Beaver Pond Area Trail Closing

Beaver Pond Area on the Mid State Trail was hit very hard by hurricane Ivan back in September. Large numbers of red and white oaks were blown down, covering parts of the Mid State, Ironstone Loop, and Pine Grove Trails. See map 202. Red and white oaks are the money trees in Rothrock Forest so Forestry is going to salvage the downed trees. Consequently, trails in this area will be closed for one or even two years. Here are instructions for avoiding the Beaver Pond Area and trail junction.
  1. From Joe Hays Vista on top of Tussey Ridge. Avoid Pine Grove Trail and take blue blazed Jackson Trail. Jackson Trail was cleared and reblazed in August of 2004 but the burn area will have to be cleared again in 2005.
  2. From junction of Ironstone Loop and Pine Swamp Road. If you are headed east on the Mid State follow Pine Swamp Road east for 3.2 km (2.0 miles) ignoring unblazed trail to Beaver Pond and gated drive way to Metz Manor hunting camp ( 5C366 noted on roadside post) both on your left. This is followed by two old roads to old sawmill sites blocked by piles of earth and a third old road blocked with a pile of boulders all on your left. (These sawmills were operated back in the 1960s and are marked by piles of rotten slab wood.) Take this third old road and follow it across Shavers Creek, just a step over this far up the valley. The rotting pile of slab wood marking the sawmill site can be seen to your left. Continue to orange blazed Mid State and turn right.
  3. From junction of Ironstone Loop and Pine Swamp Road. If you are headed to Joe Hays Vista, you can't get there from here. You may think you see a route near PA 26 on Map 202 and all goes well up to Harry's Valley Road. This is a snowmobile trail along PA 26 which is maintained by license fees and should only be used out of season. There is even a view over Stone Valley where you cross the large power line. The trouble is the Campbell Trail beyond Harry's Valley Road has ceased to exist. This is the fate of unmaintained trails in Pennsylvania. OK the old wagon road slabbing up the flank of Tussey Ridge is still there but it is covered with a zillion blowdowns and overgrown with brush and your chances of finding it are not very good.
  4. From signed junction of Mid State and Jackson Trails, 4.8 kilometers east of PA 26. If you are headed for Joe Hays Vista on PA 26, continue on blue blazed Jackson Trail to west. If you are headed for Stone Valley, turn left on Mid State and follow it to sawmill site # 3 in paragraph 2. Turn left and follow old road out to Pine Swamp Road and turn right for 3.2 km (2.0 miles) to a junction with blue blazed Ironstone Trail at crossing of Roaring Run. Bear left on Ironstone Trail.
PDF map of the affected area.

Temporary signs have been placed at the top of Pine Grove Trail, Ironstone Loop near Roaring Run and at the third sawmill site. All these routes can be seen on map 202 but the sawmill sites and the old roads between them and Pine Swamp Road are not shown. Both the snowmobile trail along PA 26 and Campbell Trail are shown.

Last updated April 13, 2007.