| Black Forest Trail | |
|---|---|
 Canyon vista on the Black Forest Trail | |
| Length | 43.0 mi (69.2 km) |
| Location | Lycoming County, Potter County, and Clinton County, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Trailheads | Slate Run, Pennsylvania |
| Use | Hiking |
| Elevation change | Very high |
| Difficulty | Strenuous |
| Season | Year-round |
| Hazards | Uneven and wet terrain, rattlesnakes, mosquitoes, ticks, black bears |
The Black Forest Trail is a 43.0-mile (69.2 km)[nb 1] hiking trail in north-central Pennsylvania, forming a loop through portions of Tiadaghton State Forest and routed through Pine Creek Gorge and areas of the Allegheny Plateau above the gorge. Most of the trail is in Lycoming County, with about five miles in Potter County and a very brief segment in Clinton County.[1] The trail was named after the region's original forest landscape, which reminded immigrant loggers of the Schwarzwald ("black forest") region of Germany.[2]
The Black Forest Trail has been cited as one of the most scenic and challenging backpacking routes in Pennsylvania, with dozens of expansive vistas,[3] several rugged descents into and out of Pine Creek Gorge,[4] and remote plateau areas with evidence of railroad and logging operations from the late nineteenth century.[5]
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- ^ "Black Forest Trail". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ Thwaites, Tom (2001). 50 Hikes in Central Pennsylvania (Fourth ed.). Woodstock, Vermont: Backcountry Publications. p. 155. ISBN 088150372X.
- ^ Mitchell, Jeff (2005). Backpacking Pennsylvania: 37 Great Hikes. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. p. 139. ISBN 0811731804.
- ^ Cramer, Ben, ed. (2008). Pennsylvania Hiking Trails (13th ed.). Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. p. 172. ISBN 9780811734776.
- ^ Thwaites, p. 178-179