Hammersley Fork Backpacking - Best Time of Year?

[dbargaehre]

Looking to take a trip into Hammersley Wild Area sometime this spring/early summer.

Been doing my research and planning the route on CalTopo, but wanted to get input from locals. I know this is a freestone and that water levels can vary pretty greatly. If I'm going to try to fish spots like the Bell Branch, Nelson Branch, Cow Run, and Upper Hammersley Fork (along the Susquehannock Trail System), is the 3rd week of June too late for decent water levels (assuming a "normal" water year)?

Being a born-and-raised west coaster with access to so much public land in the High Sierra, I find I have to get pretty deep into a trail to avoid seeing other folks. I don't want to stick around the trailhead.

The potential routes: https://caltopo.com/m/J1F647P

 

[Swattie87]

That area has become more popular as of late. Covid outdoor push maybe? But anyway, 10 years ago you could pretty much count on having the place to yourself, as long as you hiked up past the Nelson Branch confluence. Not so much anymore. I’ve had company on every trip in there as of late, except one dead of Winter outing with a good bit of snow on the ground.

On the average year, yeah, I’d agree June is probably the best balance of ideal stream temps (those northern tier streams take well into May to warm up and turn on), and flows. But, things can still vary wildly flows wise. IMO you’re best to keep your plans loose and try to head up after a good rain gets the streams full for a few days.

From a practical perspective, only HF main stem, and Nelson and Bell Branch are big enough to fish. Everything else is tiny, and unless Kettle is at flood stage won’t have enough water to fish. Many of them go dry some Summers.

Edit: Lots of rattlesnakes in there. Not stinkbait, and not trying to discourage anyone from going there, but be prepared. I see at least one more often than not when in there during the warm months. Wear your gaiters.

 

[dbargaehre]

That area has become more popular as of late. Covid outdoor push maybe? But anyway, 10 years ago you could pretty much count on having the place to yourself, as long as you hiked up past the Nelson Branch confluence. Not so much anymore. I’ve had company on every trip in there as of late, except one dead of Winter outing with a good bit of snow on the ground.

On the average year, yeah, I’d agree June is probably the best balance of ideal stream temps (those northern tier streams take well into May to warm up and turn on), and flows. But, things can still vary wildly flows wise. IMO you’re best to keep your plans loose and try to head up after a good rain gets the streams full for a few days.

From a practical perspective, only HF main stem, and Nelson and Bell Branch are big enough to fish. Everything else is tiny, and unless Kettle is at flood stage won’t have enough water to fish. Many of them go dry some Summers.

Edit: Lots of rattlesnakes in there. Not stinkbait, and not trying to discourage anyone from going there, but be prepared. I see at least one more often than not when in there during the warm months. Wear your gaiters.

that's a bummer about the extra pressure there. i got spoiled backpacking the high sierra for many years, where you can quickly get completely alone.

I've been looking around at some of the other state forests as well but finding trails/areas longer than 5-6 miles that are away from roads has been a challenge.

in the sierra i always defined the backcountry, arbitrarily, at around 5 miles in…basically it would discourage 99% of people from dayhiking it. as long as you stayed out of popular trailheads and trails and away from the PCT you could be the only human you see for a week at a time.

 

[wildtrout2]

My best advice with the Hammersley is to try to make it weekday trip. You're much less likely to encounter other fishermen. Probably, one of the most remote, roadless streams in Pa. It is home to it's share of rattlers, but don't forget the bears. On one trip a number of years ago, I saw four different bears, nowhere near each other. It's a special place.

 

[Swattie87]

Good advice from wt2 about trying to go during the week. Easier said than done with work, I know.

From any point in PA the farthest you can walk in a straight line without hitting a road in any direction is probably only a few miles, less than five. Hammersley included, and Hammersley is commonly cited as being the largest “roadless” area in the state, hence the allure. (Have no clue whether that’s accurate or not.) If you’re dead smack in the middle of the wild area you’re really only 3 or 4 miles from a road. Now granted, some of these are seldom used State Forest or utility roads of some kind, and there are mountains in the way, but still. In every neighboring drainage, there are roads.

OP - You’ll probably need to relax your definitions of what is remote for fishing in PA, but as a small stream guy I can tell you there’s plenty of remote, wild fishing to enjoy in PA. And the vast majority of the time, you’ll have wherever you are to yourself.

 

[Cznymph]

If you get off the STS, you’re likelihood of seeing people goes way down. The STS is pretty popular, but it still might only see a dozen hikers a week once you get away from a road or trailhead.

Snakes are prevalent, but it’s not something I would fret over. Watch where you place your feet and hands, certain places just look snakey. I’ve lived in the area my whole life and have never had a close call. The vast majority of bites in the area that I’m aware of were a result of people messing around with them.

Bears too, I’m sure you have experience with those from the West Coast. Just be mindful of food storage in your tent. I don’t think that the area sees enough use that bears are associating food with hikers.

If I had my choice of weeks, I would try for the first week of June. Cooler temps and a higher likelihood of normal flows. The second and third weeks of June are local snake hunts and you’ll see more people in that area.

No reliable cell coverage in the area. The Sts is well marked though, the side trails are a bit of crapshoot.

 

[Swattie87]

There’s a Verizon tower up at the top of the mountain at Tamarack now. There’s signal enough that I can text my wife from the parking lot at the lower end of the WA, near Hammersley’s mouth. The signal holds for maybe half a mile back into the WA, then fades out. But yeah, for the most part, assume no cell coverage. If you’re navigating by your phone, download and cache maps before you go, standard stuff.

 

[wildtrout2]

I have found the Topo Maps+ App to be very helpful in remote areas without cell service, where it uses GPS functionality. Just download your specific locations in advance.

 

[jifigz]

My post is not related to Hammersly directly, but I will say there are many, many places where you can fish in state forests throughout PA and not run into people, or at least very few people. Even though you may be rather close to roads and trails, you can easily get that wilderness-y feel and often have the place to yourself.

Sorry if that isn't helpful as it does not directly relate to your question, but...

As far as Potter Co streams, late June can be okay, but it can also be pretty dry. It can be a gamble. Stream temps should be good, though. As Swattie said, those streams can take a while to warm up and start fishing well.

 

[wildtrout2]

As much as I try to use the USGS to make decisions going north, I've been let down a lot. It's a crap shoot going up there.

 

[dbargaehre]

If you get off the STS, you’re likelihood of seeing people goes way down. The STS is pretty popular, but it still might only see a dozen hikers a week once you get away from a road or trailhead.

Snakes are prevalent, but it’s not something I would fret over. Watch where you place your feet and hands, certain places just look snakey. I’ve lived in the area my whole life and have never had a close call. The vast majority of bites in the area that I’m aware of were a result of people messing around with them.

Bears too, I’m sure you have experience with those from the West Coast. Just be mindful of food storage in your tent. I don’t think that the area sees enough use that bears are associating food with hikers.

If I had my choice of weeks, I would try for the first week of June. Cooler temps and a higher likelihood of normal flows. The second and third weeks of June are local snake hunts and you’ll see more people in that area.

No reliable cell coverage in the area. The Sts is well marked though, the side trails are a bit of crapshoot.

Snakes and bears are not news to me. I’m quite used to taking a bear can wherever I go and use it as a camp stool, laundry basin, etc. In addition to food storage; it’s a handy piece of kit, and a fed bear is a dead bear so I’m fine with the extra ounces.

I’ll see if I can do first week of June instead, thanks for the tip.

 

[dbargaehre]

Good advice from wt2 about trying to go during the week. Easier said than done with work, I know.

From any point in PA the farthest you can walk in a straight line without hitting a road in any direction is probably only a few miles, less than five. Hammersley included, and Hammersley is commonly cited as being the largest “roadless” area in the state, hence the allure. (Have no clue whether that’s accurate or not.) If you’re dead smack in the middle of the wild area you’re really only 3 or 4 miles from a road. Now granted, some of these are seldom used State Forest or utility roads of some kind, and there are mountains in the way, but still. In every neighboring drainage, there are roads.

OP - You’ll probably need to relax your definitions of what is remote for fishing in PA, but as a small stream guy I can tell you there’s plenty of remote, wild fishing to enjoy in PA. And the vast majority of the time, you’ll have wherever you are to yourself.

I suppose you’re right about redefining. It doesn’t help that I go back for a backpacking trip to the Sierra once per year, and that spoils me every time. The amount of public land in the west is lovely. (A few photos attached from last expedition, where we caught 5 species of trout in 6 days, all wild or native.)

I live in SEPA near Lansdale, in a bit of a trout desert. Hilariously, when I lived near Los Angeles I was closer to my nearest trout stream than I am here. Work definitely gets in the way of my fishing expeditions, but I know there’s a lot of great fishing out here. Did a trip to Penns/ Big Fishing/Spring Creek last May and had a great time, and surprisingly few other anglers.

 

[jifigz]

I suppose you’re right about redefining. It doesn’t help that I go back for a backpacking trip to the Sierra once per year, and that spoils me every time. The amount of public land in the west is lovely. (A few photos attached from last expedition, where we caught 5 species of trout in 6 days, all wild or native.)

I live in SEPA near Lansdale, in a bit of a trout desert. Hilariously, when I lived near Los Angeles I was closer to my nearest trout stream than I am here. Work definitely gets in the way of my fishing expeditions, but I know there’s a lot of great fishing out here. Did a trip to Penns/ Big Fishing/Spring Creek last May and had a great time, and surprisingly few other anglers.

Timber rattlers are a very gentle snake, too. I have never had one strike at me, and I have almost stepped on them more than once in my life.

As someone who used to backpack a ton in PA, I would leave the bear-canister home though and hang your food in a dry bag using the PCT method. I prefer less weight over more.

BTW, that stream in your pics looks gorgeous.

 

[Swattie87]

Yeah, a bear bag in a tree away from your campsite a bit is fine for PA.

As to the Rattlers, agree with jifigz. Timbers are about as mild mannered as you get for snakes. A much calmer temperament than the species you’ll find out west. For the most part they just sit there and don’t move. Most don’t actually rattle in my experience, unless they’re shedding or you get really close to them. Within a step, or two at most. They primarily rely on not being detected at all. But, and it’s a big but…The main issue with Timbers and fishing in the PA wilds is the fern and understory growth on the forest floor. Most years by June, and even more so later in Summer, the understory is so thick that you can’t always see where you’re putting your feet. And knowing that Timbers are less prone to rattle than other Rattlesnake species, this is the risk in my mind. Stepping on, or near one, that doesn’t rattle to warn you of its presence…You can’t rely on a Timber to rattle for you. I’ve probably seen 20 or so in my time fishing in PA. Most didn’t rattle at all, and only one rattled more than just a quick buzz. Snake gaiters to my knees over my waders are my solution. I’ve never stepped directly on one, but have stepped close enough to a couple without knowing it that my boot touched them. They didn’t strike, but I was glad I had gaiters on. If you fish in the PA wilds long enough, you’re gonna come across them. And Hammersley has the highest density of them of any stream I have fished in the state, FWIW.

As to crowds, the reality is you’re unlikely to run into other anglers small stream wild Trout fishing in PA. There’s too many streams, and too little anglers who do that kind of fishing for crowding to be an issue. I probably only run into other anglers a handful or less times a year. Excluding the super popular streams…Penns/LJR/Spring/BFC/etc. The issue with a stream like Hammersley is, if you’re fishing behind someone for the weekend, it’s gonna drastically affect how well the stream fishes, and when you hike into a place like that, it is a bummer to not have the place to yourself. But, it’s public land and we all gotta share it, and a few days in there, even with company, beats the snot out of work.

 

[ANF-Hiker]

Agree with the others that late May/early June would be a good time to visit Hammersly. I'd also add that Quehanna is much nicer, IMO, and probably less likely to see people. A huge amount of trails in the area and underrated trout fishing.

As far as seeing other anglers, I've personally encountered another fisherman only once in probably 600 or so trips over the last dozen year years. I've skipped two or three streams because there was a car there in that time. PA may not have as much overall public land as Western states, but in my opinion it's much more usable land for my pursuits (backpacking and small stream trout fishing) than almost anywhere I've been.

 

[wildtrout2]

The issue with a stream like Hammersley is, if you’re fishing behind someone for the weekend, it’s gonna drastically affect how well the stream fishes, and when you hike into a place like that, it is a bummer to not have the place to yourself.

This is sooo true. That's why you want to do your best to fish it on a weekday.

As far as the rattlers go, like Swattie said, the Hammersley is where I've had the bulk of my encounters with them over the years. Also as mentioned, pay extra attention while walking through those ferns, they love that enviornment. Really, the only chance of a strike though, would be if you step on one. They are that docile. Those ferns still give the heebie-jeebies. 🙂

 

[jifigz]

Agree with the others that late May/early June would be a good time to visit Hammersly. I'd also add that Quehanna is much nicer, IMO, and probably less likely to see people. A huge amount of trails in the area and underrated trout fishing.

As far as seeing other anglers, I've personally encountered another fisherman only once in probably 600 or so trips over the last dozen year years. I've skipped two or three streams because there was a car there in that time. PA may not have as much overall public land as Western states, but in my opinion it's much more usable land for my pursuits (backpacking and small stream trout fishing) than almost anywhere I've been.

For an eastern state, PA is the bee's knees. We have it good, man.