Appalachian Trail, PA - Katellen Trail to Smith Gap

ABOUT THE PARK:
Appalachian Trail Pennsylvania - The Appalachian Trail Conservancy

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.83051, -75.35636

State Game Lands 168 parking at the Katellan Trailhead.

TRAIL MAP:

Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania Sections 1-6 - Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Snapshot of map from the Smith Gap kiosk.

HIKE DISTANCE:  9.75 miles total out and back

THE HIKE: 

Starting on the blue-blazed Katellen Trail from the parking lot.

It soon became a raging river right down the trail.  This would be due to aftereffects of Hurricane Ida that had hit just 4 days prior.

The trail eventually dried out.  On the return trip we encountered trail maintainers who had dug runoffs across the trail to divert all of that water.

There are some springs higher up that are always bone dry this time of year.

But they were raging with water flowing everywhere this year.

Back on the Katellen Trail.

Another side trail to a spring.

The stream crosses over the trail from the other side.

We passed the Leroy Smith shelter on the left but somebody was there so we'd hit it on the way back.

Crossing a power cut ...

... to the intersection with the white-blazed Appalachian Trail.

We would have turned left to Smith Gap but first needed to turn right and hike a quarter of a mile to the overlook to meet up with where I complete a section to the north back in October 2010.

Coming back out into the power cut ...

... with views to the left.

There were low clouds this early in the morning so we would have to come back on the return trip when things had cleared up.

Heading back south on the AT.

Now continuing on to Smith Gap.

The trail gets quite rocky at times but there are smoother parts off and on.

The hornets seemed to have left as I did not encounter any.

The parking lot at Smith Gap.  This meets up with a section to the south I had hiked in 2018.

Turning around and heading back from Smith Gap.

Brodie tends to hike faster on the return part of an out--and-back hike so I made him hike behind me.  That little yank at the end of the leash when he is going faster can be quite annoying for me on all those rocks.

This is where we would turn to retrace the Katellen Trail but first straight to that overlook again.

Those low clouds are all gone.

Heading back through the power cut.

The Katellen Trail crosses over the power cut just up ahead at the pylon; we turned left there.

Checking out the Leroy Smith shelter.

There are some side trails to the left off the Katellen Trail to the raging stream.

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