Recap: 2023 Pine Creek Rail Trail + Gravel Bikepacking Adventure
The group
Day One: Jersey Shore, PA to Hoffman Campground (36.5 miles)
Our recap is a mashup of two perspectives. Ray wrote the narrative and the bold text is the counterpoint and commentary from Justin.
Five of us headed out from the Pine Creek Rail Trail trailhead in Jersey Shore, PA. There is a lot of parking available and a bathroom facility. For those with EVs there is a charging station on-site. As the trail name implies the route follows the Pine Creek watershed. We headed north on the trail passing a number of food options in Waterville, Slate Run and Cedar Run. Best practice would be to call ahead to find out hours and what is available. Wolfes General Store in Slate Run has a lot of food options, including deli sandwiches, snacks, drinks and ice cream - and souvenirs, as Teresa can attest; she was even sporting a Slate Run shirt at the end of our journey. The Cedar Run General Store only had ice cream available and we were notified the kitchen options haven’t been available for over a year due to staff shortages. It was hot and there is very little tree coverage. Temps hit the low 90’s toward the end of the ride.
We setup camp at Hoffman Campground and then headed a mile north to Miller’s Store in Blackwell. The store was open and had sandwiches, snacks, drinks and ice cream, but the hours on Google Maps are incorrect. A bit curious to this guest, in addition to the mixed grocery chain branded stock for smores and other snacks, is the fact that half of the space is books; obscure, collectable, and a lot of children’s books. We expected them to be open until 8pm but they closed at 6pm. We grabbed sandwiches and salads for dinner and ate outside on their patio. Second warning - call ahead and check before venturing out. The Hoffman Campground only offers campsites for hikers, bikers and water traffic from kayaks/canoes. The site we chose was mislabeled on-site and another group claimed we were on their site. We were already setup and they settled in next to us. A late night gift of our remaining ice cooled off the remnants of tension from the narrowly averted brawl between Ray and the half-dozen college hunks (who’d carried loads of gear like ants trekking the mile back and forth from the road junction) - or so my attorney tells me. There were a couple of people who showed up via kayaks and camped. Pine Creek is known for trout fishing and all of the other groups were fishing at one time or another during our stay. Our campsite was next to the shelter which we used for gear storage and cooking. The former statement is especially true if Vodka and cranberry on ice are your idea of gear and cooking; as i may or may not recall. The shelter was just a stone’s throw from the creek, which due to threats of thrown stones, bathing was done with some propriety; nevertheless, it was very refreshing after a hot day on the trail.
All of the state campgrounds in the area are primitive and include pit toilets. Water access isn’t guaranteed so bring a filter to pull water from Pine Creek where needed.
Day Two: Hoffman Campground to Colton Point State Park group site - (23 miles)
After breakfast we broke camp and hit the trail. Blackwell is the start of the “Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania” and the valley becomes narrower until Ansonia. The cliffs we would stand upon at the end of our ride were quite a beautiful, imposing view from both perspectives. There were a lot of kayakers/canoes/rafts on the river and we passed a horse drawn carriage carrying tourists. At Ansonia we left the trail bypassing the ride up to the northern terminus cutting out around 14 miles. There is an ice cream/sandwich shop at the end of the trail but we chose to head over to The Burning Barrel Bar. They let us inside early and we loaded up on burgers, wraps, fries, salads and drinks before heading up the four mile pavement climb to Colton Point State Park gaining about 800 feet in the process; Ray is known to have used some gas power in the ascent. We booked one of the group campsites opposite the main campground because the regular sites are first-come first-serve and we were worried that the campground would be full. The ranger stopped by to say hi and told us that everyone assumes the same and the regular campground was empty! After setting up camp we hiked along the Rim Trail to see the sights. We had dinner in camp and then wandered down to the overlook to see the dark skies and stars; while some contemplated the potential headline in the next day’s local paper, others laid on the road and enjoyed the expanse of sky and stars. We all appreciated the wind for whisking the bugs away while we enjoyed camp. Temps and humidity were lower on day two.
Day Three: Colton Point State Park group site to Black Walnut Bottom Campground - (31 miles)
During the night the owls were a-hooting and a woodpecker was attacking a tree. Also, the state is fogging the area because of the gypsy moth invasion so we were not only awakened by acrobatic planes but we got to see them flying along the tree tops as we broke camp, and felt the gypsy within being choked. We met a couple from VT as we were leaving and they ride gravel! Temps were cool as we set out on gravel roads following along the contours of the ridge. Then we turned and climbed up Cedar Mountain passing the Elk Run Vista before dropping off the other side of the mountain. About halfway down we realized we missed a turn and decided to stay on the road. The gravel roads dropped down almost 13 miles from the top following the smaller tributaries passing through Leetonia and ending at Cedar Run. There are several options to ride from Colton back to the Pine Creek valley; and a multitude of great potential loops up and down among the valleys and vistas!
At Cedar Run we jumped on the Pine Creek Rail Trail and headed south to Slate Run where we had a good dinner at Hotel Manor + Bar which has inside and outside seating areas. The restaurant also suffers from staffing issues and it took a long time to get food, but we weren’t in a rush so it wasn't an issue. Check hours for Hotel Manor because they can be unpredictable. After dinner we grabbed some snacks at Wolfe’s General Store before heading to setup camp at Black Walnut Bottom Campground about a mile south of Slate Run. There is no water service at the campground so we filtered water from the river. Another option would be to grab water at the store and carry it to the campground. The campsites are fairly large and have tree coverage. We had a bonfire and the temps dropped into the 30’s overnight. Ray could have sold more equipment to the unprepared, but he stayed warm through the night while i considered the merits of plunder as i held my blanket tight in a fetal position; the Vodka was spent but profitable.
Day Four: Black Walnut Bottom Campground to Jersey Shore, PA - (25 miles)
The cold overnight temps required another bonfire to warmup while we ate breakfast. It was still a little chilly after we broke camp and the sun started warming up the valley as we rolled south on the trail. We stopped in Waterville at the bridge and watched the water rolling over the rocks on Little Pine Creek. Very relaxing. We rolled into Jersey Shore around lunch time and headed to a cafe for food once we packed up. Jersey Shore is about 5.5 hour drive from Columbus so this trip is a great way to get away for a long weekend. It should be emphasized that, while food obtained in the circumstances of rustic travel and hunger has a distinct advantage to the palate, the meals we had along the journey were legitimately fresh and quality; this foodie found great appreciation for that fact. The sixty or so miles of rail trail is +/- 2% grade the whole way, so it’s very easy and mostly a surround of lovely woods, waterfalls, dripping rock walls covered in moss, and the creek; the season was similar to home, maybe a bit earlier, and the flowers and ferns made for beautiful highlights along the path.
