Hammersley Wild Area

Hammersley Wild Area
Map showing the location of Hammersley Wild Area
Map showing the location of Hammersley Wild Area
Location of Hammersley Wild Area in Pennsylvania
LocationPotter and Clinton, Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates41°30′47″N 77°52′48″W / 41.51306°N 77.88000°W / 41.51306; -77.88000
Area30,253 acres (122.43 km2)[1]
Established2004[1]
Named forHammersley Fork, a tributary of Kettle Creek
Governing bodyPennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Hammersley Wild Area is a 30,253-acre (12,243 ha) wild area in the Susquehannock State Forest in Potter and Clinton counties in north-central Pennsylvania in the United States.[1] It is the largest area without a road in Pennsylvania and the state's second largest wild area (the first being Quehanna Wild Area).[2][3] The wild area is named for Hammersley Fork, a tributary of Kettle Creek, which flows through the area. The wild area includes 10.78 miles (17.35 km) of the Susquehannock Trail System, an 83.4-mile (134.2 km) loop hiking trail almost entirely on state forest land.[2][4]

The Hammersley Wild Area was last clearcut around 1900 and is a mature second growth forest today. The 1,521 acres (616 ha) Forrest H. Duttlinger Natural Area is adjacent to the southwest corner of the wild area in Clinton County, and it contains 160 acres (65 ha) of old-growth forest, mostly Eastern Hemlock.[5][6] The Hammersley Wild Area has been called "one of the state forest system’s jewels" and "a true state treasure" by the Pennsylvania Audubon Society.[3]

  1. ^ a b c "The Resource: Hammersley Wild Area becomes official". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. January 2004. Archived from the original on March 9, 2004. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  2. ^ a b Mitchell, Jeff (2005). Backpacking Pennsylvania: 37 Great Trails. Stackpole Books. pp. 149–151. ISBN 9780811731805. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  3. ^ a b "Road-Less Wild Area in Pennsylvania" (PDF). Pennsylvania Audubon Society. May 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  4. ^ "Susquehannock Trail". Keystone Trails Association. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  5. ^ Fergus, Charles (2002). Natural Pennsylvania: Exploring State Forest Natural Areas. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. pp. 189–193. ISBN 0-8117-2038-1.
  6. ^ "Forrest H. Duttlinger Natural Area". Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on March 2, 2004. Retrieved 2009-05-01.