Pennsylvania trails · Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail

A 235.1-mile section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Pennsylvania, with 1,784 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 2,197 miles. Reaches Bake Oven Knob and other arch/lake/pass/spring/summit destinations. Managed by Pennsylvania DCNR.

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Length

235.1 mi

Elevation gain

1,784 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

50%

Steepest mile

+973 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

36.8 mi

Shape

point-to-point

Managed by

Pennsylvania DCNR

Elevation profile

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 27,568 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Bake Oven Knob (summit)
White Rocks (summit)
Dans Pulpit (summit)
Swatara Gap (pass)
Smith Gap (pass)
Whisky Spring (spring)
Lehigh Furnace Gap (pass)
Pulpit Rock (arch)
Mount Minsi (summit)
Rocky Mountain (summit)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Terrain graded T4 (SAC scale) — exposed or hands-on hiking reported on part of this route.

Getting there

At Spur Trail access. 40.55956, -76.05991 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:02 a.m., the sun rises at 6:30 a.m. and sets at 7:38 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:06 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 08 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 235.1-mile route works out to roughly 87 h 58 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.

Loop options

Appalachian Trail + Wolf Rocks Bypass Trail — 4.5 mi loop, 437 ft gain
Three Valley Trail + Appalachian Trail + Ramble Trail — 2.6 mi loop, 486 ft gain

Nearby trails

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Trails — 6.4 mi
Schuylkill River Water Trail — 17.0 mi