Hiking the West Rim Trail (PA Grand Canyon)
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- The West Rim trail, also known as the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon is a 30 mile end to end hike that offers beautiful views stunning vistas and as we found, lots of wild life. The sights on this trip were breathtaking and the camp sites along the ridge were very relaxing. Join us as we hike through the hills and explore the Pine Creek Gorge.
For a great post hike meal, check out the Burning Barrel Bar, you'll walk right past it on the way back to Pine Creek Oufitters if you follow the same route we did.
Pine Creek Outfitters Parking Lot 41.746952, -77.444400
Start of trail: 41.540639, -77.405282
End of trail: 41.741622, -77.432053
Trails used - West Rim Trail
Day 1: 16 miles
Day 2: 16 miles
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I almost stepped on a rattlesnake within a few miles of where you were. We were going out night hiking and we were walking down a driveway and a 3.5 foot rattlesnake was laid out. We had turned on our flashlights 1 step before disaster. It never rattled. I didn't know they were out at night. Word to the wise, don't take a step in that area at night without looking.
DON'T HIKE AT NIGHT!
@@johntuttle4486 why?
I don't go in woods during summer above rt80 much because of the Rattlers. I'm usually in woods during big game season they are not out
Holy crap, all those rattlesnakes!
It was a pretty awesome trail. I did it in 2015. Thanks for taking me along again.
Jewel Weed - Touch Me Not - Impatiens - A Very Effective Cure for Stinging Nettles.
Next time you encounter stinging nettles try crushing the stem of the jewel weed plant and rubbing the juices on the affected areas. The plants usually grow near one another and it gives fast relief. I'm a Pa native, enjoying your videos!
+Bob N great tip. Luckily after we were out of the thick of things, water quickly neutralized it.
Ii live just south of new castle and never heard it called jewel weed. Ive heard touch me not and the more common here is waterweed.
Thanks for posting. I am really enjoying your videos. I set them and watch them while I walk on my treadmill pretending I am hiking.. while outside, it's -7F. :)
Great video! I want to hike this one someday... on my list. Thanks for sharing.
I grew up in central PA. Thankfully I've never come across a rattlesnake. But now I live in the south and have to watch out for copperheads! Thanks for the fun vid guys.
Copperheads in PA too
Excellent video guys! I miss PA, it's a very unique place. Thanks for sharing this part of the world.
Never hiked the full trail but it's on my bucket list for this summer. Proposed to my wife at Colton point lookout. Beautiful area
me and my husband did this in June 2018. we knew about the nettles so we did long pants. we are in our 50's so it took us 3 days. its all about the barbour rock vista. my husband is not good with hieghts but I got my pic out on it. good luck on your AT adventure, hope to catch you around the pinnacle.
Nice video! I hate snakes. I hate overgrown trail combined with snakes more. Looked like a great trail to put on my list for November/December! Thanks for sharing!
If you hiked in the fall Gary, you wouldn't have encountered stinging nettle. It's a Spring/summer plant. Also the component of the plant that makes you itch is the formic acid that the plant releases. Learn to harvest and cook nettles, as they are perhaps one of the most vitamin/mineral rich plants in PA. They are amazing for your health.
A friend and I hiked this trail last fall, it was the first Friday in October. It's a great trail! Didn't see much wildlife wile we were there because of the time of year. It rained the entire first day of our hike (we hiked it in two days) so a lot of the vistas were obstructed by a foggy mist. The second day was beautiful though! We camped at that same site, it was great!
That campsite was pretty epic. I love stopping places like that. Holy cow there was a ton of wildlife. I already had the black forest trail on my list thanks to your video. Have to add this one. Thanks for bringing your camera.
Just did the Black Forest Trail last week, Well part of it after it chewed up my feet and spit them out. Planned on the whole trail over 4 days. Had to cut off 13 miles and finish in 3 days. Those Sheer downhill rock scrambles Broke 1 toe and losing 4 toenails. Averaged about 1 mile per hour on much of it and Seven Rattlesnakes Directly on the trail so had to go slow and watch them. The only trail I ever Hiked where I could truly say I did not enjoy it and would not do it again. Good Luck...Hahaha
Completed this hike this past weekend. Your video helped make it happen. Thanks again!
You are welcome!
Love your videos. I did the West Rim solo last March and had a foot of snow fall overnight. No nettles in March! Thanks for posting!
One of your best. Thanks
Take care,
Al
Another great Video. Good work. I just did the Black Forest Last week. Had to cut out 13 miles short. Chewed up my feet, 7 rattlesnakes, slow pace. Saw your video on that one too. I agree with your statement about the painful feet. I never felt pain like I felt on that trail. Not an enjoyable trail, the only one I ever said that about so far...
Wow 7 rattlers is a lot!
Loved your video sir! Keep up the good work. Word to the wise. Watch yourself at night in rattler country. Those slithering beasts hunt at night and are very active! Remember Mighty Mouse???!!! That's what the rattlers are going after at night. They are Pit Vipers which means they have heat sensors (located on each side of their head). They can "see" the rodents as a heat image...and strike at it for their meal. BTW...timber rattlers favorite terrain...1800" elevation, southeast exposure, and rock outcrops...though will be seen anywhere as you experienced. Hike on guys!!!
Not stinging nettle, it is Laportea canadense- Canadian Wood Nettle. Delicious nutritious edible leaves and stalk makes very strong fibers for corsage or weaving fabric. It does sting on contact, although the sting dissipates in mere minutes for most. Distant, very distant, cousin to stinging nettle.
You should hike a section of the Appalachian trail in the Delaware water gap of New Jersey you hike along the Kittattiny ridge and have awesome vistas of the surrounding mountains and the valley; very beautiful area definitely check it out
Surprised at the rattlesnakes as I've been to West Rim over the years eight times and never saw any on that trail. There are some waterfalls off trail along Four Mile Run stream. Thanks for the video- it brought back good memories of past trips. Good job recording the wildlife!
I think this one is my favorite video- so many encounters.
snakes can travel faster than you think, you were smart to stay as far away as you can, Rattle snakes are no joke. Thanks for sharing your adventlures also you need to check out "packit Gourmet" for some freeze dried food
Looked at packit gourmet, wasn't impressed by the calories to price. I'm sure it tastes better than your standard freeze dried meal and I will try them once my stock in mountain house runs low.
ever since the walking dead episodes with "terminus" the word terminus should be removed from all records and never spoken again.
agreed
Its always good to wear convertible pants take off the pant legs when it gets hot and put them back on if it gets cool or walking on an overgrown trail to prevent rashes from the stinging nettle or poison ivy. Never go hiking without them.
thanks for this. this video is a big reason why I just completed this trail. it was great
Great video, the overlook at Barbour rock is hairy, but worth it. That is God's country for sure!!!
LMAO! Stinging nettles! A buddy and I found ourselves in a similar situation and I could feel your pain. Jim danced/ran through them like he was on hot coals. Yeah, its long hiking pants for me if it is 100 degrees and it is summer/nettle time. Never again, lol.
Yea man they are definitely not fun. I made the mistake of trying some light athletic shorts on a day hike, and they are just so much more comfortable for me I got spoiled. Even though the nettles were there I'm stilling wearing shorts in the summer.
I love the fact you left that part in, along with the second encounter. Great video.
Hiked most of this trail with our traditional packs and now are planning a theu hike of it with zpack arc hauls and base weights of 8-9 lbs with our two dogs. Should be awesome to hike and film. Keep it up frozen. Best Pennsylvania hiking channel period. We laughed our ass off as well at the camping potty. Great spot thou. -Nate🐷
Awesome view from the campsite! On our Porcupine Mountain Trip with the campsite at the lake. lol We both forgot our forks. I started to carve one out of wood and the knife slipped. That was a good cut that I needed to do a little first aid. One video clip of the bear pole you will see my finger wrapped. This weekend we have a trip planned. Great area, but they only have a few backcountry sites. I've been waiting a long time to come back to this area. It's about 170 miles from us. If we don't get a campsite then I'll make sure to reserve one next time. This was a last minute plan. It looks like rain on Sunday again! Once again another great video. Bob
Enjoy your trip! I'm headed out on a 3 dayer as well. 👍
+Tim Watson nice man enjoy. Hey for the black forest trail watch the snakes up there as well. There is a short section of trail where it looks like a micro burst happened and lots of tall grass. Might have been cleared but be careful.
Thanks Tim! Enjoy your trip. Very good with the editing again Jason. I really enjoyed this video. Bob
Very nice video.
Those snakes would have freaked me out big time,lol.
Great video, I have put this hike on my list for the summer. Love the rattlers! Stinging nettles kind of suck.
Thanks for sharing!
Awesome and inspiring video. Looking forward to go there this year
Yes indeed these little lanterns take up weight and space but they provide heat and light. With your tuna fish can on top of the vent you can cook on them too. Simmer even. I'm an older school backpacker and wouldn't leave the trailhead without one. It's really an unnecessary luxury. :)
Great virtual hike for us in quarantine!!! Just so you know look up stinging nettle...you misidentified blackberry bramble as stinging nettle at start of hike.
IMO....First off thank you , great job, enjoy your work. I'm watching the vid entirely because I plan to be on this trail very soon. I've done BFT multiple times, and WRT offers the shuttle. I get great benefit when you actually get out the map, and show us where your at, as your at the location. ( I did notice later in the vid, you noted mile markers more often, thats good enough.) I look forward to your Susquehannock Trail trip report, especially how you plan to resupply for that 80 some miler. Consider, that someone watching a longer video about a specific trail, is probably watching more for the logistics. So, any help with the navigation, showing where your at on the maps, etc. would be sweet.; like where you got lost for yourself, stop get out the map and show us the common mistake, and clear up the confusion that other may also encounter. Thank you so much, for all the hard work!
I love it up that way, I've always wanted to hike the pa grand canyon ! Hopefully this spring. Thanks for the vid! I'm getting winter madness I need to get out haha happy hiking!
Yo so my old man convinced me to to go to potter co and I looked at pictures and cartoonish images maps of some of these trails and all like sure looks pretty. Let’s do a little hike …. Then saw this video… i ain’t getting out of the truck .. you kids are nuts
wow i could see the rattle shaking at around 8:40 !! tons of great views, looks like some really nice campsites and well stinging nettles those are not so fun. we have them here in CA too- i only recently learned of them, quite annoying when you get stung. and BEArs!! great film thanks for taking us with you
Nice vid-- just purchased those tarp skins for my new superfly as you were showing them-- looks nice. Now I just hope the superfly will fit! Thanks for sharing!
If the my cuben tarp fit, you won't have any problems with the superfly.
Planning this trip for the second weekend of July. Looks amazing, Frozen!
Yea the first plant wasn't nettle but when you got to 11:30 you realized haha. Those things suck, but the shoots are edible
Yeah that’s jewel weed if I’m not mistaken.
Somewhere nearby the nettle should be waterweed. I found the waterweed is a good relief to the nettle. Did a similar thing on a trail closer to my home a few hours SW of this video trail. Got hit bad by the nettle and i remembered my dad teaching me to use the waterweed to stave the pain from nettle. I suggest giving it a try.
the plant you call nettles is actually one of the berry bushes. IDK if jewelweed/touch-me-not helps, but a rinse with water will. Long pants help, too. Nettle alert @11:19!
Good job guys. I enjoyed that. This year my boys and I will do the West Rim and not from the cab of the truck. Next time out get yourselves a Coleman 222 backpacker white gas lantern. You'll love it.
+John Penn that's a little heavy for me compared to the rest of the gear. I enjoy bringing only what I need and leaving the rest at home for when I go car camping. Have fun out there
Very nice boys. Looks like another great time.
Those Timber Rattlers (I think they are) are flipping huge!
Yes, they are smaller than other species but son of a gun!
Really awesome video ! Wow ! A lot of brilliant insights--thanks so much looking forward to many more. You gained yourself a subscriber!
Thanks for watching
another great video! this trail has been on my wish list, maybe next spring. we see lots of rattlers further west in the ANF too, stay safe
Yep, that was the Stinging Nettles at 11:30, the delayed burn is part of their evil. I have walked them in shorts before, and that is why I only hike in long pants, even in Summer, heh. I loved hearing Gary in them, he reminded me of my friend Jim when we found ourselves deep in a huge patch. Jim finally lost it and just did a high stepping run while screeching expletives to get out of them, lol. I'd rather see 4 rattlesnakes than walk Nettles.
Guess you and Gary were redefining spooning this trip.
+arcana1973 always
Nice vid man! At least the snakes warned you. We were doing the Quehanna West loop at the end of June, came within a few feet of a 5 footer and it didn't even rattle until we tried to move it with a long stick. Definitely a lot of them in Northern PA.
I've been in Blackwell before. My old boss owns half the mountain side by Ski Saw Mill slopes. After having been out that way many times I wanted to see the PA Grand Canyon.
So, we were going to do half of that trail tomorrow, but with storms and lightning, we are putting it off til maybe Sept long weekend....the snakes really scare me though, and we have a mid-size dog who has fortunately never encountered a snake before..... any advice? Dog on short leash might work...she's 40 lbs so too heavy to carry! Do dogs get stung by stinging nettle? If we pet her after she has gone through it will we feel the sting later?Thinking about her comfort... her eyes are pretty low and she sniffs everything....and will there be more water flowing at the beginning of September?
+Kimberly-Dawn Falk the end of September might be your best bet. The snakes will hopefully be gone by then. If you must bring your dog then yes a very short leash and watch him like a hawk. I know my dog is very curious about moving things. Also not sure about the stinging nettle and dogs. Google that for sure. I doubt it will affect the dog. Just like poison ivy doesn't affect them. But the oil may stay on his coat.
I was thinking about heading up there this year but I'm a little concerned about the rattlesnakes. I hike with my dogs and I'm half afraid they'd try and mess with them. It might be back to the drawing board for this years trip.
My state is so beautiful
Awesome video!
Glad you enjoyed it
Headed here for a weekend hike, this was a very good video. I think we could've used a few more comments on approx. miles that some of the things you saw were at, but still very enjoyable. I'll try to comment once the trip is in the books for us and let everyone know what we thought of it for the record.
Awesome trip guy's!
just finished this trail today. Thanks for your video ...
How was it? Have fun?
lol it was awesome. It's just so funny to trace ur footstep and see what you showed on the video on real life =)
I was here, a little over a month after you guys were there. I didn't see any snakes oddly however that nettle patch was there and it sucked just as bad!!!
was watching this while I did some dishes Turn back to the TV and I see that field of nettles and the distinctive leaf points and I was like wtf how are they not dying. Couple seconds later "wait is this stinging nettle haha. roughing it.
Pretty awesome trail just did 2 nights back in early march with snow, couldn't get on the rock tho didn't trust icy roots lol!!
Very cool trail, glad you did this video because I'm scheduled to do some of this in August. I live very close. I'm assuming you ate at the burning barrel? Cool footage of the snakes and bear, well done!
+Anthony C yup Burning barrel. Great burgers there.
city people walking up a road. Cool.
Hi Frozen.
Did you have to obtain any camping/overnight permit when backpacking this West Rim Trail?
Not needed, just practice leave no trace
How did Gary attach that water bottle to his strap? I've been thinking of trying something along the lines of that. Thanks, man. Love the channel.
It comes with the pack, but you just do it with a piece of shockcord and a cord lock
i love to hike but dude,Im so not going there.. great views . cant deal with stinging nettle.. weed growers use that plant to sway away trail hikers and unwanted guests so pay attention .. haha
you can eat stinging nettle after you boil it just the new tops i think
+Vincent Santaguido you are correct. It also makes a nice tea apparently.
yea ive been researching wild edibles of western pa lately i find it very interesting
the Rattlesnake Roundup is yearly event (pre covid) just a few miles up the road from where you came out of the trail in Blackwell . RR is in Morris
Yikes...my legs are stinging from the nettles...I feel like I was there. Almost. Thanks!
Hey! I did a chunk of the Black Forest trail about ten days after you guys. Agreed on sketchy water!
Did you see any snakes over there?
+Outdoor Adventures we picked a shoddy campsite the first night and had three roll through. Then one on the trail the next day. They're pretty good about letting you know that they're there.
+Simon Miller yea Thankfully.
+Outdoor Adventures now crushing humidity, heat and scarce water is a different story :-P
Hey man. I'm just wondering what you do when you can't find water on the trail. From what I see, you're hiking way longer than me. I went backpacking the other day and started around noon. I didn't bring much water with me, I was told there would be creeks to fill up on the trail. All of the creeks were dry and there was no water source for the first 7 miles( I'm fairly new and my pace is about 1.5-2mph so you can imagine how that was for me). All I could think of is maybe bring more water but I don't want to weigh myself down. My dry pack weight is about 14 pounds.
+Travis Mize I usually carry 2 liters of water at l times. My buddy Gary sometimes carries less. On sketchy trips where water sources are scarce I will bring 2 liters of water in bottles and a water bladder. At streams I'll drink a liter and fill up. Your base weight is pretty good. Just be careful especially while your are building up your speed. (it takes about a year of conditioning I'd say) remember you can usually find water by heading downhill if you are really in a bad situation.
Heading out to the West Rim trail the 27th. Is there anywhere to park other than Pine Creek Outfitters if you find your own transportation?
I believe there is parking closer to the trail. Give pine creek outfitters a call though. I'm not 100% on that but they would know. Super nice there.
Just curious what you meant by sketchy water sources. Were you referring to the limited availability due to summer or were there issues with them?
Nah water is fine. In the summer the water reports say they trickle or completely dry up. We didn't have any problems. Just make sure you are filling up to capacity at each section and you will be fine. Have fun!
@@FrozensAdventures I see. Thanks for the response. We actually wrapped up the west rim trail this past Sunday. After seeing your video, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t drinking something funky. I figured I wasn’t because pine creek outfitters didn’t make any mention of it.
Hope you got that same burger as we did. So good!
Really want to hike this trail :)
This is a great video! I love the canyon! I just subscribed to you🙂
bruh
The West Rim Trail is the type of trail where I would wear my full height gaiters from Outdoor Research. Normally I don't wear them, but in parts of PA there's so much stinging nettle, poison ivy & oak, and timber rattlesnakes that I think it's worth using them.
Agreed though I must say don't get too confident on the rattlesnakes. They will go right through that material if they bite. Highly unlikely they strike though unless provoked.
@@FrozensAdventures Yeah it will not stop a determined fang from going through the material, but you might luck out and create a glancing blow if it's not a direct strike. I did almost step on one but fortunately corrected in time. I think your tip about tapping the log with a trekking pole before stepping over is a good one, especially on PA trails (PA is also my home state).
Got that from suroviorman les stroud. I was actually almost bit my a timber rattlesnake in the smokies. Made a bad choice luckily made it out unscathed.
A few questions! 1) what is the purple sleeping pad? Mine popped on my last trip and I need a new one
2) what map are you using? I’m hiking this trail this summer and that seems like the map to use!
purple thing is just a sit pad we got on aliexpress
would gaiters help through the nettles?
We were wearing low rise gaiters the entire time. I think it's best to just grit your teeth and go for it. Way too hot for pants and it's more comfortable to hike in shorts.
Would love to take that trail one day despite the nettles
Hubby just read about this in trailer life. I was going to hike this but I try to avoid rattlesnakes because I don't like them 😱
+P M you can go in the spring or fall and it should be fine we went in the middle of summer when rattlesnakes are really active.
Outdoor Adventures oh thank you for letting me know that. As 2 of my section hikes on the Appalachian trail this year started out with someone telling me they had seen a rattlesnake on the trail 😱
The trail name said it all
Beautiful area
Pretty place...damn the rattlers! Nice dew rag. Them's "crawdads" man. Go La Sportiva! Stinging Nettles....terrible feeling...seems that washing with water helped me. Some great views! Cool to see the bear action. Great campsite! I realize that a lot of people are big on the gear description, but I could care less about what brand of gear used or the weight of a pack...I just like seeing the outdoor experiences others are having in their videos...just me. Pretty cool how your camera was on all night waiting for you to rise from the hammock, all sleepy. : ) Too bad there's a road in the valley. Great video though! Enjoyed
That road in the valley, was an old railway that was converted to a bike trail. So wasn't too bad. As far as gear stuff, there's a lot of different people watching some like the view of the trail, some like the wildlife, others use the videos for logistics and others are trying to see what different gear people use out there. So I try to do a mix of everything.
Thanks for watching!
Indeed
"Four rattlesnakes and we're 5 miles in.....K."
You, sir, have hit grandmaster level of "embracing the suck".
Rattle snakes!! I was planning to take my mom here..not anymore!!
If you go in the fall it'll be fine.
What phone app did you use when you did this hike? I am doing the west rim trail in a few weeks and need a good app to track my progress.
+Mike Bonning view ranger. But you need to find GPS data (which I don't have sorry) to actually make it work well.
How did you or who did you have to call to organize the shuttle?
Nice video, and great scenery! Reminds me a bit of the Linville Gorge here in North Carolina. You should come on down and check it out!
Thanks for sharing! I'm planning on doing the WRT in a month and am curious as to what phone app you used that had the WRT? Do you have a recommended app? Thanks again!
We use viewranger. I don't have the GPS coordinates for you but when paired with a map you should be able to figure out where you are.
Great video!! Watching about 1 of your videos a day and went on a 6mi walk yesterday because of your videos :). Got lost in the pine barrens so it was a fun adventure! I love the Grand Canyon of PA. As an astronomer I go to cherry springs state park a lot in that area. Went to Leonard Harrison State Park last year and the views in the fall were AWESOME!!
+Daniel McCormick Thanks for watching and very glad I could help get you out. That's what the channel is all about. As far as cherry Springs I will be there within the month. Me and Gary have an 85 miles hike planned around that area called the susquahannock
+Outdoor Adventures that's awesome!! I'd love to chat.. cheery springs has a very nice camping area across from the field and I know there are a ton of trails out there. I hope you make videos of it! I live in south jersey about 4hrs from there
If you can find a banana slug, try rubbing it on the sting.
Cool
The map of the trail you have in the 2nd minute of the video, were you able pick that up at pink creek outfitters?
+Mark Haedrich yes we were
Does the shuttle bring you to one end of the trail and you just hike back to your car?
Yes
What kind of backpack you using?
+Jim Bowling it's an osprey Exos 48
Snake not angry, just letting you know this it is there.
Hey Frozen. Love your videos, first time comment.
I have a question: Do you think it would be possible to plan a seven day West Rim/Black Forest Trail hike?! Also, if so, would it be even worth it to see both of them at the same time?
Thanks in advance, Frozen!~
Let me get back to you later tomorrow. If I forget comment again. Yes I think it's possible though.
I'd say to combat the stinging nettle wear hiking pants that are convertible.They will protect your legs from the plants.
+Twhiz56 we really have been enjoying wearing shorts. Keeps everything aired out and less chafing. We don't run into nettle all that often but when we do we do miss wearing full length pants.
IF YOU WEAR LONG PANTS WILL IT STILL STING YOU THROUGH THEM ? WOULD IT BE BETTER TO BRING GAITERS ALONG? DOES IT STICK IN THE MATERIAL OF YOUR CLOTHES & KEEP STINGING YOU ? LOOKED LIKE AN AWESOME TRIP . GLAD YOU MADE IT SAFELY BACK.
IT SHOULD BE FINE WITH LONG PANTS!!!!!!!
THANK YOU FOR GETTING BACK TO ME! HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT SUMMER , FALL! BE SAFE! HAVE FUN! SMILE! ENJOY! GOD BLESS YOU ALL ALWAYS!