Shikellamy State Park: Deer Trail (Blog Hike #963)

Trail: Deer Trail
Hike Location: Shikellamy State Park
Geographic Location: across the river from Northumberland, PA (40.88361, -76.80456)
Length: 1.1 miles
Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: September 2023
Overview: A loop hike featuring fantastic clifftop Susquehanna River overlooks.
Park Information: https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/ShikellamyStatePark/Pages/default.aspx
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=947099
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming November 1)

Directions to the trailhead: From Northumberland, take US 11 south 0.7 miles to County Line Road, crossing the Susquehanna River in the process.  Turn right on County Line Rd.  Drive County Line Rd. north 0.3 miles to the state park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park and drive up the steep, narrow, and winding park road to the large gravel overlook parking lot at its end.  Park here.

The hike: My September 2023 visit to Shikellamy State Park was actually my second visit to this park.  On my way back from New York's Finger Lakes in 2013, I stopped here with the intention of enjoying the overlooks and hiking the Deer Trail described here.  Unfortunately, as I admired the overlook at the trailhead, a strong thunderstorm fell on the park, drowning my hiking plans for the rest of the day.  10 years later, I drove up the park entrance road for a second time and had an excellent hike.

            Located near the confluence of the West and North Branches of the Susquehanna River in east-central Pennsylvania, Shikellamy State Park consists of two separate and disjoint sections.  The Marina Section opened in 1972, and it consists of 54 acres along the river that contain a marina and a paved walking trail.  The Overlook Section dates to 1960, and it consists of 78 acres located atop a steep bluff above the west bank of the river.  The park is named after the Iroquois chief Shikellamy who ruled in an 18th century village located near today's Overlook Section.

            The park is solely a day-use park with no lodging accommodations, and boating, fishing, and picnicking along the Susquehanna River remain its main attractions.  For hikers, the Marina Section offers only the flat, paved walking trail, but the Overlook Section has a couple of short natural surface trails.  This hike features the Deer Trail, which is the outer-most loop through the Overlook Section's trail system.  Thus, this hike is the park's longest possible natural-surface hike without retracing steps, and it tours both the overlooks and the surrounding woods.

View across the river to Northumberland

            The northern-most overlook is located at the parking area, so you may as well get a view before you even begin the hike.  This viewpoint looks east across the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, and it gives a nice view of Northumberland.  When you are ready to leave the overlook, pick up the Deer Trail as it heads north through a sparsely-treed mowed-grass area with the bluff to your right.  The Deer Trail is marked with yellow rectangular paint blazes, and they keep you heading the right direction through the mowed-grass area.

Hiking through mowed-grass area

            The Deer Trail curves left, enters the woods, and begins a gradual to moderate descent.  The forest here is a mixture of oak and pine trees, and true to this trail's name I did indeed see 3 deer as I walked through the woods.  Soon some wooden steps appear as the descent steepens, and traffic noise from County Line Road can be heard from the right.

Crossing a bridge

            At 0.5 miles, a short-cut trail exits left just after you cross a wooden bridge with metal handrails.  Angle right to hike the full Deer Trail.  More gradual descending brings you to another short-cut trail at 0.65 miles.  Turn right to stay on the Deer Trail as it descends steeply using more wooden steps.

Climbing steep wooden steps

            The park entrance road comes in sight on the right as you pass the lowest elevation on this hike.  You also pass what appears to be some water works infrastructure on the left.  All you have done so far is descend, so you know what comes next: a steep climb involving more wooden steps.  Although this hike is short, the 200 feet of elevation gain is accomplished rather quickly, thus increasing the difficulty.

Hiking along the chain-link fence

            After crossing the park entrance road, you start following a chain-link fence and reach my favorite overlook at this park.  The view here looks down on the confluence of the Susquehanna River's two main branches.  Numerous bridges and this park's Marina Section can be seen in the foreground, and the hills of eastern Pennsylvania form the background.  A bench encourages you to sit, rest, and enjoy the view.

River confluence overlook

            Past the overlook, the grade moderates as the trail continues to climb, following the chain-link fence.  Trees clinging to the edge of the bluff prevent any further views.  Soon the parking lot comes in sight, signaling the end of the hike.  If you want to do more hiking, this park's Marina Section offers a flat asphalt trail, and nearby Milton State Park has trails that explore an island in the Susquehanna River.