Pinchot Trail Full Circuit Backpacking
Backpack the 23 mile Pinchot Trail (the “PT”) in Lackawanna State Forest on this multi-night backpacking trip. Feel the freedom of being self sufficient for 3 days as we hike to and setup a new campsite each night.
Located in Lackawanna State forest on the Pocono plateau in north-eastern Pennsylvania, the PT is named after Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the United States Forest Service as well as a two term Governor of Pennsylvania. Pinchot coined the term “conservation ethic” as applied to natural resources.
The PT is a loop trail and features diverse forest types, scenic streams, wetlands, blueberry bogs, and an excellent vista from Big Pine Hill (optional). The trail is very rocky in sections and passes through thick understory of mountain laurel and rhododendron (heavenly in June & July when in full bloom) and hardwoods of red spruce, hemlock and white and silver birch.
The terrain is generally level with gentle ascents and descents. Depending on the weather patterns, the trail can be wet, boggy and muddy in sections that skirt wetlands and swamps.
The hiking distance is different for each day. We start with a nice 5.4 hike on day 1 as our bodies adjust to hiking with a backpack on rocky terrain. We finish the day with a descent into a hollow and setup camp near the hemlock encased Painters Creek. Day 2 you get to test your endurance with a hike of around 8.7 miles, starting with a gradual ascent out of the hollow, with an optional spur trail (adds approx. 2 miles) that leads to a 360 degree view lookout platform. Day 2 ends with a descent to beautiful Choke Creek, where we will setup camp. We finish strong on Day 3 with a 9 mile hike out through varying terrain, including Spruce Swamp Natural Area and Balsam Swamp.