Trail Narrative and Trailheads

NCT TRAILHEADS in the ALLEGHENY NATIONAL FOREST

Rt 66 Trailhead Southern point of the ANF chapter. 6 miles south of Marienville. UTM 17 T 649540 4586823 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!
MUZETTE ROAD Drive 2 miles south of Marienville, PA on Rt. 66. Cross the railroad tracks and turn right on Muzette Road. Go approximately 1.5 miles and you will pass FS 145, Salmon Creek Road. Continue .7 miles ahead to the NCT. Trail crosses road and heads south toward the Baker Trail and north for 92 miles to the New York Border. You can park 100 yards west in a small parking lot on the left side of the road. UTM 17 T 650090 4591420 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

AMSLER SPRINGS SHELTER - SALMON CREEK RD Drive 2 mileS south of Marienville, PA on Rt. 66. Cross the railroad tracks and turn right on Muzette Road. Go approximately 1.5 miles to Forest Service Road #145. Turn right and drive down the unpaved road for 1.1 mile. Trail crosses road near parking lot. Parking off road is available. Spring located across the way. Shelter is visible from the parking lot. Plenty of tent camping sites near the shelter. UTM 17 T 650330 4592398 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

Branch Rd Trailhead, 1.2 miles south of Kelletville on Branch Rd. Parking for 4 cars. UTM 17 T 647061 4600509 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

KELLETVILLE, PA Drive east on PA Rt. 666 from East Hickory, PA. As you descend a long hill past the Flying W Ranch, the trail enters the road about a half-mile up the hill. You can drive to the bottom of the hill, cross over the bridge, and park in the Kelletville Campground parking lot near the bridge. UTM 17 T 645406 4600743 The trail crosses the bridge right here. South it follows FS 127 for about a mile. North, you will walk back up Rt. 666 to your left for 200 yards. Go up Peirson Rd. for 1/2 mile and watch for NCT signs on your left. REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

Fr 449 Trailhead As you leave East Hickory on Rt 666, go about 5 miles and watch for Fr 449 on your left. Go back Fr 449 about 3 miles. Watch for signs. UTM 17 T 644700 4607092 Parking for 4 cars. REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

DUNHAM SIDING Drive east on PA Rt. 666 from East Hickory, PA, or west from Sheffield, PA. Near the village of Mayburg, turn north on FS 116. The NCT crosses the road about 4 miles up the long hill. You can park off the road just south of the trail. UTM 17 T 647666 4614832 Parking for 6 cars REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

Triple Forks Campgrounds Nice primative camp area. Plenty of water and open spaces. UTM 17 T 652265 4612313 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

MINISTER ROAD Drive east on PA Rt. 666 from East Hickory, PA, or west from Sheffield, PA. Near Minister Creek drive north on Minister Road, a long, straight gravel road heading north right near the parking lot. The trail crosses the road about 2. 5 miles up the hill. You can park off the road just south of the trail. An alternative way to get to the trail would be to park at Minister Creek Campground and walk up the Minister Creek Hiking Trail until you intersect the NCT at Triple Forks. Great campsite here but it is really busy on weekends and holidays. Limited parking UTM 17 T 653959 4613110 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

Hunter's Station shelter About 1/2 way between Henry's Mills trailhead and Minister Rd. trailhead. Adirondack-style shelter with plenty of space for tents. Creek flows nearby. UTM 17 T 658020 4612625 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

HENRY'S MILLS BRIDGE There are 3 ways to get to Henry's Mills Bridge. From the West at East Hickory, PA, drive east on Rt. 666 for a long way. You will pass through Kelletville, Mayburg and Lynch. Three miles past the Lynch Bridge, you will come to another bridge with a parking lot right next to it. This is Henry's Mills Bridge. The trail crosses the bridge. It goes south up the grade on the west side of the road. From Sheffield, travel south on PA Rt. 948 to the intersection of Rt. 666 and Rt. 948. Turn right and drive west on Rt. 666 until you cross Henry's Mills Bridge. Drive over the bridge and park in the small lot right past the bridge on the left. From Marienville, drive north on Rt. 66 (don't get confused - these routes do exist J) for 5.5 miles. Turn left off Rt. 66 onto Rt. 666. Drive 6 miles until you cross the Tionesta Creek. There is a three-way stop north of the bridge. Make a full stop. State police watch this corner. For real!!! Turn right and drive 3 miles to Henry's Mills Bridge. Park on the right. Hike north or south. This is a great place to swim in the summer time. UTM 17 T 663017 4611218 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

CHERRY RUN - RT. 948 From Sheffield, drive south on Rt. 948 past Barnes and the intersection of Rts. 666 and 948. Continue south until you cross the east branch of the Tionesta Creek. The first forest road to the left is FS 446. Be careful! This is a busy highway and there is nowhere to park on Rt. 948. Turn east on FS 446 and park near the bridge (about a quarter mile down the road). You can camp anywhere along Cherry Run and the East Branch of the Tionesta Creek. Trail crosses the bridge and turns right going north. If you are going south, the trail turns to the right after you cross the bridge. UTM 17 T 666797 4611150 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

TIONESTA SCENIC AREA From Sheffield, take Rt 6 east to Ludlow, PA. Turn right on FS 133. It is a long way up the hill to the area so be patient. In the spring and fall, this road is awfully muddy so be prepared. Drive south until you get to FS 133E and turn right. From Kane, drive south on Rt. 66 until you get to JoJo Road. Turn right and follow JoJo Road to FS 133. Drive north until you get to FS133E and turn left. From Marienville, drive north on Rt. 66 for 19 miles until you get to JoJo Road. It is right before you get to the Kane Cemetery. Turn left on JoJo Road and follow it until you get to FS 133. Turn right on FS 133 and follow it until you get to FS 133E. Turn right and drive into the scenic area. UTM 17 T 672402 4614828 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

LUDLOW - RT 6 Drive east on Rt. 6 from Sheffield, PA. Pass through Ludlow and keep driving east. About 2 miles past Ludlow, the trail crosses the road. You can park near the trail. Watch the traffic. This is a busy highway. There is a nice campsite south of the road. Northbound, you will find campsites all along the way as you walk across a long flat section heading toward Kinzua Reservoir. South, you will find many campsites along the way as you follow a lovely creek most of the way south to the Tionesta Scenic Area. UTM 17 T 673862 4619814 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

LONGHOUSE TRAILHEAD - RED BRIDGE From Kane, take Rt. 6 north to Rt. 321. Turn left and follow Rt. 321 about 12 miles until you get to Red Bridge. Longhouse Road is about a 1/2 miles past Red Bridge. This is the closest place along the trail to buy supplies. The café is open year-round, but the ice cream stand is a seasonal business. Park on the right. The trail crosses Longhouse Road about 1/4 mile west. It comes out of the woods onto Rt. 321 about 200 yards past the trailhead and follows Rt. 321 across the bridge. You can park at Red Bridge Recreation Area, if you want to do so. Camping and showers are available but for a fee. You can swim in the reservoir for free. UTM 17 T 675805 4627092 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

CHAPPEL BAY - RT 321 From Kane, take Rt. 6 north to Rt. 321. Turn left and follow Rt. 321 about 12 miles until you get to Red Bridge. Continue north past Red Bridge Recreation Area on Rt. 321 for approximately 6 miles. The NCT crosses the road after you cross under the power line for the second time. There is a large sign on the highway marking the trail. Trailhead parking is near the sign. This is a busy highway so be careful. UTM 17 T 676788 4631019 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

LONGHOUSE NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY - RT 59 From Warren, PA, drive east on Rt. 59. Cross the Kinzua Reservoir and continue driving east for approximately 5 miles. Look for FS 265. The trail crosses the highway at this junction. You can park off to the side of the trail on the FS road. Another busy highway. UTM 17 T 677633 4636167 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

SUGAR BAY - RT 321 From Warren, PA, drive east on Rt. 59 until you get to Rt. 321. Turn left on Rt. 321 and travel north until you get to Sugar Bay. Trail crosses the bridge. You can park just south of the bridge or north of the bridge where the trail travels along the reservoir. Nice summer time area to camp, swim, fish and watch the clouds. From Bradford, PA, drive west on Rt. 59 until you get to Rt. 321. Turn right and drive north until you to Sugar Bay. Park south of the bridge or north in the trailhead parking lot. UTM 17 T 675387 4639689 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

Handsome Lake Campgrounds About 6 trail miles from Willow Bay trailhead is a nice campgrounds right on the Allegheny Reservoir. Hike or boat in only. Picnic tables, hand water pump, pit toilets. Plenty of level land for a tent. Also, swimming all along this section of trail. REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

Willow Bay - Rt. 346 From Bradford, PA, drive west on Rt. 346. After passing Rt. 321 on the left, drive another mile and you'll find the NCT trail crossing over the highway. The trailhead is west about 1/4 mile on the right. From Kane, drive north on Rt. 6 until you get to Rt. 321. Follow Rt. 321 all the way to Rt. 59. Turn right, follow Rt. 59 until you get to Rt. 321 north. Turn left and follow Rt. 321 north until it intersects with Rt. 346. Turn left, go west for about a mile to the trailhead. From Salamanca, New York, take Rt. 346 south until you get into PA. One mile past the entrance to Willow Bay Recreation Area, you will find the trailhead on the left side of the road. UTM 17 T 673753 4650200 Trail is 1/4 mile east. North, it passes through the trailhead parking lot and heads toward the Allegany State Park in New York. The PA/NY state line is at the top of the ridge. UTM 17 T 674667 4651677 REMEMBER: Leave No Trace!

Back to ANF Chapter Homepage