Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Pennsylvania / South-Central Pennsylvania

Appalachian Trail: Pen Mar to Pine Grove Furnace

Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Michaux State Forest (Pen Mar to Pine Grove Furnace State Park)

The Appalachian Trail covers about 230 miles of Pennsylvania, and its southern end is the gentle part. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) says the southern section is among the gentlest on the whole trail, a sharp contrast to the rock-strewn ridges that earned the state the nickname “Rocksylvania” farther north.

This page covers the first stretch north of the Maryland line, from Pen Mar through Michaux State Forest to Pine Grove Furnace State Park, near the trail’s midpoint.

The hike

A Fastest Known Time route page measures this section at 37.3 miles with about 5,650 feet of climbing, from the Mason-Dixon Line to the day-use lot at Pine Grove Furnace, and calls it the “easier” part of Pennsylvania. SectionHiker, starting at the state line in spring 2016, passed Deer Lick and Tumbling Run Shelters on its first full day and stopped at the Rocky Mountain Shelters.

The trail drops to US 30 at Caledonia State Park, where DCNR rates its 1.8 miles of trail “most difficult.” A WhiteBlaze poster warns that the climb out of Caledonia is steep and rocky, especially for beginners, though another found it easier; once on the ridge, the walking is easy. DCNR notes that Caledonia to Pine Grove Furnace, about 20 miles, is a popular overnight, often used by Scout groups as a practice trip.

North of Caledonia, a WhiteBlaze poster puts Quarry Gap Shelters at 2.7 miles, Birch Run Shelter at 10.0, and Toms Run Shelter at 16.3. In between, the trail passes the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club’s Milesburn Cabin. Posters describe a soft, pine-needle footpath and rhododendron that forms tunnels over the trail in places.

Just past Toms Run, a wooden sign with a trail register marks the 2011 midpoint of the A.T., according to the ATC. From there the trail follows old woods roads, passes a side trail to Midway Spring, and drops to Pine Grove Furnace. The ATC’s highlights for the park include the A.T. Museum and the general store’s half-gallon ice cream challenge, a thru-hiker tradition. The park has restrooms and potable water at the trailhead, according to DCNR.

North of Pine Grove Furnace, the trail continues about 20 miles to Boiling Springs. To the south, the Maryland section from Pen Mar to Turners Gap picks up at the state line. Farther north in Pennsylvania, see Port Clinton to Lehigh Gap.

Tips

Camping

Michaux State Forest lets backpackers camp at trailside sites along the A.T. without a permit, for no more than one night in any location, according to DCNR. Camping isn’t allowed in designated Natural Areas or within 200 feet of a forest road, 25 feet of a trail, or 100 feet of a stream or open water. Groups of more than 10 need a Letter of Authorization, which can take two to three weeks. The ATC adds that fires are banned in Michaux from the Maryland line to just south of Boiling Springs from March 1 to May 25.

The shelters are free and first come, first served, and a WhiteBlaze poster notes that tent sites near shelters usually have the best access to water. SectionHiker describes Quarry Gap as a pair of small two-person shelters joined by a porch, Birch Run as a “gorgeous shelter,” and Toms Run as an old shelter with a new picnic pavilion. Posters describe Birch Run’s creek, tent spots, privy, and bear pole.

Inside Intel: SectionHiker found Tumbling Run new and pleasant in 2016, with fire pits, good hanging trees, and a privy with a doorbell. Jason Durham, passing in April 2023, described Quarry Gap as well kept, with a picket fence, a swing, benches, flower baskets, and a sun dial.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

A hiker burger is waiting at the end:

The Pine Grove Furnace store at mile 37 is famous for ice cream, but the two nights before it are on your own food. See which trail meals testers keep coming back to.

See the picks →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.