Ives Run Recreation Area - Tioga, Pennsylvania

 June 25 to July 1, 2026

Ives Run Recreation Area, in Tioga, Pennsylvania, is part of the state's Endless Mountains Region. The recreation is under the jurisdiction of the Army Corp of Engineers and includes two lakes, a campground and many opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Campground

We spent a week camping in the Ives Run Campground. The Campground has 163 campsites, including 81 full hook up sites, 50 water & electric sites, and 32 primitive sites. The campsites are widely spaced out in 5 loops near the main boat launch area, with the exception of the primitive sites, which are located in a loop about a mile away on a peninsula sticking out in the lake. Although nearly all of the sites in the campground have some shade, the ones in the primitive loop have the most shade. 

Our campsite	Our campsite as seen from the neighboring site

If choosing to camp here, there are important facts to know. First, if you have a National Park Pass, you will get a 50% discount on camping fees. That's a real bargain, especially for full hook-ups. Also, there are only two shower houses for the campground, located on the Hawthorn and Hickory loops. There's also a bathroom located on the Beech loop, which is the closest loop to the main boat launch. The map shows another shower facility located in the day-use area near the volleyball court and the swimming beach. However, the beach wasn't open for swimming during our stay, either because of water quality issues or because of a lack of park staff to manage the area. We didn't stop there to check to see if the shower house was open or locked.

The shower houses were a little outdated, but were kept very clean. The water pressure was sufficient and you were able to control the flow of water - no push button showers here!

The campground also has a playground for the kids, an amphitheater, picnic shelters, trails, a large boat launch and a fishing pier. 

Boat launches at Ives Run

The camp store and visitor center were both closed during our stay. Lack of staff due to the government funding cuts is the likely cause. However, there were 3 camp hosts in the campground and volunteers helping to run weekend programs.

The campground was nice and we would stay there again, especially because of the 50% discount we get with our lifetime National Park Pass. The park could use some updates, especially to the shower houses and bathrooms and it would be nice if the camp store and visitor center were open, but with the ongoing government cutbacks in services, we don't expect that to happen anytime soon. But one can hope!

Hammond & Tioga Lakes

Hammond and Tioga lakes are reservoirs created in large part to control flood water in the area. They are unique in that they are connected together by a gated channel. 

	Channel looking toward Hammond Lake.

The approximately 680-acre Hammond Lake is fed by Crooked Creek, Ives Run and several smaller streams. There are no horsepower or boat size limits on the lake, but there are areas zoned slow-no wake. 

Lake Hammond from the overlook. The channel between the lakes is on the left side.

Lake Hammond sits 5 feet higher in elevation than Tioga Lake. As a result, a concrete mini-dam with a weir was constructed across the channel, with a spillway to be used as needed for floodwaters.

The concrete dam/spillway into Tioga Lake

The approximately 470-acre Tioga Lake, is fed by the Tioga River and has its own, smaller, recreation area - the Lambs Creek Recreation Area is a day-use area only with a boat launch and a paved hike and bike trail.

We drove to the Tioga Reservoir Overlook, accessed by a long road at the southwestern corner of the town of Tioga. From there we had good views of the channel and the dams for both lakes.

We also kayaked on both Lake Hammond and along Crooked Creek. We preferred the solitude of Crooked Creek and enjoyed seeing the fish and wildlife we found as we paddled along.

Hammond Lake as seen from the water.	The channel between the lakes as seen from the water.

Crooked Creek

C. Lynn Keller Trail

Although there are several trails in the recreation area and neighboring state game lands, we chose to explore the C. Lynn Keller Trail because there was a trailhead at the campground and because there was a vista at the top of Bald Hill. The climb from the campground is very steep at times and there are muddy areas as well as a stream to cross. It's a good idea to wear hiking shoes and take trekking poles if you hike this trail. It was only about 2 miles to the top, but there was a 1,000 foot climb to the vista. 

The best view we could get at the vista considering what was on the rocks.

You should also keep your eyes open for rattlesnakes. There were two large ones sunning themselves on the rocks when we got to the vista. We weren't able to venture out on the rocks to get the best views, but we did get some good shots of the snakes! 

One of two rattlesnakes that were on the rocks at the vista

On the way back down to the campground we stopped to take photos of the many different kinds of mushrooms we saw on our way.

Wellsboro

While in the area we drove into Wellsboro to explore the quaint little town. We had been there briefly earlier in the month while camping at Pettecote Junction Campground (see our previous post), but didn't spend a lot of time there because we planned to return while staying at Ives Run.  

We enjoyed walking around the main street, stopping at a small farm stand to purchase some baked goods and fresh produce, then having lunch at the historic Wellsboro Diner. After lunch we wandered through some stores and then headed to the village green where we saw the Wynken, Blynken and Nod fountain.

Wynken, Blynken & Nod Fountain	Wynken, Blynken & Nod Fountain Wellsboro Diner

After that we crossed to the other side of the main street to look for the Highland Chocolates store where we each bought a pack of their delicious Tree Stumps - peanut butter and caramel sandwiched between two pretzels and dipped in either milk or dark chocolate. Delicious! I know we'll be stopping back here when we next visit the area!

Shutter Homestead

Shutter Homestead Winery

We usually try to find a winery to do a tasting when we travel, and luckily we found one just minutes away from the campground. They don't make the wine there, but sell it for other producers in the area. Shutter Homestead doesn't look like much when you drive up the lane to the 200+ year old barn used for the tastings, but boy, did we get our money's worth! We prefer sweet fruity wines and they had a large variety. We tasted them all and had tastings of the two wine slushies they had on tap. All for one very reasonable price! We had a hard time choosing what to buy. We ended up buying two bottles of wine and two slushies to go. 

Visitors to the winery have the option of sitting outside on the lawn and enjoying the scenery or walking a trail on their 100-acre property. After tasting all the wine and the slushies, we decided it would be best for us to make the short drive back to the campground!

Watkins Glen and Montour Falls, New York

Due to the high cost of gasoline during our visit to the area we planned to spend most of our time in the area well within an hour's drive of the campground. Because we were so close to the New York border and it fit within our limitations, we decided to spend one day in Watkins Glen and Montour Falls in New York.

We drove up early so we could view the falls at Watkins Glen before the crowds arrived. We had been there before (see our Finger Lakes Day 6 blog post from July 2023) but we didn't have our GoPros then. This time we would be filming the waterfalls. Unfortunately the main entrance to the falls was closed for some construction when we arrived, so we weren't able to video the first 2 or 3 waterfalls, but we still enjoyed seeing the rest of the falls again.

For more photos and videos of Watkins Glen, be sure to click on the link at the bottom of this blog for our YouTube Video.

After finishing at Watkins Glen and eating our picnic lunch in a park, we drove a short distance to the 165-foot-tall Hector Falls, which is located right alongside route 414 on the east side of Seneca Lake, about 2 miles north of Watkins Glen.

Hector Falls

After that we stopped back in Watkins Glen for some ice cream, and then continued south to Montour Falls to see the waterfalls there. First we stopped at the 156-foot tall Shequaga Falls. Next we visited the 90-foot tall roadside Aunt Sarah's Falls. Then we drove to Havana Glen Park so we could hike the trail to the 41-foot-tall Eagles Falls, which is a favorite swimming hole of the locals. Last, we drove the short distance to the trail for the more secluded Deckertown Falls, which is a series of 3 cascades totaling more than 50 feet, and another local swimming hole. After that we headed back to Pennsylvania and the campground at Ives Run.

Shequaga Falls Eagles Falls	Aunt Sarah's Falls Deckertown Falls

If you would like to see the YouTube Video of our visit to Watkins Glen and Montour Falls, click on the link. And don't forget to check out our YouTube video of our adventures at Ives Run Recreation Area.

That pretty much sums up our trip to Ives Run Recreation Area and the other places we visited while in the area. We really enjoyed slowing down and exploring the area  after our long bike ride on the Pine Creek Rail Trail (see our previous blog entry).

* All photos and videos are the property of the blog owners unless otherwise noted. *

Pine Creek Rail Trail Bicycle Ride - Wellsboro to Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania

 June 23 & 24, 2026

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that we enjoy riding our bicycles on rail trails. In June we decided to celebrate this writer's retirement by riding the entire length of the Pine Creek Rail Trail from Wellsboro to Jersey Shore in Pennsylvania.

Double click on the image for a larger view of this map

The trail is 65 miles long, and we planned to ride it over the span of 2 days. We chose to camp at the Pettecote Junction Campground, which is almost exactly at the halfway point of the trail. That way we could sleep in our camper after the first day, and then pick up our truck and drive back to the campground on the second day. The only problem was how to get our truck from Wellsboro to Jersey Shore. We looked into several options, and the best one for us was to pay Pine Creek Outfitters to shuttle our truck for us. It wasn't cheap, but it was definitely worth it. All we had to do was hope the weather would cooperate.

We kept a worried eye on the weather forecast before leaving home for our trip and sure enough, rain was forecast for June 22, the day we originally planned to start the trail. So we called Pettecote Junction to see if we could add an extra night to our stay so we could start our ride on the 23rd instead. The folks at the campground were very helpful and we were set to go.

On June 23rd we got up early to a light misty rain, but the sun was expected to make its appearance later in the morning, so we ate a good breakfast, packed a lunch for the trail, and drove up to Wellsboro Junction where we would be leaving our truck.

A new trailhead had recently opened in Wellsboro, extending the length of the trail a little more than 3 miles. We rode our bikes into Wellsboro, determined to ride the entire length of the trail. 

Patterson Trailhead Visitor Center	Patterson Trailhead Visitor Center

The Patterson Trailhead in Wellsboro has a new purpose-built visitor center across the street from the old railroad station. Inside you can find lots of information about the trail and the history of the area. Outside, at the start of the trail, is a functioning railroad crossing light that is supposed to light up with sound effects when a rider approaches the crossing. Sadly, it didn't work for us. Disappointed, we made our official start just a little after 9:00 a.m.

Original train station	Beginning of the trail

Most of the trail is a very wide crushed gravel and the grade is only about 2%. I imagine we would have felt it somewhat in our legs if we'd chosen to ride from south to north, but even though we had to pedal the entire distance north to south, we didn't have any trouble making the few slight climbs up to bridges passing over the creek and roadways.

Some areas of note we passed through on our first day were the Darling Run Access Area, which is one of the most popular places to start a ride on the trail. The 16 mile long section between Darling Run and Blackwell is the most secluded portion of the trail and is known both as the Pine Creek Gorge and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.

Darling Run Access Area

This section is also where you can often see covered wagons from Ole Covered Wagon giving rides to tourists on a track alongside the trail. We didn't see any when we passed through.

Sign for Ole Covered Wagon Tours

Another point of interest is the Turkey Path, a trail that takes you off the rail trail past waterfalls and up to the overlook at Leonard Harrison State Park. Unfortunately, due to the drought in Pennsylvania, the waterfalls weren't running fully and were a bit disappointing. We didn't follow the trail up to the lookout on this trip, but have walked the Turkey Path to and from the lookout on two other occasions.

Bridge at the Turkey Path	Waterfall at the Turkey Path

At Tiadaghton we stopped to have some lunch and give our legs a break.

Our picnic lunch

After another 8 or so miles we arrived in Blackwell where we stopped for some ice cream at Miller's Store. After enjoying our ice cream we continued on another 1.8 miles to Rattlesnake Rock. We got off our bikes again to follow a narrow path off the trail to a large flat rock area this sits in Pine Creek. It's likely a favorite spot for rattlesnakes to warm themselves on a sunny day.

Miller's Store

Rattlesnake Rock

In approximately another 3 miles the trail passed over a train trestle over the creek and then along the edge of Pettecote Junction Campground in Cedar Run. We had ridden our bikes 36.25 miles in 4.5 hours on this first day. Our legs were tired, but otherwise we were feeling good. We were looking forward to finishing the trail in the morning. 

We started day two of our ride around 9:00 a.m. again, leaving from the campground. We passed above Cedar Run and its General Store before heading into the woods. The store is another great spot for an ice cream break!

Cedar Run General Store

Although this half of the trail was less wooded, had a lot more road crossings and small communities to pass through, it was no less scenic. We actually saw more wildlife on this half, coming across 8 deer on our way. At one point we saw two deer crossing the creek.

We stopped to explore the historic Tomb (rhymes with comb) cemetery which is located just off the trail. The Tomb family were one of the first to settle in the valley created by the Pine Creek.

Tomb Cemetery

When we stopped for lunch in Bonnell Flat and we were delighted to find some ripe berries to munch on for dessert.

	Bonnell Flats trail access

After passing by some farmland and over 3 train trestles, we arrived in Jersey Shore. Here the trail was paved asphalt, which was very welcome to our tired legs. We followed the trail to the main trailhead where our truck would be delivered, having arrived much earlier than we planned. However, the trail doesn't end there. It actually goes about another mile along railroad tracks to a switchback leading down to the end of the trail. We followed that to another parking area and a nice little pavilion where rested in the shade before heading back up to the top of the trail and to our truck. 

Farm along the trail One of many train trestles along the trail	Scene along the trail   View from a train trestle Caboose at the main Jersey Shore Trailhead

By the time we finished the trail we had ridden our bikes a total of 71 miles in about 8.5 hours over the two days. That included the two loops from our truck into Wellsboro and from the parking area in Jersey Shore to trail's end. Not bad for two senior citizens!

We enjoyed every minute of our ride on the Pine Creek Rail Trail. You don't have to ride the whole trail as we did. There are plenty of access points for out-and-back shorter rides, and shuttle services are available through Pine Creek Outfitters and even Pettecote Junction Campground. We highly recommend this trail and would definitely ride it again!

If you'd like to view our YouTube video which contains much more photos and views from our ride, you can find it by clicking here.

* All photos and videos are the property of the blog owners unless otherwise noted. *