Hike the Haystacks and Brook Kedron Loop-Loyalsock State Forest

Length: about 6 miles
Difficulty: moderate
Blazes: the Loyalsock Trail is yellow/red, Brook Kedron and Old Dushore Rd trails are yellow.
Parking: Loyalsock Trail parking (where this description begins)
41.447723, -76.453477. Loyalsock State Forest headquarters: 41.438754, -76.464071
Highlights: Dutchman Falls, Haystack Rapids, Loyalsock Creek, hemlock forests, Brook Kedron, cascades, falls, glen.
Issues: to see the full beauty of Brook Kedron, you must go off trail along the creek.
Description: The Haystacks have long been one of the most popular hikes in the Loyalsock State Forest. Now you can extend your hike on an even longer loop by using the Brook Kedron and Old Dushore Road trails. This is a great hike, especially if you go off trail to explore Brook Kedron.
From the Loyalsock Trail (LT) parking area on Mead Road, follow the LT down a steep, rocky slope. Reach an old railroad grade. Off to your right is the blue blazed trail down to Dutchman Falls. It is worth your while to see this scenic falls. Follow the LT on the old grade. The trail turns right off of the grade, this turn can be easy to miss. Descend to the Loyalsock Creek with its rapids and pools. At times the trail is right next to the creek. It is beautiful hiking.
Move away from the creek, climb and then descend. Reach the Haystacks and enjoy this stunning setting with the smooth boulders, rapids and pools. Take a break and enjoy your time here. The LT makes a steep climb back up to the railroad grade at a seasonal falls with ice flows in winter. Now turn left onto the railroad grade, the Red X Trail. The grade is impressive as it cuts through the rock. Birch grows along the grade. Reach the yellow Brook Kedron Trail, there is a sign. Turn right and climb the trail. The trail veers left, and then right. Here, you might want to go off trail to your right on an old grade. Unfortunately, the Brook Kedron Trail avoids the beauty of its namesake so you will need to go off trail to see it. Hike under hemlocks and on top of some large boulders. Reach Brook Kedron and hike upstream. Enjoy the cascades and scenery. Enter Kedron Glen, a unique spot with fractured and layered bedrock along the ledges. Cascades and slides adorn the creek, with a falls about ten feet tall. A mini glen is just above. This off trail trek is fairly easy and very much worth it.
Look left and you should see the yellow blazes of the trail on an old grade. There is one more spot you need to see just off trail. It is The Bend and it features Brook Kedron making a sharp angle under hemlocks where you can look up and down the creek.
Return to the Brook Kedron Trail as it crosses Mead Road and explores scenic forests of hardwoods and hemlocks with blueberries and small meadows. Reach a deer fence, turn right and then the Loyalsock State Forest office comes into view. This is another place to park.
Continue on the yellow trail, now the Old Dushore Road. Hike along the deer fence and enter scenic forests of hemlocks. Cross a swath and descend under more hemlocks; US 220 is below. Reach Mead Road. Turn left and walk up the road to the parking area.

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