THE LONG WALK: Worlds End State Park, Pa.

Loop around what used to be the Pennsylvania frontier on this 16.7-mile trip that’s a premier backpack in the Keystone State.

When pioneers first reached the ridgetops guarding the Loyalsock Creek, they gazed out at the mountain folds and wondered if they had discovered the very edge of the globe. And it’s from that experience where Worlds End State Park in northeastern Pennsylvania takes its name.

You can follow this loop — which incorporates a section of the Loyalsock Trail and the entirety of the Red X Trail — to wide open views and gushing cascades, to open swamps and white-tailed deer habitat, to riverside campsites and shadowy thickets of spruce and pine.

DIRECTIONS: Worlds End State Park in Dushore, Pa., is about 180 miles west of New York City. Take I-80 to the exit for PA 42 north, and follow PA 42 for about 30 miles. Turn left onto PA 3009, and take that about 6 miles to PA 154 E. Turn right onto PA 154, and follow that to Mineral Springs Road, where you turn right and arrive at Worlds End. This hike begins in the parking lot for the visitor center.

KNOW THIS: The park is free to enter, but you should register with the park system if you plan to camp out. The Loyalsock Trail has periodic trail registers for you to sign, which you should do in case of an emergency.

The loop features steep climbs and long, flat ridgeline hikes. There are plenty of campsites spread throughout this loop, so you can tinker with your itinerary to make for two equal days or one short and one long. If there’s been recent rains, prepare for boggy stretches of trail.

This is a moderately difficult backpack or a strenuous day hike.  Total elevation gain is about 3,000 feet, and some of those climbs make you wonder if you shouldn’t use your hands. You won’t need to, however, and the trip rewards you with flat stretches that are easy on the legs.

HIKE ON: Start this loop from the parking lot of the Worlds End State Park visitor center and follow the yellow “LT” discs into a picnic area and then across a road bridge over the Loyalsock Creek, a name taken from a Native American language (“LAWI-SAQUICK”), which means “middle creek.” On the other side of the bridge, follow the Loyalsock Trail into the woods and ascend the ridge. After the first 0.75 mile, cross High Rock Run waterfall and arrive at High Rock Vista, as it looks over the Loyalsock valley and at the face of several ridgelines.

The remaining 8.6 miles follows the Loyalsock Trail eastward out of Worlds End State Park and into Loyalsock State Forest. The mostly level path arrives at Alpine Falls after 3.45 miles from High Rock Vista, and the area teems with campsites. Continue on for another 3.3 miles, crossing several streams and forest roads, and arrive at Sones Pond, upon whose shore rests more campsites. The Loyalsock Trail then descends the ridge for 2.2 miles and 420 feet to a road bridge across the Loyalsock Creek. At the other end of the bridge starts the Red X Trail.

The Red X Trail is marked by yellow discs with a red “X.” At first, the trail skirts along the shore of the Loyalsock Trail, then climbs out of the cut to follow Route 154 before returning to the river and then back to Route 154. That lasts for 1.45 miles until the Red X Trail veers south, crosses Route 154 and enters the woods along Shanersburg Run. Shortly afterward, the Red X Trail steeply climbs out of the ravine, ascending 430 feet over just 0.6 mile. The rest of the Red X Trail as it winds its way for 3.1 miles to Canyon Vista remains comparably flat. At Canyon Vista, you get an idea of why the pioneers thought this place was the edge of the world — you cannot see the horizon beyond just a few mountain ridges.

The Red X Trail descends into Double Run ravine, and this is where the long walks and steeps climbs pays off. Double Run is packed with photo-worthy waterfalls as the Red X Trail moves 1.4 miles down the canyon, eventually meeting Route 154. Hikers can choose to follow the Red X Trail as it moves along the shore of the Loyalsock Creek, or you can follow Route 154 for just 0.4 mile back to your car.

Download the track and waypoints here.

Check out all the information you need about Worlds End State Park here.

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Tagged as: Backpacking Worlds End State Park, Red X Loyalsock Loop, Red X Loyalsock Trail, Red X Trail