Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Pennsylvania / Northeast Pennsylvania

Loyalsock Trail

Loyalsock State Forest and Worlds End State Park (Lycoming and Sullivan Counties)

The Loyalsock Trail, or LT, runs 59.2 miles across the Allegheny Plateau in Lycoming and Sullivan Counties, from PA Route 87 north of Montoursville to Mead Road near Laporte. The Keystone Trails Association (KTA) says it “frequently climbs up and down ridges and mountaintops,” and Backpacker suggests four to six days for a thru-hike that gains about 12,000 feet.

The Alpine Club of Williamsport maintains it. Wikipedia says Explorer Scouts from Williamsport first laid it out in 1951.

The hike

The trail roughly follows Loyalsock Creek, whose name KTA traces to a Native American word meaning “Middle Creek.” Look for yellow rectangles with a red stripe, or older red can lids marked “LT.” Side trails marked with a red X offer bypasses.

From PA 87, the trail climbs right away. Purple Lizard Maps, which posted a thru-hike report in June 2026, calls the descent into Pete’s Hollow “steep, rocky, and relentless.” Wikipedia places Smiths Knob at mile 6.7, a steep drop and climb at Hessler Run at 13.1, and the trail’s high point (2,140 feet) just past the Sullivan County line near mile 19.9. Backpacker notes a three-mile walk on Genesee Trail Road through this stretch.

Near mile 23.3, a short spur leads to Angel Falls, an 80-foot waterfall, before the trail drops into the Ogdonia Run canyon. Backpacker then has hikers crossing Kettle Creek and camping at Dutters Run, with its four waterfalls. Past High Knob, the trail reaches Ketchum Run Gorge, which Backpacker’s writer considered the trail’s best spot, with Lee’s Falls and Rode Falls nearby (Purple Lizard). Wikipedia notes a ladder near mile 34.9 to help hikers over a short cliff.

The trail passes through Worlds End State Park, where the Alpine Club places the campground at mile 44.17. Purple Lizard calls Loyalsock Canyon Vista “probably the best view on the hike.” The last miles pass Sones Pond, cross the creek on an iron bridge near mile 55.3, and follow an old railroad grade past the Haystacks, a rock formation in the creek that Backpacker calls a class IV+ rapid in spring, before ending at Mead Road.

The Alpine Club’s guidebook breaks the trail into eight sections with road access at both ends, so shorter overnights are possible. It sells a patch for anyone who has hiked at least 10 miles.

For a loop in the same state forest, see the Old Loggers Path.

Tips

Camping

On state forest land, DCNR allows backpack camping for one night at a site with no permit. Stays of more than one night at one site need a free permit from the district office, and groups of more than 10 need a Letter of Authorization. Camp at least 200 feet from forest roads, 25 feet from trails, and 100 feet from streams and open water, and never in designated Natural Areas. DCNR’s Loyalsock page adds that camping isn’t allowed where the trail is posted closed to camping. Inside Worlds End State Park, camping is allowed only at designated campsites, and the club says not to camp on private land.

Inside Intel: Purple Lizard’s 2026 group camped at the West Branch of Double Run and called it “a great campsite.” Backpacker (2010) also suggests Double Run, plus Dutters Run, with its waterfalls and “several campsites.”

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Climbs and crossings on the Loyalsock:

With about 12,000 feet of gain and crossings that call for water shoes, the Loyalsock works you hard in a rain shell. See how three shells compare, including one testers like for ventilation.

Compare the shells →

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.