Chuck Keiper Trail

Sproul State Forest (PA 144 between Renovo and Snow Shoe)

The Chuck Keiper Trail, or CKT, is a remote double loop in Sproul State Forest, mostly in Clinton County, reached only from PA Route 144. The Keystone Trails Association (KTA) lists a 47.3-mile main loop and a 3.3-mile cross-connector, the East Branch Trail, which splits it into a western and an eastern loop. DCNR says it passes through the Fish Dam and Burns Run Wild Areas.

Wikipedia says the trail was built in the 1970s with help from the Youth Conservation Corps and is named for a longtime Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife conservation officer.

The hike

DCNR says the trail is marked with orange rectangular blazes. Hiking Project recommends going counterclockwise from the main parking area on PA 144, which Wikipedia places at the Fish Dam Vista parking area about ten miles south of Renovo.

Counterclockwise, Wikipedia lists the Fish Dam Run crossing at mile 3.5 and Burns Run at 6.2, followed upstream along the stream and a tributary. The trail reaches Yost Run at 11 and Yost Run Falls, about 12 feet tall, at 13.5. Jeff Mitchell, describing a 2024 day hike, says Kyler Fork Falls sits just downstream of Yost Run Falls and is about the same height.

After crossing PA 144 at mile 14.8, the trail passes the remains of a late-1800s splash dam near Eddy Lick Run at 17.7, crosses DeHaas Road at 19.9, and meets the cross-connector at 27.9. It then passes through Clendenin and Cranberry Hollows to a junction for the Cranberry Swamp Natural Area at 32.3, follows Boggs Run from about mile 37.4, crosses PA 144 again at 42.1, and returns to Fish Dam Vista at 47.3. Hiking Project also names Big Rocks Vista and notes a short road walk near the end.

The Fastest Known Time route page calls the CKT lightly used and says the northern and western sections, especially around Boggs Run, are the most rugged. It also says the high plateaus have little forest canopy after an oak leaf roller outbreak, the 1985 tornadoes, and a 1990 wildfire. Some fords remain, though sidehill work has reduced them at JU Branch, Burns Run, Boggs Run, and Yost Run.

KTA’s 2025 trail care recap reports that volunteers cleared 22.25 miles of brush and downed trees, improved 1,300 feet of tread, reopened a storm-damaged section, and added signs at road crossings. A PA Outdoor Corps crew re-dug a sidehill along Boggs Hollow.

The Jack Paulhamus/Garby Trail, which leaves the CKT at Grugan Hollow Road (Wikipedia), connects it to the long Donut Hole Trail (KTA). For a loop with shelters, see the Susquehannock Trail System.

Tips

Bring a good map. Hiking Project recommends the DCNR map or Dave Gantz’s guide, which KTA says is out of print.
Expect wet feet at the remaining fords, and skip the trail in high water.
Expect little shade on the high plateaus (FKT route page).
Don’t cross PA 144 carelessly near the parking area, Mitchell warns.
Check fire rules. DCNR bans campfires March 1 to May 25 without permission and when fire danger is high or worse.
Hunting: the 2026 regular firearms deer season runs Nov. 28 to Dec. 13, Sundays included (Pennsylvania Game Commission). Wear orange.

Camping

DCNR allows backpack camping in state forests for one night at a site without a permit. A free permit from the district office is needed for longer stays at one site, an emergency contact, or a spring campfire, and groups of more than 10 need a Letter of Authorization. DCNR’s setbacks are 200 feet from forest roads, 25 feet from trails, and 100 feet from streams and open water, with no camping in designated Natural Areas, which on this trail include East Branch Swamp and Cranberry Swamp (Wikipedia). The FKT route page adds stricter-sounding limits, including no camping in a public watershed between Pete’s Run Road and Dry Run Road; check with Sproul State Forest.

Inside Intel: No camper accounts recommending a specific campsite were found. Mitchell mentions a campsite on the side trip toward Panther Hollow Falls near Yost Run but gives no details.

Trail facts

Distance: 47.3-mile main loop; 3.3-mile cross-connector; about 50 miles in all
Route type: Double loop
Difficulty: Strenuous
Campsites: Dispersed; none officially designated
Water: Fish Dam Run, Burns Run, Yost Run, Eddy Lick Run, Boggs Run; treat it
Permits: None for one night at a site
Fires: Restricted March 1 to May 25 and in high fire danger
Trailhead: Fish Dam Vista on PA 144, about 10 miles south of Renovo
Last verified: October 12, 2026

The Lowdown

Remaining fords on the Chuck Keiper Trail:

The FKT route page says some fords remain on the CKT, though sidehill work has reduced them at Burns Run, Boggs Run, and Yost Run. Our five tips cover where to cross and when high water means waiting.

Get the five tips →

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.