Clear Creek State Forest, PA - Beartown Rocks Loop

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Clear Creek State Forest - Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 41.32169, -79.07787

Parking on the opposite side of Route 949 from Clear Creek State Forest at Picnic Shelter 5 in Clear Creek State Park.  On a busy Sunday during the height of fall foliage only one other hiker parked here.

TRAIL MAP: 

Clear Creek and Callen Run Tracts Brochure - Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

HIKE DISTANCE:  10.4 miles

THE HIKE: 

This was hike 2 of 2 on the return drive from Missouri to New Jersey and was by far my favorite of the entire trip.  It was also my favorite of the three I have hiked in this area to date, the other two being Cook Forest State Park and Clear Creek State Park.

Walking out of the Shelter 5 parking lot across Route 949 to enter Clear Creek State Forest ...

... on the Beartown Rocks Trail.  All trails are blazed red and/or orange.

The trail follows along Clear Creek.

Turning right on the Trap Run Loop.

Trap Run

It's unfortunate that you sometimes have to turn a blind eye (and blind nose) to natural gas drilling along the way.

Back on Beartown Rocks Trail to...

... the parking lot at Beartown Rocks which gets busy.  It's the only place I encountered other people the entire hike.

Beartown Rocks

People were coming down from the overlook just as we were going up so we had it to ourselves for a few minutes.

Beartown Rocks Overlook

Heading back down to explore some more of Beartown Rocks.

Leaving Beartown Rocks on the Rocky Trail which isn't very rocky.

And someone would enter why?

Hiking the 1-mile loop trail through what was once a pioneer homestead in the late 1800s.

After the gate, a parking lot, then the loop continues to the left.

Coming out at Laurel Fields ...

... where the loop turns left at private property straight ahead.

Stone fence rows that remain from the homestead.

Taking the Laurel Trail to continue our loop in the eastern part of the forest.

It's a steep descent along Clear Creek.

The trails on this side of the forest appear not to get as much use as the trails on the western side from the beginning of the hike.

At the Clear Creek Trail we turned right and would stay with this trail for the rest of the hike.

There is deer fencing all along this section.

Crossing Little Clear Creek Road at a small parking lot.

Crossing three bridges just before the end of the hike.

At Route 949 a left for a short road walk ...

... around the bend up ahead over Clear Creek then right to the parking lot.

Brown County State Park, IN - Ogle Lake

ABOUT THE PARK: 

Brown County State Park - Indiana Department of Natural Resources

DIRECTIONS: 

GPS Coordinates 39.160684, -86.248640

Ogle Lake Parking - VERY crowded on a weekend.

TRAIL MAP: 

Brown County State Park Map - Indiana Department of Natural Resources

HIKE DISTANCE:  9.1 miles

THE HIKE: 

This was hike 1 of 2 driving from Missouri back to New Jersey.  Although it was against my better judgement to hike here on a weekend day, it was necessary in order to fit with my plan.  It was even more insanely crowded than I expected.  Half of Indianapolis must have been there on this day.  Just not my cup o tea.

Heading from the parking lot (where I nabbed one of the last two parking spots) to the Ogle Lake dam.

Most people do the loop around the lake. 

Ogle Lake

Bypassing the lake loop to ascend on Trail 11.

Ogle Lake from Trail 11.

This rock hop had a couple of puddles of water.  All of the other creeks encountered were bone dry.

Leaving Trail 11 to the Trail 9 loop where we encountered fewer people than we had so far.

The Merlin Bird ID sound app had picked up a red-headed woodpecker.  There were actually two talking back and forth.  Both were juveniles that did not yet have red heads.  I encountered a red-headed adult later in the hike but he eluded the camera.

The brochure says you have to return on Trail 11 but I wanted to try for a loop so we turned right towards the campground instead of left back to Trail 11.

It's a nice campground with tons of campers and RVs.  This was actually the most peaceful part of the hike.

We made a right on the park road and road walked to...

... a vista.  The vistas in this park are all along the park road accessible by vehicle.

Heading back over to the campground ...

... where we turned right and walked along the campground road that runs parallel to the park road and has a little less traffic.  The park road was almost a constant stream of traffic.

Entering Ogle Hollow Preserve.

Trail 4 exits Ogle Hollow Preserve heading back to Ogle Lake.

Joining the conga line around the lake.

Back at the parking lot where people were circling and circling for a spot.  Once I managed to get out of the park, I sat in bumper to bumper traffic that was backed up from people going in one of the other park entrances.  Hoping for a better hike on day two of the trip.