Hiking Worlds End State Park (Forksville, PA) — January 2020

6 min readFeb 4, 2020

Canyon Vista Trail > Loyalsock Trail

A late January trip to Worlds End State Park turned out to be a much more memorable hike than I thought it might be, due in large part to an unexpected detour I was obligated to take down an untrodden trail on a snow-covered mountain.

I started the trip by visiting the park office to get a good sense of what trails might be best suited for the season, how long each one might take to traverse, etc. I took the advice to try out the Canyon Vista Trail and its Cold Run Trail spur, figuring it would provide a reasonably challenging 4–6 mile hike that I could easily complete in the 2–3 hours that I had available before I needed to leave to meet my kids after school. If taken in a clockwise direction, the trail features a beautiful overlook and some compelling rock formations near the last mile, so I decided to start my trip by walking along an icy Loyalsock Creek before trudging up a steep zig-zag trail to the top of the mountain. I figured I would get the more difficult hiking in first before enjoying the views and slowing down near the end of my hike.

The late morning sun lit up the frigid water and snow-packed creek bed, adding a warm glow to the trail’s more scenic stretches. Melting ice chunks and a warm breeze gave everything an “it’s almost Spring!” feel, a sensation which was odd for January but welcome nonetheless. The trail followed along the creek for probably a good mile and was very easy walking. (There were signs along the way indicating that the path is pet-friendly and this initial stretch would probably be an ideal hike for anyone looking to spend an hour or so moseying along the water’s edge.)

Once this part of the path ends, the trail takes you across the road and, quite quickly, up the mountain towards its summit. The trail here, especially in the snow, is notably harder and requires good shoes. The views of the water are still worth taking in, and the contours of the broader landscape open up nicely as you ascend.

Hiking up the mountain on this particular day I had to stop a few times to catch my breath. But, after some trudgery, I eventually reached the upper levels of the path and headed towards the ridge. I opted to skip the Cold Run Trail spur (a 1.5 mile jaunt that I figured to save for next time) and, as I approached the first batch of larger rocks near the half way point of the Canyon Vista Trail, I noticed I had a voicemail.

One of the best things about hiking, especially in the winter, is the relative solitude that you can find in the woods. It is possible to regularly walk for long stretches of hours at a time without seeing anyone at all on a trail, and I have completed many hikes where I saw no sign of other humans from the time I hopped out of the car to the time I got back in. This solitude also means that you sometimes end up in areas with little to no cell phone coverage — a benefit if you are trying to get off the grid, but a detriment if you have to stay in touch with other folks during the day.

My voicemail, which had come to my phone about an hour ealier when I was out of coverage, was from my kids’ school. It was the school nurse, letting me know that one of the kids needed to come home early because of a fever. While I wasn’t able to pick them up as quickly as would be ideal, I did want to get home to help take care of them as soon as possible.

Given where I was on the trail, that also meant that I would have to cut off the last mile or so from my itinerary — including my planned stop at the trail’s scenic namesake. Fortunately, there were a number of trails that cut through the Canyon Vista Trail that could be used to expedite my trip down the mountain. Unfortunately, they were much more steep, less well marked and maintained, rarely trafficked in the winter, and covered in several inches of untrodden snow.

Thus I stumbled, crashed, slipped, and slid down a good portion of the adjoining Loyalsock Trail on my way back to the parking lot — making it back to the car in about half the time that it had taken me to get up the mountain. At the bottom of the descent my legs felt numb, my feet were quite damp, my heart was pumping, and my head was rushing from the constant maneuvering I’d had to do all the way down. By the time I turned the ignition key to head back towards home, my body felt like I’d completed a hike that was twice as long.

I think that, despite missing some of the trail’s signature attractions, I still ended up getting some good photos of the trip. I’d be keen on returning sometime in the near future to see what I missed, complete the trail, include the spur into my hike, and give an updated post about my impressions of the park.