Pymatuning State Park: Sugar Run Trail (Blog Hike #779)

Trail: Sugar Run Trail

Hike Location: Pymatuning State Park

Geographic Location: north of Jamestown, PA (41.49820, -80.45889)
Length: 1.1 miles

Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: October 2019

Overview: A short, nearly flat loop below Pymatuning Dam.

Park Information: https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/PymatuningStatePark/Pages/default.aspx

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=943549

Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Jamestown, take US 322 west 2.2 miles to the signed entrance for Pymatuning State Park on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, then immediately turn right again to head for the dam.  After driving across the dam, turn right on the access road for picnic shelter #1.  Park in the parking lot near picnic shelter #1.

The hike: Straddling the Ohio/Pennsylvania state line, 17,088 acre Pymatuning Reservoir is the largest man-made lake in either Pennsylvania or Ohio (of course, Lake Erie is the largest lake period in either of those states).  The lake was formed in 1934 when the Pymatuning Dam was built on Pennsylvania’s Shenango River, and the dam’s old-school stone construction makes it an interesting roadside attraction on your drive to or from the trailhead.  Because the submerged land is former swampland with little relief, Pymatuning Reservoir is long but shallow: the lake’s maximum depth is only 35 feet.

Interesting Pymatuning Dam

            Two state parks lie on the shore of Pymatuning Reservoir.  To make matters confusing, both of these parks bare the name Pymatuning State Park, but one is owned by the State of Ohio while the other is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Pennsylvania’s version of Pymatuning State Park has the better hiking opportunities, and that is the one featured in this blog entry.  While not the longest hike in either Pymatuning State Park, the Sugar Run Trail described here offers a well-marked and well-maintained course near the dam area, so it lets you see the interesting dam while also letting you experience the park’s natural environment.

Bridge across Shenango River

            From the parking area, reach the Sugar Run Trail by walking across the iron bridge with wooden deck that spans the Shenango River.  The river flows wide and shallow here as its waters slowly make their way southward toward the Ohio River.  Vegetation crowds the river downstream, while upstream the dam area’s wooden fishing deck and stone dam structures are in view.

View down Shenango River

View of fishing and dam area

            At the south end of the bridge, you reach the Sugar Run Trail, which goes left and right to form its loop.  To get to the dam sooner, I chose to turn right here and hike the loop counterclockwise.  Marked with blue rectangular paint blazes, the Sugar Run Trail heads west paralleling first the Shenango River and then Sugar Run on the right.  The forest is a nice mixture of maple, oak, and hickory trees, and the leaves were just starting to change color when I hiked here in mid-October.

Pymatuning Dam spillway

Ripple in Sugar Run

            Near 0.4 miles, Pymatuning Dam’s stone and concrete spillway comes into view across the creek just before you pass a small cascade in Sugar Run.  Just past this point, the trail forks.  The main loop turns left here to head up a small but steep hill, while a spur trail continues to follow Sugar Run; the spur leads to an alternate trailhead on US 322.  A bridge used to cross Sugar Run and allow access to the picnic areas above the dam, but that bridge was out on my visit.

Hiking the Sugar Run Trail

            Continuing around the main loop, the single-track dirt trail heads through dense broadleaf forest with the park boundary close on the right.  A flat easy cruise brings you back to the bank of the Shenango River, where the trail curves left to once-again start following the river.  A little more riverside hiking returns you to the Shenango River bridge you crossed at this hike’s outset, thus completing the hike.  Before you leave, be sure to check out the interesting stone dam and admire the stark yet elegant construction.

Swallow Falls State Park: Swallow Falls Canyon Trail (Blog Hike #778)

Trails: Swallow Falls Canyon Trail

Hike Location: Swallow Falls State Park

Geographic Location: north of Oakland, MD (39.49893, -79.41852)

Length: 1.1 miles

Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Date Hiked: October 2019

Overview: A short loop passing 4 major waterfalls.

Park Information: https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/western/swallowfalls.aspx

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=943240

Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Oakland, take US 219 north 7 miles to Mayhew Inn Road.  Alternatively, reach Mayhew Inn Rd. by taking SR 42 and/or US 219 south 19 miles from I-68, exits 4 and 11 respectively.  Turn west on Mayhew Inn Rd.  Drive Mayhew Inn Rd. west 4.5 miles to its end at Oakland Sang Road.  Turn left on Oakland Sang Rd. and drive Oakland Sang Rd. 0.3 miles to Swallow Falls Road.  Turn right on Swallow Falls Rd.  Drive Swallow Falls Rd. west 1.2 miles to the state park entrance on the right, which is reached just after crossing a rickety one lane bridge over the Youghiogheny River.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the entrance fee, and park in the blacktop trailhead parking lot on the right 0.4 miles from the park entrance.

The hike: If you want national park-level scenery without national park prices or (maybe) national park crowds, then perhaps a visit to rural western Maryland’s Swallow Falls State Park is in order.  The narrow, winding roads that lead to the park testify to the park’s remote location, which reduces but not eliminates the crowds.  The park’s location on the Youghiogheny River, one of the region’s most scenic waterways, provides the national park level scenery.  On point, the 257 acre park contains virgin forest and four noteworthy waterfalls, all of which are seen on this hike.

            The land’s history as parkland dates to 1906, when John and Robert Garrett donated 1917 acres to the State of Maryland.  The park gained notoriety in 1918 when Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, John Burroughs and company camped near Muddy Creek Falls, the tallest of the park’s four waterfalls.  The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked here in the 1930’s, and they built trails and buildings that are still in use.  The park today features a 65-site developed campground, a picnic pavilion, and a small Visitor Center for amenities.

            For hikers, Swallow Falls State Park is the northern trailhead for a 5.5 mile trail that connects this park with nearby Herrington Manor State Park.  The only trail contained within the boundaries of Swallow Falls State Park is the 1.1 mile Swallow Falls Canyon Trail, but it is a good one that passes all four waterfalls and takes you through the virgin forest.  Such is the trail described here.

Portal at start of Swallow Falls Canyon Trail

            From the Visitor Center, walk across the parking lot and through the iron portal with wooden lintel that is the signed start of the Swallow Falls Canyon Trail.  Almost immediately you enter the virgin forest, and an interpretive sign tells you that this area is called the Youghiogheny Grove.  This stand of white pines and hemlocks contains trees that are more than 300 years old, and it is the last forest of its kind in Maryland.

Entering the Youghiogheny Grove

            After only a couple hundred feet, the trail forks to form its loop.  To save the best waterfall for last, I decided to turn right here and use the left trail as my return route, thus hiking the loop counterclockwise.  The wide gravel trail heads south over flat to descending terrain, and the park entrance road comes within sight through the trees to the right.

            Ignore a set of wooden steps that exits downhill to the left and continue heading south.  Soon the descent steepens, and a somewhat rocky and rooty course brings you to the base of Tolliver Falls, the first and probably least impressive of the four waterfalls on this hike.  At less than 10 feet in height, Tolliver Falls is a typical ledge-type waterfall, but it features an attractive plunge pool and rhododendron-filled surroundings.

Tolliver Falls

            The trail heads downstream from Tolliver Falls and soon reaches the west bank of the Youghiogheny River, a whitewater river known locally as “the Yahk.”  You may be able to see (or hear) the rickety one-lane bridge you drove over to get to the park; it crosses the river just upstream from here.  Now following the Yahk downstream, at 0.4 miles you reach Upper Swallow Falls.  Upper Swallow Falls is a 20-foot cascade-type waterfall, and the Yahk provides plenty of water to fall.  The first viewpoint provides a side view of the waterfall and views downstream, but a second viewpoint gives a postcard view from below the waterfall.

Upper Swallow Falls

            Where you reach the bottom of the wooden steps you passed the top of earlier, turn right to continue heading downstream beside the Yahk.  Near 0.6 miles, you reach Lower Swallow Falls.  Another river waterfall, Lower Swallow Falls is a 10-foot ledge-type waterfall, and an overlook area provides a close-up side view of the waterfall.

Lower Swallow Falls

            The trail continues downstream and passes below some rock cliffs and rock shelters on the left.  Next the trail curves left to leave the Yahk and head up the side ravine that contains Muddy Creek.  At 0.9 miles, you reach 53-foot Muddy Creek Falls, the tallest single-drop waterfall in Maryland.  A rocky ledge just below the waterfall provides the best view, but some landing areas built into the wooden staircase that lifts you to the top of the falls also provide nice views.  The view from the top of the waterfall looking down toward the Yahk is not bad either, and some benches near the top encourage you to rest after climbing the stairs and take in the scenery.

Muddy Creek Falls

            The top of Muddy Creek Falls is the other end of the wide gravel trail you started on, so a mostly flat course on wide trail through virgin forest is what remains.  A small parking lot provides handicapped access to the top of Muddy Creek Falls.  After closing the loop, turn right on the entrance trail to return to the parking lot and complete the hike.