The North Country Trail passes through approximately 97 miles of the Allegheny National Forest, from the NY border to Muzette Road north of Cook Forest. The North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT) is a 4,850 mile hiking trail stretching from the the Appalachian Trail in Vermont through seven states, to its western terminus in North Dakota. It is the longest hiking trail in the United States! The NCT passes through approximately 97 miles of the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) as it travels across the Allegheny Plateau. Its northern terminus is the PA/NY border and its southern terminus is the ANF border, 3 miles north of Rt 66. This section of trail has much to offer; scenic views of the Allegheny reservoir, beautiful hemlock valleys, rock cities, fascinating evidence of past and present logging and oil industries and many opportunities to view wildlife, including bear, deer, coyote, fishers, bobcats, songbirds, grouse and eagles. Varied habitats and terrain, along with frequent camping sites make the NCT through the ANF a great destination for a day hike or a week long backpack. There are many special places along the ANF section of the NCT. In Tracy Ridge, the trail runs on the eastern side of the Allegheny reservoir allowing for many scenic views and much solitude. The trail passes through the Tionesta Scenic Area where remnants can be found of an old growth forest that was mostly destroyed by a tornado in 1985. The trail now highlights the rebirth of this forest. Rock cities dot the terrain on many of the ridgelines. The most scenic of these are found in the popular Minister Creek valley. About the ANF Chapter of the NCTA
Throughout the year there are many opportunities to hike the NCT or get involved in activities with other ANF Chapter members. You can enjoy the trail with friends & family or join a guided hike. With almost 100 miles of the NCT in the ANF, there are always new places to explore. Each member can bring their own skills and interests in helping to maintain trail or promote trail events. Trail work days are held once or twice a month on the weekend. On those days members enjoy time together accomplishing bigger projects. Members can volunteer to maintain a section of trail or get involved with planning and promoting the trail and chapter events. The chapter sponsors the Allegheny-100 in June. This event challenges hikers to traverse 25, 50, 75, or 100 miles in 50 hours. Other chapter events include monthly hikes, the North Country National Scenic Trail Day celebration in September and a National Trails Day event in June. For those interested in geocaching, there are 107 caches placed along the NCT through the ANF, approximately 1 per mile. A pathtag is awarded for bagging 50 of the caches. Helpful Links
Shuttle Services – ANF Chapter member, Tracy Stanton, does shuttling as part of his guide business. His website is: https://www.takeahike.fun/ . Forest Service – www.fs.usda.gov/main/allegheny/home . The Allegheny National Forest is administered by the U. Forest Service under the Dept. of Agriculture. They have information about the ANF, including all types of recreation. Several Forest Service campgrounds are located close to the NCT and reservations can be made online. There are also three Forest Service offices where there are maps available for sale, along with free information and advice. These are located at:
• Off of Rt 62 north of Warren, PA - 4 Farm Colony Drive, Warren, PA 16365, Phone: 1-814-728-6100
• At intersection of Rt 59 & Rt 321S - 29 Forest Service Drive, Bradford, PA 16701, Phone: 1-814-363-6000
• Off of Rt 66 north of Marienville, PA - 131 Smokey Lane, Marienville, PA 16239, Phone: 1-814-927-5700
Chapman’s Dam State Park – www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/chapman/index.htm Camping, along with cabin and yurt rentals are available at this gem of a state park through hunting season in December. Geocaching – The coordinates and information about the 107 geocaches along the NCT in the ANF can be found at www.geocaching.com . Nearby Towns – The following communities are located within 10 miles of the NCT. Services (grocery store, post office, restaurants) are available in each. Information for each town is available at www.visitpa.com/cities . Websites with tourist information specific to each community are listed below.
• Warren Warren County Visitors Bureau - www.wcvb.net
Warren County Chamber of Business & Industry – http://wccbi.org
• Bradford Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau – http://visitanf.com/
• Kane Kane Area Development Center – www.kanepa.com
• Sheffield
• Tidioute
• Tionesta www.forestcounty.com
• Marienville www.forestcounty.com
Restaurants within 2 miles of the trail:
• Cougar Bob’s Kellettville Tavern, Tionesta, PA – (814)-463-7351 – about 0.25 miles east of the NCT on Rt 666
