Pennsylvania Off-Road Trails

Traveling between the historic town of Woodward and the R.B. Winter State Park, Pine Creek Hollow is a straight-through, well-maintained gravel road that accesses numerous hunting camps and hiking trails, such as the iconic Mid State Trail. One unique feature of this road is the expansive stands of pine trees you will find. The road is 1.5-2 vehicles wide and suitable for any vehicle.

Old Shingle Road is an easy, gravel connector road that follows along the southern edge of The Hook Natural Area. It is the quickest way to enter the Bald Eagle State Forest from Mifflinburg. The road passes through a thick hardwood forest with sections of dense fern and traverses several gradual grades along the slopes of Buffalo Mountain. The road is 1.5 vehicles wide most of the way but offers numerous pullout opportunities to pass oncoming traffic. This road is suitable for any vehicle.

Jones Mountain Road is a scenic drive along the northern edge of The Hook Natural Area within Bald Eagle State Forest. This easy, straight-through gravel road is two vehicles wide the entire length with a few mild grades that shouldn't be a problem for any vehicle. The scenic viewpoint at the three-mile mark looks out over the lush forest and across to Seven Notch Mountain, making it a beautiful spot for fall colors. The road passes campsite 31, a large, roundabout-style campsite with a steel fire ring and a picnic table. The site is suitable for just about any camp setup, but large travel trailers and RVs will likely find the site too tight to maneuver. Camping permits and reservations are required for all State Forest Campsites and can be reserved online or by calling the State Forest Office. There is little to no cell service along the road. Making prior camping arrangements is highly recommended.

Trail 137 is a half-loop-shaped trail along the western edge of Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) between trails 112 and 148. Trail 137 starts with a steep and loose rocky hillclimb that will tilt your vehicle to 20 degrees. After traversing the volleyball-sized rocks, you trek through tight trees and brush, guaranteeing pinstripes on your vehicle, before descending a steep and loose hill and passing some old mining equipment. Route finding down the ridgeline past the equipment can be challenging as the paths change and deteriorate through the tailings. Be extremely cautious dropping down the tailings as you will encounter dangerous off-camber tilts up to 28 degrees. This trail is best suited for experienced off-road drivers in slightly modified vehicles with larger tires and skidplate protection.

Be sure to reference the AOAA website for accommodation links, days and hours of operation, waiver, and pass purchasing links.

East Anthracite Road is a dead-end main access trail through the Eastern Reserve of Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA). This trail is an easy, well-maintained dirt road of mostly graded gravel and hard-packed dirt. Occasional mud holes appear during wet weather, but bypasses exist for anything that might offer a slight challenge. Although this is an easy trail suitable for any vehicle, it offers many unique things to see and photograph.

Beginning at the main parking lot, East Anthracite Road travels past a massive dragline bucket that you can park in. About halfway through the trail, you can visit the Carbaugh Conservation Area, a protected area for a new breed of chestnut tree. This new hybrid is hopefully resilient to blight, a fungal disease that devastated the American chestnut tree and killed over 4 billion trees in the east during the first half of the 20th century. The trail continues east, ending at a private property gate near trail 41. Keep an eye out for Bigfoot. Take a picture of him and show the photo to an employee at the office. They'll give you a special sticker for your efforts.

Be sure to reference the AOAA website for accommodation links, days and hours of operation, waiver, and pass purchasing links.

Trail 110 is a straight-through connector trail between Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) trails 104 and 101. 110 passes through several shallow, but soft-bottomed mudholes as it treks through tight trees and is generally only one vehicle wide the entire trail. Beyond the mudholes, the trail travels across a hard dirt and gravel surface, with no rock obstacles. This trail is suitable for any high-clearance 4x4 vehicle.

Be sure to reference the AOAA website for accommodation links, days and hours of operation, waiver, and pass purchasing links.

Swift Run Road is an easy gravel road along the Snyder-Middleswarth Natural Area within the Bald Eagle State Forest. This road takes users to a ton of recreational activities, including hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, picnicking, and birdwatching. The road is two vehicles wide the entire way, passing State Forest campsites 64, 65, and 66. Camping permits and reservations are required for all State Forest Campsites and can be reserved online or by calling the State Forest Office. Swift Run Road also takes users to two picnic areas. Snyder-Middleswarth Picnic Area is a large picnic area on the creek's edge. Several large group tables and pavilions make this an excellent place to bring a group or large family. Rock Springs Picnic Area has a vault toilet and individual picnic tables, making it best for small families. You will find plenty of fantastic pullouts along this road to stop and enjoy the tranquil environment along Swift Run Creek. This road is suitable for any vehicle.

Trail 124 is a simple and short connector road between trails 101 and 115 in the Western Reserve of Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA). This trail offers no obstacles and traverses a well-maintained, hard-packed gravel road. The trail provides two lookout points for the impressive Mammoth Trail, and informational kiosks about local geology. This trail is suitable for any high clearance 4x4.

Be sure to reference the AOAA website for accommodation links, days and hours of operation, waiver, and pass purchasing links.

White Deer Creek Road is an easy gravel, straight-through road that connects White Deer Pike to McCall Dam Road. The road has an occasional pothole or washboard section but is 1.5-2 vehicles wide the entire way and suitable for any vehicle. The road parallels White Deer Creek, allowing several great opportunities to cool off in the clear waters.

This road offers a plethora of camping opportunities at State Forest sites 3, 6, 9, 15, and 16. All sites are fairly close to the road but suitable for any type of camp setup, from tents to trailers. Camping permits and reservations are required for all State Forest Campsites and can be reserved online or by calling the State Forest Office. There is spotty cell service along this road. Making prior camping arrangements is highly recommended.

Stony Run Road is an easy gravel connecting road through the Bald Eagle State Forest. The road is 1.5 vehicles wide almost the entire length, with numerous pullout opportunities to pass oncoming traffic. The road is suitable for any vehicle, including passenger cars and RVs. The road follows the scenic Stony Run Creek, a small tributary of Penns Creek, past a small fishing lake, to the Pine Creek tributary. Stony Run offers camping at state campsite number 30, a large open site a few hundred feet from the main road. The campsite provides a steel fire ring and a picnic table. Camping permits and reservations are required for all State Forest Campsites and can be reserved online or by calling the State Forest Office. There is little to no cell service along the road. Making prior camping arrangements is highly recommended.

Trail 17 is a straight-through trail connecting trails 12 and 47C. As you drive trail 17 east to west along the old coalmine bench, you'll pass many other trails, including the upper exit of Barney Rubble. Trail 17 is located within the Eastern Reserve of Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) and offers one of the most unique attractions, the U-joint tree. The tree, located at the eastern end of the trail above 47C, was once impaled by a flying U-joint. The joint is now rusty, and the tree has swallowed 3/4 of it, but it is still available for viewing. Beyond this attraction, trail 17 offers a moderately steep, rocky hill climb up what is known as Ski Slope. Ski Slope is the most challenging spot along the trail, which is otherwise a hard-packed dirt surface with occasional protruding rocks. This trail is suitable for any high clearance 4x4.

Be sure to reference the AOAA website for accommodation links, days and hours of operation, waiver, and pass purchasing links.

Trail 148 is a straight-through connector trail in the western reserve of Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) between trails 137 and 102. Trail 148 starts on the north end with a shallow and sticky mudhole that varies in depth depending on the time of year. The trail is mainly a hardpacked surface with some protruding rocks, passing some mining equipment, and ending on the south end with a 50-yard hillclimb covered in flat, dinnerplate-sized rocks. This trail is suitable for any high-clearance 4x4 vehicle. The hillclimb on the south end will likely require low-range.

Be sure to reference the AOAA website for accommodation links, days and hours of operation, waiver, and pass purchasing links.

Trail 10 is a straight-through trail traveling west to east, almost the entire length of the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) Eastern Reserve. Trail 10 travels along one of the old coalmine benches and intersects with many other trails, as well as the Williams Pipeline. 90% of the trail is easy with a hardpacked surface and small rocks. However, two short 10-yard sections along the trail present a minor, bumpy challenge with flat, tombstone-sized exposed rocks protruding out of the soil. A skillful driver in a high clearance 2WD vehicle would be able to traverse these short, rocky sections, but overall, Trail 10 is best suited for a high clearance 4x4.

Be sure to reference the AOAA website for accommodation links, days and hours of operation, waiver, and pass purchasing links.

Wampler Road is an easy dirt road leading to a scenic overlook within Rothrock State Forest. The overlook is within a quarter mile of the eastern side of the road, just off Bear Meadows Road. The road continues trekking through the dense forest with no additional views or noteworthy stops. Although this is a straight-through road, Wampler Road intersects and connects to Gettis Ridge Road, which is a much rougher stretch of road and will require a high clearance vehicle. If in a low clearance vehicle, drivers should treat this as an in-and-out road, starting and ending at Bear Meadows Road. The road surface consists of hard-packed dirt and small, egg-sized rock chunks. Most of Wampler Road is 1.5-2 vehicles wide, with plenty of opportunities to pass oncoming traffic.