Trails / Pennsylvania / South-Central Pennsylvania

Standing Stone Trail

Rothrock and Buchanan State Forests, State Game Lands (Cowans Gap State Park to Detweiler Run)

The Standing Stone Trail links two of Pennsylvania’s long trails across the ridges of Fulton, Huntingdon, and Mifflin Counties. It runs from Cowans Gap State Park, where it meets the Tuscarora Trail, to Detweiler Run Natural Area, where it joins the Mid State Trail.

It began in the late 1970s as the Link Trail, Wikipedia says, was renamed in 2007 for a Native American tradition of a “standing stone” in each village, and was named DCNR’s trail of the year in 2016.

The hike

Wikipedia measures the trail at 84.2 miles; the Standing Stone Trail Club says it is “over 80” with the Greenwood Spur, which the club says was added in 2014. It is blazed orange and climbs from a low of 660 feet to 2,380 feet at the Greenwood fire tower, according to the club. Mileages below run from the south, as Wikipedia lists them.

Leaving Cowans Gap, the trail passes “The Narrows” at 7.5 miles and Vanderbilt’s Folly, an unfinished 1880s railroad grade, at 8.5. From Meadow Gap, a road walk leads into Three Springs, one of the trail’s two resupply towns. Butler Knob Shelter, about a mile from a fire tower, comes at 33.7 miles, and the Hall of the Mountain King vista and the side trail to the Throne Room, a talus slope and view, at 36.3.

The trail crosses the Juniata River at Mapleton, the second resupply town, at 46.1 miles. Just beyond are the Thousand Steps, a stairway hand-built by railroad workers in 1936 with more than 1,100 steps in all, popular with local fitness hikers. The northern half crosses State Game Land 112, Rocky Ridge Natural Area, and the largest tract of Rothrock State Forest, with a hawk-watching platform at 69.1 miles and Big Valley Vista, overlooking Belleville, at 73.8. The Greenwood Spur climbs past the Greenwood fire tower and through Alan Seeger Natural Area to Detweiler Run.

Some sections cross private land, where landowners allow passage on handshake agreements, the club says, and it asks hikers to stay on the trail and respect landowners. Its 2026 newsletter notes that the descent toward Route 655 passes directly behind a home.

Most Great Eastern Trail thru-hikers travel south to north, the club’s water guide says. At the north end, the Mid State Trail through Rothrock State Forest continues. For a shorter Pennsylvania trip with reserved shelters, see the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail.

Tips

Plan water carefully. Carry treatment for every source and stock up in Three Springs and Mapleton.
Know where game lands begin. White painted circles on trees mark State Game Lands boundaries, where camping isn’t allowed.
Park legally at Route 522. The club says not to park on the Little Aughwick Creek side; use the lot south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike overpass.
Wear orange in fall. Hunters use these lands heavily; the 2026 regular firearms deer season runs Nov. 28 to Dec. 13.
Get the club’s camping and water guides before you go.

Camping

Overnight camping isn’t permitted on any State Game Lands property, according to the club’s camping guide, and its newsletter says camping isn’t allowed on private property either. On Rothrock State Forest land, DCNR allows one night per location without a permit. It bans camping in designated Natural Areas and 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.

The club’s camping guide lists 18 suggested sites, north to south, including flat grassy areas at the Greenwood Furnace fire tower, signed sites along Frew Road, the Fern Field on Jacks Mountain, a three-sided shelter at Riverside Park in Mapleton, and a three-sided shelter with a picnic table and food-bag hanger about a mile past the Jacks Mountain fire tower (southbound). Its 2026 newsletter calls Smoke Ums Spring the trail’s newest permanent campsite.

Inside Intel: The club’s 2017 overnight trip post recommends a night at Butler Knob Shelter, which it calls “sturdy,” with a picnic table, fire ring, and a spring nearby. The trip combined it with the Throne Room and the Hall of the Mountain King for about 20 miles over two days.

Trail facts

Distance: 84.2 miles (Wikipedia); “over 80” (club)
Route type: Point to point (shuttle)
Difficulty: Strenuous
Campsites: Suggested primitive sites, Butler Knob Shelter, Mapleton’s Riverside Park shelter, Smoke Ums Spring, Cowans Gap and Greenwood Furnace State Parks
Water: Sources up to 8 to 10 miles apart; long dry stretches on SGL 112, Cove Mountain, and Stone Mountain; treat everything
Permits: None for one night per location on state forest land
Resupply: Three Springs and Mapleton
Trailheads: Cowans Gap State Park (south); Detweiler Run/Mid State Trail junction (north)
Last verified: October 12, 2026

The Lowdown

Pitching beside the painted circles:

With no camping allowed on the game lands it crosses, the Standing Stone Trail rewards a tent that fits small, flat state forest spots. See the tents reviewers recommend.

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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.