requires a shuttle, but there are some local providers. The east side of the R2R is particularly scenic if you are willing to route find a bit. If you are interested, see my thread that lists the best Shawnee IL spots.
|
|
|
Post by Coolkat on Mar 29, 2017 9:00:34 GMT -8
One could start on the Fox River Pathway in Seney and connect its ~25 miles to the Shoreline Trail, finishing up at Munising Falls. . This is a very good suggestion as the Fox River Pathway gets hardly any use and it shows. If someone decides on the FRP dust off your map and compass skils. It is well blazed from Sceney up to the Fox River Campground and even a couple of miles after that. However, from there on the blazes are far and few between and trail will completely disappear under the ferns and even in the Kingston Plains. BTW I love hiking through the Kingston Plains with all those old stumps. Kind of like hiking through a ghost forest. Check out my pics and conversation here... bpbasecamp.freeforums.net/thread/561/fox-river-pathwayMaybe I should turn into a trip report instead of just pics.
|
|
Hungry Jack
Trail Wise!
Living and dying in 3/4 time...
Posts: 3,809
|
Post by Hungry Jack on Mar 29, 2017 13:50:17 GMT -8
I have always wanted to wander through those Kingston plains and those surreal stumps.
|
|
|
Post by jdcannon on Apr 6, 2017 8:17:46 GMT -8
I can vouch for the Isle Royal suggestion. I just did that last fall and was wonderful. This from our Campsite the first night at Isle Royal
|
|