Hiking in Weiser State Forest
District and Local Trails
33 miles of shared-use trails are open to hiking, with additional trails on adjoining public lands. Marked trails are presently available on the Haldeman and Greenland Tracts in northern Dauphin County. Hikers can enjoy numerous unmarked trails throughout Weiser State Forest.
Additionally, 13 miles of shared-use trails are open to the public on Lykens Borough municipal lands and eight miles on State Game Lands 210.
State forest roads are also available for recreational use. There are about 20 miles of roads on the Dauphin County tracts and 30 miles on tracts in Schuylkill and Carbon Counties.
All trails can be viewed on the
Weiser State Forest District maps.
Roaring Creek Tract
There are also marked trails on the Roaring Creek Tract (PDF) in southern Northumberland and Columbia Counties.
The Miners Path Trails on the Roaring Creek Tract were developed using old maps with delineated footpaths used by coal miners. Miners traveled across the Roaring Creek valley to work in the mines in the Wilburton and Natalie area.
An eight-mile shared-use trail also runs through the valley along the creek and reservoirs, for those preferring a leisurely hike or walk.
Appalachian Trail
The
Appalachian Trail is a National Recreational Trail administered by the National Park Service.
The Appalachian Trail traverses Pennsylvania for 229 miles. Approximately 114 miles pass through the Weiser Forest District, four miles of which are located on state forest land.
The trail enters the northeast end of the district where Carbon County intersects with Monroe and Northampton counties. From this point it continues along the Blue Mountain ridge top to the Lehigh Water Gap near Palmerton.
Then, it follows the boundary between Schuylkill and Berks counties, to Swatara Gap in Lebanon County, where it crosses the historic Waterville Bridge in Swatara State Park.
From there it swings north crossing three ridges until it reaches the top of Peters Mountain just east of the Dehart Reservoir. It then follows the top of Peters Mountain until it leaves the district, crossing the Susquehanna River on the Clark’s Ferry Bridge.