Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Pennsylvania / South-Central Pennsylvania

Mid State Trail: Little Juniata River to Detweiler Run

Rothrock State Forest (Barree to Detweiler Junction)

The Mid State Trail bills itself as Pennsylvania’s “longest and wildest footpath,” running more than 500 kilometers from the Maryland line to New York. Its State College Region is the most popular part, according to the Mid State Trail Association, and it’s where the trail began in 1969 as a Penn State Outing Club project.

This page follows it through Rothrock State Forest, from the Little Juniata River near Barree along Tussey Ridge to Detweiler Run, where the Standing Stone Trail joins.

The hike

Purple Lizard Maps, in a 2021 guide by Dave Gantz, starts at the MST parking area at the dead end of Mountain Road near Barree and heads north about 17 miles to Jo Hays Vista on Route 26 above Pine Grove Mills. Old quarries and views of Spruce Creek and the Little Juniata come early. “It’s a steep climb, but once it’s over, you are on relatively flat ridge top,” the guide says, with about 15 miles of Tussey Ridge to follow. The Rainbow Trail offers a cutoff to Indian Lookout, and Pennsylvania Furnace Road works as a shuttle point. Near the Brewer Path the guide notes rock gardens and a trail register the guide calls a “mailbox,” and it ends with a power line vista and the view of State College and Mount Nittany from Jo Hays Vista.

From Jo Hays Vista, Hiking Project’s MST Section 8 runs 15.1 miles to Detweiler Junction. It drops off Tussey Ridge past the Monroe Furnace ruins and the Beaver Pond area, then follows a rocky ridgeline past Musser Gap, Shingletown Gap, and the Roman Tower. Farther on are the fenced and locked Little Flat Fire Tower and a 2003 monument marking the trail’s 1969 birthplace. The trail then reaches the Indian Wells overlook above Bear Meadows, crosses Big Flat Laurel Natural Area and the highest point in Huntingdon County, and makes a final descent to Detweiler Run.

Detweiler Junction is where the Greenwood Spur of the Standing Stone Trail meets the MST, and where the Great Eastern Trail’s eastern and western routes split, according to Hiking Project.

Expect to navigate on orange blazes; the Keystone Trails Association says the main route uses 5-by-15-centimeter orange rectangles. Purple Lizard notes the trail is known for “its insistence on the use of the metric system,” so guide distances are in kilometers. Hiking Project adds that across the whole MST, hammock trees are easier to find than flat tent spots.

Tips

Camping

Rothrock State Forest allows camping without a permit for one night in a location, according to DCNR; a free permit is needed to stay longer, for an emergency contact, or for a campfire in the spring fire season. 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 over 10 need a Letter of Authorization. DCNR adds that campfires aren’t allowed at high fire danger, and from March 1 to May 25 only with the forest’s authorization.

The Keystone Trails Association says MST camping isn’t permitted on State Game Lands, state forest Natural Areas, or private land. Hiking Project mentions campsites in the Beaver Pond area and several cleared dry sites near Indian Wells.

Inside Intel: Purple Lizard suggests “a campsite or two” near the Brewer Path intersection for an overnight on Tussey Ridge, since the Brewer Path drops about 400 feet to flowing water most of the year.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Fifteen miles of Tussey Ridge:

Tussey Ridge is a long, rocky ridgetop with no water on the trail between Barree and Jo Hays Vista. If you're picking a shell for it, see what testers and owners say about three options.

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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.