Clear Creek State Forest Kennerdell Tract - Pennsylvania DCNR
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.26883, -79.87202
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| Parking in State Game Lands 39 |
TRAIL MAP:
Clear Creek State Forest Kennerdell Tract - Pennsylvania DCNR
HIKE DISTANCE: 11.2 miles
THE HIKE:
Day 1 of 2 of the semi-annual drive and hike trip from New Jersey to St. Louis, Missouri.
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| Facing the parking lot entrance, we started on the gated woods road to the right and would be returning from the gravel gated road on the left. |
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| The first part of the hike is through State Game Lands 39. |
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| You know you are in the state forest once signs and blazes are visible. |
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| There are only two colors of blazes - yellow is hiking only, red is hiking, biking and horseback riding. Trail names are on intersection signs. |
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| First we headed to the overlook. |
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| Views of the Allegheny River from Dennison Point Overlook. |
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| We would be crossing three swinging bridges. |
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| Following along Dennison Run. |
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| At two regular footbridges and just before the forth swinging bridge, right on the Goat Trail. |
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| The trail ascends steeply... |
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| ... to the Ridge Trail which is relatively flat along the ridge. |
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| The dark-eyed juncos are arriving from Canada for the winter. |
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| Crossing a pipeline. |
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| Descending on the Ridge Trail all the way down to ... |
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| ... right on the River Trail. |
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| On the left directly across from this spring on the right ... |
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| ... the primitive camping area where we used a picnic table for a break along the river. |
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| Continuing on the River Trail. |
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| Beyond the gate ... |
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| ... is a parking lot then a grate bridge. |
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| Coming up on the Kennerdell Bridge ... |
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| ... is another parking lot. We turned left on the bridge a short distance ... |
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| ... for some better views of the Allegheny River. |
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| Now it's a short road walk on Kennerdell Road to ... |
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| ... the Kennerdell Trail on the right. |
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| This climbs steeply all the way up. |
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| The sign looked to be old and was too faded to read so I did not know what the relocation was but the trail continued to be easy to follow so the sign probably no longer mattered. |
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| Now up on the ridge passing large boulders. |
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| Just after the boulders we encountered two other hikers heading our way who warned us of a hornet next up ahead. One hiker had been stunk on the cheek when he walked into a hornet flying near the nest. |
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| I saw it as we approached the intersection with the South Trail and waited until nothing was flying around before carefully passing unscathed. Those were the only hikers we had encountered after the overlook and it was a good thing otherwise I would probably not have seen the hive. |
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| Turning left on the South Trail. |
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| Coming out on the state game lands road and turning right. |
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| This leads to the gate ... |
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| ... and the parking lot. |
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| Hunkered down in the motel in Toledo, Ohio and resting up for day two of the trip. |
Brodie is so cute. Have a safe and fun journey.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine. I do this trip twice a year to check on my mother so breaking it up with hikes definitely makes it more fun.
DeleteThat's nice. Your mother must be looking forward to your visit. Take care. Christine
DeleteExcellent hike...loved the ones of the Allegheny River the best! That looked like a pretty nasty hornet nest too...glad you and Brodie made it past without getting stung. I read that sometimes hornets will "warn" people by flying into them and "headbutting" them as their warning that one is getting too close to the nest; perhaps the guy that got stung was just unlucky. I'm guessing that before too long, it will start getting colder, and the hornets will desert the nest. Up in Howell Twp., where my wife and I take our dog, Penny, to agility, there is a pretty huge hornet nest in a pine tree near the barn, but people walk their dogs along the path right under the nest and seem to not have any problems...I guess it's the old saying of "If you leave them [the bees/hornets] alone, they'll leave YOU alone." But it's amazing how they seem to build their nests right along a path, or near residences, but _never_ in the *middle* of a forest.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you actually got some *great* shots of going up hills; usually, pics don't do the steepness justice, but I'll be darned if some of your "hill" pix didn't make me feel how steep some of those hills were!
Great job, as were your pix from Day 2 (at Indian Dunes State Park, which I actually commented on first!)
Happy hiking...cannot wait for "Day 3"!!
-- Jim
The man who was stung told me he was taking a picture and wasn't paying attention and walked right into the hornet. That would have been me had he not warned me! I had a nest in the tree right over my deck one year and never knew it until the leaves fell in the fall. I guess they don't bother you if you don't bother them even if unintentional.
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