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Twin Lakes Hiking Trail
The Twin Lakes Trail is the second longest trail on the Allegheny. This 15.8 mile long trail begins at the long loop of the Black Cherry National Recreation Interpretive Trail located at Twin Lakes Recreation Area and travels west to join with the North Country National Scenic Trail.
The trail is marked with gray diamonds and is designated MORE DIFFICULT and is best suited to hikers and backpackers. At the Twin Lakes Recreation Area, the trail climbs from Hoffman Run over the plateau and then drops into the headwaters of Wolf Run on its way to South Branch Tionesta Creek. After crossing South Branch Tionesta Creek and then Crane Run, a designated wilderness trout stream, the trail then climbs into the Tionesta Scenic Area. Along the trial, Wolf Run, Tionesta Creek and Crane Run are popular trout fishing streams. Portions of the trail pass through oil and gas development fields. Some sections of the trail are wet depending on the time of year.
The trail ends at the North Country National Scenic Trail in the Tionesta Scenic Area. From there hikers can continue north or south on the North Country National Scenic Trail.
View/Print Trail Brochure - pdf
At a Glance
| Fees: | No fee |
|---|---|
| Permit Info: | No permit required |
| Open Season: | January - December |
| Usage: | Light |
| Restrictions: | As a visitor to the National Forest, you are asked to follow certain rules designed to protect the Forest, natural resources and to provide for public safety of visitors. These rules are available to you on-line or at any office of the Allegheny National Forest. Please take time to read and understand them. General Topic orders apply across the Forest. Applicable Orders for this Site:
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| Closest Towns: | Kane, PA |
| Water: | None |
| Restroom: | Vault |
| Operated By: | Forest Service |
| Information Center: | Marienville Ranger District Address: 131 Smokey Lane Marienville, PA 16239 Phone: 1-814-927-6628 Email: sm.fs.anf@usda.gov |
General Information
Directions:From Kane
- Travel on Route 321 for 6.7 miles.
- Turn right onto T361.
- Travel on T361 for 1 mile.
- T361 Turns into Twin Lakes Road.
- Travel on Twin Lakes Road for 2.3 miles.
- The site is located on the right.
Activities
Mountain Biking
Joint use with hikers| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
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River and Stream Fishing
Fish Twin Lakes impoundment or Hoffman Run.
For information on fishing regulations and season visit the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission website.
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
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Day Hiking
Watch the informational signs...this trail offers challenges to a wide range of skill levels as it climbs from Hoffman Run at the Twin Lakes Recreation Area over the plateau, and then drops into the headwaters of Wolf Run on its way to Tionesta Creek. Spots along Wolf Run will be wet.
After crossing Tionesta Creek and then Crane Run, a designated Wilderness Trout Stream, the trail then climbs into the Tionesta National Scenic Area. The North Country National Scenic Trail junctions with the Twin Lakes Trail in the scenic area. Hikers then have the opportunity to move north or south on the cross-forest trail.
The Twin Lakes Trail is the second longest trail on the forest, and was intended to provide a link to the cross-forest North Country National Scenic Trail while allowing hikers to utilize the parking and recreational facilities available at the Twin Lakes Recreation Area.
| Fire Information | Campfires are permitted if maintained in a fire ring, and completely extinguished. |
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
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Backpacking
This trail offers challenges to a wide range of skill levels as it climbs from Hoffman Run at the Twin Lakes Recreation Area over the plateau, and then drops into the headwaters of Wolf Run on its way to Tionesta Creek. Spots along Wolf Run will be wet.
After crossing Tionesta Creek and then Crane Run, a designated Wilderness Trout Stream, the trail then climbs into the Tionesta National Scenic Area. The North Country National Scenic Trail junctions with the Twin Lakes Trail in the scenic area. Hikers then have the opportunity to move north or south on the cross-forest trail.
The Twin Lakes Trail is the second longest trail on the forest, and was intended to provide a link to the cross-forest North Country National Scenic Trail while allowing hikers to utilize the parking and recreational facilities available at the Twin Lakes Recreation Area.
| Fire Information | Campfires are permitted if maintained in a fire ring, and completely extinguished. |
| Elevation desc | Significant elevation changes. |
| Difficulty Level: | Difficult |
|---|
Geocaching & Letterboxing
Geo-caching is a permissible dispersed recreation activity on most areas of the Allegheny National Forest.
Areas where geo-cacheing is not permitted include:
- Hickory Creek Wilderness,
- Tionesta Scenic and Research Natural Areas,
- Hearts Content Scenic Area and
- all developed recreation sites.
What You Need to Know About GeoCaching:
- No soil disturbance is permitted for any geo-cache placement on the Forest.
- Caches should be covered with leaves or woody debris if the geo-cacher chooses to screen the cache at the site.
- We ask all geo-cachers to remove their cache if the site receives a large number of visits by others as evidenced by a well-worn trail or path.
- We ask that all caches be removed after one year regardless of site activity and moved to a new location or removed from the National Forest.
| Difficulty Level: | Difficult |
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XC Skiing/Snowshoeing
Multiple use trail for hiking, X-C skiing and snow shoeing.| Warming Shelters | No |
| Base Conditions | Not a groomed trail |
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
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