Trails / Pennsylvania / Northeast Pennsylvania

Pinchot Trail

Pinchot State Forest, Thornhurst Tract (Lackawanna County)

The Pinchot Trail is an orange-blazed loop through the Thornhurst Tract of Pinchot State Forest in southern Lackawanna County, on the Pocono Plateau. The Keystone Trails Association (KTA) lists it at 22.2 miles, while DCNR and DiscoverNEPA call it 26 miles.

A paved road crosses the loop twice, so it splits into a 9.8-mile northern loop and a 13.3-mile southern loop (KTA, Wikipedia). Wikipedia says the trail is named for Gifford Pinchot, former Pennsylvania governor and first chief of the U.S. Forest Service, and was pieced together in the 1970s by local volunteer Frank Gantz.

The hike

DiscoverNEPA says the northern loop is rockier, with steeper climbs and mature hemlock and pine, while the southern loop “offers gentler grades, frequent stream crossings and several primitive campsites.” It suggests going counterclockwise to get the harder northern section done first. Bogs along the way hold spruce, balsam fir, and tamarack, including the Spruce Swamp Natural Area, which Wikipedia says the trail skirts.

Wikipedia lists the remains of an 1890 stone tower at mile 1.8, a memorial to a local man who died in a boating accident, then the Tannery Road crossing at 3.3 and Choke Creek Falls at 6.0. KTA says the southeastern segment was relocated in 2018 to reach the falls. Jeff Mitchell describes the falls as about 20 feet tall, dropping into a deep pool lined with ledges, and the yellow Choke Creek Nature Trail makes a shorter side loop.

Later, Wikipedia lists the Painter Creek crossing at 16.4, Sassafras Hill Road at 19.2, and Pittston Road at 20.5, with a large parking lot near mile 21.6. The trail also follows the boundary of State Game Lands 91.

Mitchell, hiking the south loop in 2019, found it “a beautiful, and fairly easy, hike” with Choke Creek’s beaver ponds and wetlands, deep hemlocks along Butler Run, rhododendron tunnels that bloom in early July, and rocky tread past Phelps Road. “The only real issues on the trail are some wet areas, possible beaver flooding, and some brushy areas,” he wrote.

A BackpackingLight group did a 23-mile loop over two nights in late April 2022. The organizer wrote that the trail sits mostly on the plateau, so “there isn’t a lot of elevation gain or loss,” and that without the climbs “you don’t have a lot of views.” The group’s thermometer read about 18 to 19 degrees the first night.

In the Poconos to the southeast, the Thunder Swamp Trail is another state forest loop.

Tips

Expect wet feet in swampy stretches and where beavers have flooded the trail.
Pack for cold in spring; keep your filter in your sleeping bag on freezing nights.
Leash your dog. DiscoverNEPA says dogs must be leashed.
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

Pinchot State Forest allows backpackers to camp in most areas for one night per location without a permit. A free permit (570-945-7133, fd11@pa.gov) is needed for more than one night at a site, an emergency contact, or a spring campfire, and groups of more than 10 need a Letter of Authorization. Don’t camp in designated Natural Areas, within 200 feet of a forest road, within 25 feet of a trail, or within 100 feet of a stream or open water. The forest’s camping page also lists designated sites (Fireline, Sassafras, and others) with seasonal dates; its posted dates are from 2024.

Inside Intel: Mitchell describes a site on a ledge above Choke Creek as one of the trail’s finest campsites and recommends the deep hemlocks along Butler Run. The BackpackingLight group camped near Choke Creek Falls and noted “a lot of campsites along the stream.”

Trail facts

Distance: 22.2 miles (KTA); 26 (DCNR)
Route type: Loop; north loop 9.8 miles, south loop 13.3 miles
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Campsites: Dispersed; several along Choke Creek and Butler Run on the south loop
Water: Choke Creek, Butler Run, Painter Creek, Sand Spring Creek; treat it
Permits: None for one night at a site
Fires: Restricted March 1 to May 25 and in high fire danger
Dogs: Allowed on leash (DiscoverNEPA)
Trailhead: Bear Lake Road (at Tannery Road, or just west of Pittston Road)
Last verified: October 17, 2026

The Lowdown

An 18-degree night on the Pinchot:

A BackpackingLight group saw about 18 to 19 degrees on its first night in late April. Cold ground is one reason these side-sleeper tips suggest a foam pad underneath.

See the 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.