Tugboat999
New member
How hard is the walk into the canyon. Ill be in area last week in May THANKS
PA Grand Canyon
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moodyblues
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Not difficult to access in the least.
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As long as you don’t try to climb out of it sideways, as easy as it gets. Groomed and maintained double wide rail trail on the east side the whole length. Accesses at Darling Run on the upper end, and Blackwell at the bottom end off of paved roads. And a really junky road goes down in about halfway on the east side at Tiadaghton (a cluster of cabins). The road is a rutted muddy mess, high clearance 4WD only.
sandflyx
Well-known member
If you stop here at my shop I have maps.
dryflyguy
Well-known member
There are trails going down the sides of the canyon.
I went in on a few of them.
The hike out is a bear.
Hiking and floating the best way to do it
I went in on a few of them.
The hike out is a bear.
Hiking and floating the best way to do it
Here is a map of the area. It's pricey but very good.
www.purplelizard.com
You can also get the Tiadaghton State Forest Map from the Bureau of Forestry, which is free.
Pine Creek Lizard Map - Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania
The most comprehensive detailed outdoor recreation map of available of Pine Creek, PA - The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. Hiking, biking, or just plain exploring, this is the map you need. Includes the the 62 mile Rail Trail, short & long distance hiking trails, and much more! A map for people...
www.purplelizard.com
You can also get the Tiadaghton State Forest Map from the Bureau of Forestry, which is free.
Here is a map of the area. It's pricey but very good.
Pine Creek Lizard Map - Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania
The most comprehensive detailed outdoor recreation map of available of Pine Creek, PA - The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. Hiking, biking, or just plain exploring, this is the map you need. Includes the the 62 mile Rail Trail, short & long distance hiking trails, and much more! A map for people...
You can also get the Tiadaghton State Forest Map from the Bureau of Forestry, which is free.
Halfway down this page I’m linking is the Tioga state forest Pine Creek trail map. It only covers the rail trail, and is more than comprehensive enough. It shows all the access areas, campgrounds, distance between access areas, as well as the names of all the tributaries to Pine Creek, which is helpful in adhering to regulations.
It’s also free.
MJMFlyfisher
Well-known member
I remember "back in the day" you had to halfway "earn" those fish 3 miles up from Blackwell. Hike up with your gear in a backpack or try to keep a crappy mountain bike in the tiny single track in the jackstone. LOL Which was darn near impossible on a ride out in the dark. 😆
Now you're just as likely to see a little girl on a pink bicycle rolling by while you're fishing. Not that it's worse now....just "different"
Some years the lower canyon was dynamite.....if you managed to luck into a couple successive years of cool wet summers that lead to some very impressive holdovers. Some of the best fighting fish I've caught anywhere.
Now you're just as likely to see a little girl on a pink bicycle rolling by while you're fishing. Not that it's worse now....just "different"
Some years the lower canyon was dynamite.....if you managed to luck into a couple successive years of cool wet summers that lead to some very impressive holdovers. Some of the best fighting fish I've caught anywhere.
dryflyguy
Well-known member
I used to walk, then bike up from Blackwell, before the trail was put in also
Pretty bumpy if you veered off the tire ruts..
Love that lower 4 miles of the canyon - and the huge dry fly pools there.
They stocked some beautiful German strains browns that - so I was told - were raised in that area .
Really looked like wild fish
MJMFlyfisher
Well-known member
Hmmmmm? 🤔 We just always assumed they were holdovers.....maybe they were what you were saying?
Like the fish the club stocks in the stretch. You are exactly right....they just looked like wild fish and some amazing dry fly action on those long bend runs and pools. They were the best looking hardest fighting trout I can ever remember seeing in PA and it felt like a secret because we would never see anyone else fishing......this was early to mid 90's when we first started fishing it.
I haven't been back in many years but lots of good memories. Well except for the bike crash into a family of skunks using the same tire rut on the way out one night. Nobody had headlamps or anything cool like that so you just hoped your eyes adjusted enough that you didn't break a wrist and left with some skin on your shins LOL
dryflyguy
Well-known member
The owner of slate run tackle shop told me about those browns.
They were allowed to drive up the trail to stock them.
I always have a light with me to bike out at night.
Good thing too.
Biking out of there one evening at dusk, I noticed something stretched out across the trail in front of me.
And had just enough time to stop before running it over - it was a huge rattle snake.
They were allowed to drive up the trail to stock them.
I always have a light with me to bike out at night.
Good thing too.
Biking out of there one evening at dusk, I noticed something stretched out across the trail in front of me.
And had just enough time to stop before running it over - it was a huge rattle snake.
Forestfishin
Member
We went to Potter for our honeymoon in 2000. We hiked into the canyon from the park on the east side. Wasn’t to bad getting down. Once we got to Pine it was 30 minutes of non stop action until we heard thunder in the distance. By the time we were ready to head out the clouds we’re just rolling in over the west edge. Somehow made it back up the trail in about half the time of the descent.
It is a nice hike if you’re in good enough shape but biking is a nice option to seek out a lot of different areas. We’re thinking about going up again the second half of May for our 25th.
It is a nice hike if you’re in good enough shape but biking is a nice option to seek out a lot of different areas. We’re thinking about going up again the second half of May for our 25th.
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dryflyguy
Well-known member
The turkey path?
Forestfishin
Member
I believe so. Was a long time ago (edited to 2000 not 2020). All I remember is it was from the park on the east side and there were some nice waterfalls to view along the trail.
dryflyguy
Well-known member
It starts at Leonard Harrison State Park.
Was there in the fall a few years ago with my wife, and wanted to go down there - just to see it
But she didn't want to do it.
So I skipped it.
Sounds like a nice hike
lycoflyfisher
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The turkey path is much improved now. If you want adventure, try cutting all of the switchback off on the south side. It is darn near rock climbing straight up.
The expanded parking really changed the feel of the overlook though.
The expanded parking really changed the feel of the overlook though.
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Yes, that’s the Turkey Path. There’s a similar trail on the Colton Point (west) side that goes down into the Canyon. Though the one from Leonard Harrison is a better trail and more frequently trafficked.
That said, if your plan is to fish Pine, biking the rail trail from Darling Run or Blackwell is the smarter approach.
I forgot in my earlier posts too…There’s also a road on the west side that comes down in from the north that gets you a couple miles into the Canyon, upstream of Colton Point yet though, before it ends. Owasse Rd. You’d have to cross Pine to get to the rail trail, so it doesn’t make much sense for a bike approach, but, if you want to get down in the Canyon by vehicle, it beats the snot out of the road into Tiadaghton.
