Stony Fork Loop-Mid State Trail

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Stony Fork is one of the most scenic places in the Tioga State Forest.  This is a stream of exceptional beauty with cascades, slides, grottos, and deep aquamarine pools.  One of the highlights of this creek is the color of its water.  In summer, two of the pools are very popular on weekends.  The Mid State Trail (MST) follows Stony Fork, revealing its sublime beauty.  If you don’t mind a stretch of pleasant road walking, there is a fine loop you can hike. This is also an excellent summertime hike with all the pools to go swimming or wading.

In order to split up the roadwalk, park at about 41.596694, -77.367806.  Hike out to Clay Mine Road, and head right to go downhill.  This is a scenic, and lightly traveled, gravel road with forest cover.  You will pass a seasonal stream with cascades when it is flowing.  Reach the bottom at a small parking area.  Turn left onto a yellow trail and begin your hike up Stony Brook.  The yellow trail keeps its distance from the stream, but features hemlock forests.  Reach the orange MST, which will be your route for the remainder of the hike back to the road.

The MST stays closer to Stony Fork and you can see the rapids, cascades, and pools from the trail.  The scenery is impressive, and nonstop, as the trail goes from one grotto to another.  The creek has sculpted the bedrock into smooth, waterworn ledges.  Take your time along Stony Fork, the scenery demands it.  The MST climbs away from the creek, but then returns to it, with more pools, rapids, and grottos of smooth ledges.  The trail is often under hemlocks, enhancing the scenery of this place.

Reach Mossy Run and the MST turns left to begin the climb.  This is a small creek that can dry in summer.  When it is flowing, you will be treated to many cascades and falls over mossy bedrock.  It is quite beautiful.  Reach the top with hemlocks and meander through giant boulders and rocks draped with moss, lichens, and ferns.  Reach a trail register, and soon after, Clay Mine Road.  The MST continued south across the road.  A parking area is a couple hundred feet to the right.  To complete the loop, walk the road to your left back to the parking area and your car.  

This loop is 4-5 miles long.  The blue dots on the map indicate falls, cascades, rapids, slides, or pools.  “P” are other parking areas.

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Stony Fork is a beautiful stream. The Mid State Trail follows it. Tioga State Forest.

A post shared by Jeff Mitchell-Outdoors Author (@hiking_mitch) on Nov 23, 2019 at 5:09am PST

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Stony Fork along the Mid State Trail, Tioga State Forest.

A post shared by Jeff Mitchell-Outdoors Author (@hiking_mitch) on Nov 23, 2019 at 5:11am PST

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Stony Fork has some of the most incredible swimming holes. Bedrock beauty. Mid State Trail, Tioga State Forest.

A post shared by Jeff Mitchell-Outdoors Author (@hiking_mitch) on Nov 23, 2019 at 5:15am PST

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Rope swings retired for the season. Stony Fork, Mid State Trail, Tioga State Forest.

A post shared by Jeff Mitchell-Outdoors Author (@hiking_mitch) on Nov 23, 2019 at 5:18am PST

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Stony Fork, Mid State Trail, Tioga State Forest. The PA Wilds are special.

A post shared by Jeff Mitchell-Outdoors Author (@hiking_mitch) on Nov 23, 2019 at 5:23am PST