Minister Creek Trail

Well... it's been a while! I wish I could give a reason for lack of entries, but... it would really just be an excuse. Hopefully this summer will yield a few more, albeit potentially shorter, entries regarding gear, locations, and many other things camping/hiking/backpacking.

So, to it... Ever hear of the Minister Creek Trail? Okay, ever hear of the Allegheny National Forest? The Minister Creek Trail is a 6-8 (depending on your source or route) mile circuit in the heart of the Allegheny National Forest. If you are in the area or looking for something to do in Northwestern PA, I would definitely recommend this trail.

For most people this would make a nice day-hike. Elevation gain is generously sloped and the trip could be done within four hours pretty easily. However, a nice feature of this trail is the wealth of gorgeous campsites. I decided to make this an overnight backpack with my 8- and 6-year old sons. Since we are from Lancaster, PA in southcentral PA, why would we want to drive nearly 5 hours for an overnight backpack? Well, my wife asked the same question, but that's just how we (plural utilized without permission...) roll!

The boys and I actually stretched the trip into two evenings by driving up on a Friday night and staying at one of the National Forest's free dispersed campsites. It was a bit tricky to find after dark (and a bit nerve-wracking with two boys, especially looking along "Rt 666"), but we did find a nice campsite to tuck into right off the road.

The trail itself has two "camps," each of which contains multiple sites. We didn't veer down into Deer Lick Camp and decided to proceed past the crowd at the main camping area in order to set up our own little camp. We settled on a little used site right along the Minister Creek just before the trail veered away from the creek and up the hill side. A relaxing afternoon of creek stomping and playing turned into a cozy evening by the fire. It was nice to know we had more than half the trail done so we could get a jump on getting home in the morning.

The forest and creek were great, but the main feature of the trail is the glacier-deposited boulders. They had the boys in awe and made for some great scrambling moments. The Minister Creek View was a great punctuation for the final mile of our journey.

Overall, I'd recommend this trail for a nice day-hike, or if you are looking for a short backpacking trip or a kid-friendly backpacking endeavor, this would certainly fit the bill. Until later - hopefully soon - happy trails!