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  1. #1
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    Trip planning assistance for Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania

    Hi everyone,

    I'm looking for some input on a trip I'm planning with a buddy in late March at Allegheny National Forest. I'm fairly confident he can handle +10 miles per day, but I still want to use Day 1 of the trip to confirm that and leave Day 2 as a day I can adjust in our plan if needed. Currently I'm considering the following plan.

    Day 1: Arrive on Friday around Noon and set out on the Minister Creek to the camp sites at the north end. That would give us the option to make camp or we could head East or West on the NCT for a couple extra miles and come back to camp later. I want to keep Day 1 fairly chill just to get a feel for what type of shape he is in.

    Day 2: Finish Minister Creek and then drive up to the Morrison/RimRock loops and start those. Being we have two loops it gives me the ability to call the day short if needed.

    Day 3: Finish up whatever section or the loops we were on and then drive down to Hector Falls if there is time and do a short in and out there.

    For those that have been to ANF, are my trail selections decent ones for the area, or do you have other trails that you prefer and/or would recommend? It sounds like I could save the jumping from trail system to trail system and just do something like Tracy Ridge and vary the milage based on the loops there too.

    Both of us mountain bike too so one goal I do have for this trip is to see what the terrain is like and if we are interested coming back in the future to ride there.

    Any input you can provide on trail selection or parking or any other local knowledge is appreciated.

    Breck

  2. #2
    Senior Member arcana73's Avatar
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    The whole minister creek loop "system" is 10 miles, but the northern loop is 6 miles, with the "forks" campsites about midway. When you do Minister Creek, hike the loop counter clockwise. The elevation change is easier, would get you to camp sooner for set up and give you more time to explore the NCT more. Hiking counter clockwise also gives all the best views on the second day and is something to look forward too.
    The Rim Rock loop is the better half of Morrison so if your friend isn't much of a hiker, or conditions are not the best, do that section. There's tons of campsites scattered along the trail and also the pay site campground next to the reservoir.
    Tracy Ridge is a great area as well. There's some great views and campsites along the reservoir.
    The trails are not meant to be mountain biked, and there are signs saying as much. However I've seen people riding their bikes on the trail, so I guess the signs didn't apply to them and are only meant for other people to follow.

  3. #3
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    Arcana73, thank you for the input. I had originally planned to go clockwise on Minister and will be changing that. As for trail signage, I can assure you that it actually mean something to me. I'm a backpacker, mountain biker, and trail runner and I appreciate separating foot traffic from wheeled traffic.

    Would you pick Rimrock/Morrison over Tracy Ridge or is it a toss up?

  4. #4
    Senior Member Conquering Fool's Avatar
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    Minister Creek is in my opinion the best trail in the ANF, followed by Morrison.

    Jakes Rocks allows mountain bikes.

    Also make sure to go by bent run falls - it's right off the road.
    Last edited by Conquering Fool; 03-05-2021 at 13:31.

  5. #5
    Senior Member arcana73's Avatar
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    After reviewing the website I was mistaken. Morrison now allows mountain bikes. That would explain the new additions to the trail system the last few years.
    https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/all...tion/bicycling

    I have an affinity for Tracy Ridge as it was my first trail in the forest. It's also closer from where I'm coming from. I like Morrison, but during the busy summer months I try to camp away from the campground, the boaters party too much for my tastes.

  6. #6
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    So my trip fell through due to my buddy cancelling after his kid's hockey team made the championships (#dadlife stuff). My wife isn't keen on me soloing this trip over 5 hours from the house in a place known for poor cell coverage. I'm curious if anyone here would be interested in doing a group trip or meeting up to do some combination of Minister Creek, Morrison, or Tracy Ridge sometime in the next several weeks. Maybe sometime between next weekend and mid-April? I'm flexible on which weekend but I would need it to be a Friday-Sunday trip.

    I'm just throwing it out there. If you are interested and want to talk more feel free to post up or IM me.

  7. #7
    Senior Member arcana73's Avatar
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    If you do Morrison Loop, there is cell coverage if you stay near the campground. I've hung my hammock in the vicinity and was able to use my phone. I might be free the weekend of 4/16-18th.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by arcana73 View Post
    If you do Morrison Loop, there is cell coverage if you stay near the campground. I've hung my hammock in the vicinity and was able to use my phone. I might be free the weekend of 4/16-18th.

    I'm considering investing in a Garmin inReach to provide some added comfort to my wife, and admittedly myself. I know even mountain biking in NC we hit a few spots wit limited cell coverage and had someone had a bad wreck it would be nice to have on as a backup. I'm open the 16th-18th. There is one more member of the forums that reached out to me via IM. Let me see if those dates work for them too. .

  9. #9
    Senior Member arcana73's Avatar
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    I have an in reach mini, and it's the best investment I've made for the trail . Two years ago I was section hiking the North County trail and my father in law had a massive heart attack. The family was able to contact me while on trail. The section I was on was near minister creek, so once I got to the loop I headed toward the car camping sites and was able to get someone to drive me to my car so I coukd get home. Sadly he passed that night, but I was able to be with the family. Save your pennies and get one.

  10. #10
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    Thank you for the feedback on the inReach. I just lost my father-in-law two weeks ago and knowing how that went down I can't imagine what it would have been like if I were out on the trail and didn't know about it.

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