Worlds End State Park Camping Trip - Day 2

 Sunday, June 18, 2023

After eating breakfast, we went back to the park office for some trail maps, the state park stamp, and to purchase a Purple Lizard Map for Loyalsock State Forest and Worlds End State Park. Purchasing that map was the best thing we did because it helped us find so many trails, waterfalls and other places that would have been difficult to locate without cell service and using our GPS. The cost of the map was worth every penny!

After making our purchase we parked the truck back at our campsite so we could go on our first hike. The Canyon Vista Trail starts right in the campground. We had watched one of Walter Zolna’s YouTube videos about this trail and decided it would be best to hike the trail counter-clockwise. We still had some steep climbs going in this direction, but there were some fairly level stretches in between climbs. According to the map we picked up, doing the hike in a clockwise direction would involve a constant steep uphill climb. We preferred to do that section on our return.

The Canyon Vista Trail is a 4-mile loop that has spectacular views from Warren’s Window and from the trail’s Vista at 1750 feet. Just behind the Vista we explored the Rock Garden, a maze of boulders you could weave around, through and over. Next, we passed “Ticklish Rock”, a rock formation that looks like it would fall over if you tickled it. Continuing on we took the 1.5-mile Cold Run Loop Trail, which includes seasonal waterfalls. Unfortunately, the falls were all dry, but we enjoyed the hike anyway as it took us through a rock labyrinth, past a boulder arch and to another nice vista with a bench where we stopped to eat our lunch. After connecting back to the Canyon Vista Trail, we made our way down the steep descent to the bottom of the mountain and crossed over Rt. 154 to follow the trail along the Loyalsock Creek until it took us back to the campground. The entire hike took us about 4 hours and we traveled a total of 6.18 miles. Not bad for our first hike of the week!

Following the blue-blazed Canyon Vista Trail Majestic Trees

Beauty along the trail View from Warren's Window

Entrance to the Rock Garden Inside a crevice

In the Rock Garden View from Prospect Rock

Ticklish Rock

Cold Run Trailhead

Stone arch along the trail View from Cold Run Vista

Cold Run Falls were dry when we visited

After taking showers and eating dinner, we drove into Forksville where we stopped to photograph the Forksville Covered Bridge, built in 1813. Then we drove to the Double Run Nature Trail, just up the road from the park office. The trail is only 1.2 miles long, and takes you through the woodlands along the west branch of Double Run, where we were treated to many small waterfalls and pools. The highlight of the trail is Cottonwood Falls, a 10-foot waterfall surrounded by rock walls. We really enjoyed winding our way along this trail with its wood bridges and staircases leading down to the falls. It was very peaceful (we had it to ourselves almost the whole time), green, and beautiful – photos don’t do it justice.

Forksville Covered Bridge Waterfalls along Double Run Trail Bridge on the trail

Double Run Trail Nature Trail Waterfalls along Double Run Trail Waterfall along Double Run Trail

Waterfall along Double Run Trail	Watefall along Double Run Trail
Cottonwood Falls

By the time we returned to the campground it was starting to get cool, and because we couldn’t build a campfire to keep warm, we decided to call it an early night so we could rest up for the next day’s adventure.

* All Photos and videos are the property of the authors except where otherwise noted. *