PA Wilds - Moshannon State Forest Overnighter


In the matter of half hour I have seen a gang of elk, a gecko, and a brown recluse spider.

The loop: I parked at a truck stop and quickly found my way into various state forests--Moshannon, Queanna, Elk, and Sproul. The fall color here is probably one of the best in the world. 

60-70% unpaved, 1% singeltrack. A lot of climbing.



Busy town!

Wake me up when the pavement ends.

Free self portrait.

Full color.


Not 100% sure if this was open for bikes.

It got steep, I had to walk my bike a bit.


The red bushy grassy is just so cool.

Hunter truck.

Sandy roads.


A gang of elk. That right there was more than 1% the whole elk population in PA.

Stevenson Dam.

This was the view from my campsite.

Leaves traffic.





Fun and guns.


Some ATV trails.

Weird clouds before the rain.




Comments

  1. Brendon SlotterbackApril 16, 2021 at 1:27 PM

    Thanks for posting this route! I'm going to try it next weekend. Any issues with parking at the gas station/truck stop?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. marcookieApril 30, 2021 at 7:12 PM

      Hey, sorry for the slow reply... I did not get any notification of your comment. No, it's fine to park at the truck stop, I asked to some residents nearby. The lower parking spot for cars is patrolled during the night.

      Delete
    2. marcookieApril 30, 2021 at 7:16 PM

      I also figure out how to activate the notification for comments.. I should be able to reply quickly to comments now. Thanks for your question!

      Delete
    3. UnknownMay 11, 2021 at 2:43 PM

      Thanks! Didn't get there yet, hopefully soon. Raystown looks great too!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Radio Silence Loop

Image
Why “the radio silence” loop?           10 minutes of cell service in 4 days           The radio silence zone around the immense Green Bank telescope           A 3-5 days trip that is long enough to reset from online things   This mostly gravel loop travels deep into rural West Virginia, between farm roads and endless rail trails. There is not too much climbing, at least for WV standards. A couple of rough US-army roads and trails in the radio silence zone next to the telescope. Campsites and water are plentiful (bring some sort of water purification system). Due to some road closures (private properties) we ended up riding over 250 miles in three days. The map above is revised with all legal and open roads.   >50% unpaved, 1% intermediate singletrack Ideal bike: any gravel bike Photo credits: Francesca Lorandi
Read more

The Oilfield Roads of the Allegheny National Forest - Overnighter

Image
Sometimes, it's not about the roads themselves, but about what lies under them... oil. Over 150 miles of dirt roads have been built in the Allegheny Nation Forest to reach the oil reserves underneath. The forest is dotted with oil wells, pumpjacks, piping and valves, storage tanks, and oil distribution buildings. The pumps are small, perhaps 6 to 10 feet tall, unlike the majestic ones you may see in the southern states. In any case with all the dirt roads connecting these facilities, the possibilities for bikepacking are endless: It was fun to spend two days trying to not get lost along the twisted roads that connect the wells. Both Francesca and I are chemists; for this reason we are both attracted and repulsed by the power of the black gold. It powers the world and it is used to build many materials, including monomers and plastic. For our job, we both use and manipulate materials derived from petroleum every day, which gives us an especially intimate relationship with it. I mean
Read more