Backpacking Laurel Highlands Trail: 39 miles, 3 nights FULL
Details
THIS EVENT IS FULL
you may join a waitlist but I wouldn't have high hopes of drop outs
The unique thing about this trail is that you may only camp at designated sites along the trail and you need to have reservations ahead of time
I have 3 sites each night reserved (5 per site) which means there is no way to have more than 15 on this trip so there is no way to add more. Sorry.
*Note: this whole hike takes place in state parks which means alcohol is not allowed*
THIS IS NOT EASY
beginners are not welcome, sorry
RAIN OR SHINE - it's backpacking, we get what we get
We are backpacking the Laurel Highlands Trail!
I'm really excited about this one...I've wanted to do this one for a while now
read about the trail here: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/what-to-do/hiking/laurel-highlands-hiking-trail
or here: https://www.kta-hike.org/laurel-highlands-hiking-trail.html
We are going to go 39+ miles over 3 nights
Everyone needs to be experienced backpackers for this so I'm not going to go into detail on what/how to pack
Cost: $44 per person approximately
covers the reservations and shuttle
due when you sign up
refunds for any reason until Aug 13, after that, someone needs to take your spot to get a refund
MEETING POINT - VERY IMPORTANT TO READ AND PLAN
Meet at 11am
We are going to drop our cars at the intersection of Linn Run Rd and Laurel Summit Road, should be near the Laurel Summit Pavilion
This is within Forbes State Forest - I called the State Forest and they said we can leave cars there as long as I tell them all the plate numbers ahead of time - so I will need that before we leave to drive out there
Once we all meet and find the best spot to actually park, we have a shuttle to take us to Ohio Pyle State Park where we'll start the hike.
approximately an hour drive to the hike start
The meeting spot is about 4 hours from Philly so plan accordingly
you could drive out Friday morning but I would recommend driving out Thur night and staying/camping somewhere closer
hiking details:
Day 1 - approximately 6.3 miles and 1800ft elevation
Day 2 - approx 12.2 miles and 2700ft elevation
Day 3 - approx 14 miles and 1800ft elevation
Day 4- approx 7 miles and 1400ft elevation
Not easy...but...I have heard the trails are much nicer to walk on than the AT, as in not as rocky, so shouldn't be too bad
Milage and other important details based on this map:
https://elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/PDFProvider.ashx?action=PDFStream&docID=1743399&chksum=&revision=2&docName=LARI_ParkMap&nativeExt=pdf&PromptToSave=False&Size=7959748&ViewerMode=2&overlay=0
For reference on this map, we have reservations at Ohio Pyle shelter, Rt 653 shelter, Rt 31 shelter and our cars will be near the Turnpike shelter
at each site, we have 1 shelter and 2 tent sites reserved
each site has a total of 5 shelters and 5 tent sites
shelters are designated by reservation but tent sites are first come first served (we have 2 saved, it's just a matter of which 2 are open when we get there)
Shelters - I purposely chose 1 shelter in each site as a way to help keep gear dry if needed in case of rain, I didn't choose more than that as I didn't want to take them all from other people
We'll have to decide on the trail which site everyone will be on each night, and maybe take turns as we go along
