Call of the Wilds Mountain Marathon
The Call of the Wilds Marathon (27+ miles) traverses portions of the Pine Creek Valley and
utilizes trails in Little Pine State Park and the Tiadaghton State Forest. Little Pine State Park
includes 2,158 acres of land, including Little Pine Lake, picnic areas, trails, and campgrounds.
Surrounding the park is the Tiadaghton State Forest, which encompasses 146,000 acres
including hundreds of miles of trails, campgrounds, the Pine Creek Rail Trail, and numerous
other recreation opportunities. This area is also part of the Pennsylvania Wilds. The
Pennsylvania Wilds is a 12.5-county region that offers tremendous outdoor experiences, some
of the best in the nation, with 29 state parks, 50 state game lands, 8 state forests, and the
Allegheny National Forest. The amount of public land in the region is more than 2 million acres
— comparable to the size of Yellowstone.
Mile 1-3.8 The race begins and ends at Little Pine State Park.
The first mile of the event will be along the paved Little Pine Creek Road to the campground just
below the dam at Little Pine State Park. The trail then turns onto the Mid State Trail (PA’s
wildest footpath - 310+ miles) in the campground and continues along a gently rolling grade and
then single track. The trail is narrow at times along this stretch, but was recently improved by
the Mid State Trail Association. Throughout this stretch you’ll cross one small stream. Don’t
expect to get your little piggies wet on this crossing. The stream will likely be dry. The trail then
continues through a beautiful grove of eastern hemlock and white pine along Little Pine Creek
until you reach Dam Run Road for the next couple of miles. If you’re burning up on these easy
few miles you may want to jump in the swimming hole at the bridge because you’ve got a steep
ascent from the Dam Run!
Mile 3.8-4.2 The climb toward Ramsey Road from Dam Run will slow you down a bit after the
easy few miles you just completed. This is one of the steepest climbs on the course. You’ll
continue across Dam Run Road and up the Mid State Trail. The trail doesn’t switch back much
to the top. You’ll be scrambling up some moss covered stones along the stream bed. Do your
best to stay on your feet-the stinging nettles hurt if you have to put your hands down! The
ascent gets more difficult as you progress, at least until you get to the old tram road towards the
top.
Mile 4.2-5.5 The tram road will continue across the mountain, and then it will cross a gravel
road. The trail here was recently rerouted due to the construction of a Marcellus gas well pad.
Along the tram road you’ll pass a young red maple stand with a dense understory of hayscented fern and then you’ll enter oak forests with ericaceous plants such as blueberry and
mountain laurel (PA’s state flower) in the understory. The first aid station will be at the Ramsey
Road.
Mile 5.5-9.2 From Aid Station 1 you’ll descend toward Ramsey Run. Continuing along the Mid
State Trail you’ll pass through oak forests that quickly changes into a more mesic forest of
hemlock, birch, and maple. Throughout the descent you will notice a series of old trails
constructed to access timber and stone quarries. Many of these trails, including portions of the
Mid State Trail, utilize these century-old grades. You may notice that in some areas the trail has
neatly laid stone work-remnants of the old grades. You’ll know when you reach Ramsey Run
when you arrive at the wooden bridge crossing a beautiful stream surrounded by
rhododendrons. If you approach the large pool of water near the bridge you may catch a
glimpse of a fleeting brook trout (PA’s state fish). After crossing the bridge you’ll begin a gradual
ascent up a fork of Ramsey Run. This stretch is in a narrow valley surrounded by yellow and
black birch, red and sugar maple, basswood, and ash trees. The trail surface throughout this
ascent is rocky. Expect slippery conditions here and once again be mindful of the stinging
nettle. There’s also Virginia creeper (leaves of five) along the trail-not to be confused with
poison ivy (leaves of three). Remember, Lisa Simpson once said, “leaves of three let it be.”
Homer Simpson said, “leaves of four eat some more” …at least Lisa was correct! Once you
reach the top you’ll skirt a well pad. In 2012 over 8,000 gallons of brine and nearly 90 gallons of
diesel were spilled during the hydrofracturing process at this site (i.e. drink the water in the fork
of Ramsey Run at your own risk)!
Mile 9.2-10.5 Once you pass the well pad on your left you’ll cross another well pad access road
before heading towards Pine Creek. The trail crosses a pipeline and continues along the Mid
State Trail. Be sure to take a minute to enjoy the vista of Kline Ridge off of the main trail. This
Vista along the Mid State Trail
is one of the best vistas on the course. Continuing on, the trail crosses a fairly flat stretch of trail
before going out on a pipeline. The trail follows the pipeline briefly before veering to the right
and back into the woods. The course then continues through a small drainage and back up to a
portion of flat trail through oak forest, mountain laurel, blueberry, and huckleberry. The trail then
descends one of the most beautiful sections of the Mid State Trail. You’ll traverse rock outcrops
and pass through oak-hickory forests with an open understory. Keep your eyes open for
wildlife. Black bears are often spotted in this area. The trail proceeds past a rocky drainage
where you may see a waterfall depending on the amount of rain prior to the race. You’ll
eventually reach a wide trail that was likely a road at one time, but the trail will turn sharply to
the left and pass through large white pine surrounded by white pine saplings. As you descend,
be careful because the trail abruptly comes to PA-44 and there will be heavy traffic on this road.
Once you reach PA-44 turn right and follow the road until to reach the entrance to Ramsey
Village on your left and Aid Station 2. Ramsey Village was named after Thomas Ramsey, one of
the original settlers in the Pine Creek Valley. Ramsey served as Wagon Master for George
Washington during the Revolutionary War.
Mile 10.5-13.5 Once you leave Aid Station 2 you’ll follow the Pine Creek Rail Trail for
approximately 0.5 mile and cross Pine Creek on a historical railroad bridge. The railroad along
Pine Creek was originally constructed to transport timber, coal, and later passengers. The rails
made it a little easier on the boys working in the woods. The last train passed through in 1988.
The course then turns right onto a blue blaze trail. This trail ascends past another rock quarry
that was used to access flagstone. The blue trail continues to climb steeply until it reaches the
yellow-blazed Tiadaghton Trail. The Tiadaghton trail continues to ascend in stages and you’ll
eventually reach another great vista where you can see up and down the Pine Creek Valley.
The vista is on a rock outcrop less than 30 feet from the trail (definitely worth a hop and a skip
from the main trail). The trail then continues to climb through oak forest and eventually becomes
more rolling as you pass through a saddle on the ridge before ascending again. The trail
eventually turns sharply to the left onto a grassy road that passes through an area that had
burned in a forest fire and was later salvage-logged. Be careful through this area as it is known
to have a high population of timber rattlesnakes. The course continues through this grassy
corridor and eventually turns right onto a two-track road before reaching the gravel Bull Run
Road. Take a left onto the road and shortly thereafter turn right across the pipeline and back
into the forest.
Mile 13.5-15.5 The trail meanders through a relatively flat stretch along the Tiadaghton Trail
before dropping into Bull Run. The trail in Bull Run is rocky and footing can be tricky at times. As
you descend you’ll follow switchbacks that were constructed by the Jersey Shore Outdoor Club
to improve the trail. Bull Run is an interesting place for anyone interested in wildflowers as it
has quite the variety throughout the growing season. Stinging nettles are often dense along the
trail too. Farther along the trail you’ll continue along the stream. Keep an eye out for darting
brook trout and listen for hermit thrushes as you head towards Pine Creek.
Mile 15.5-17 As you approach Pine Creek the trail will switchback to an old road that will
parallel Pine Creek. This section of trail is gently rolling and passes large rock outcrops lined
with ferns, trilliums, and hemlocks on the uphill side and a steep drop-off to the creek on the
other side. The trail continues straight until you reach a small white hunting camp. Just past
the camp the trail turns sharply to the left onto single track and continues through oak, hickory,
and pine forest until you reach Lower Pine Bottom Road. Once you reach the road turn right and
continue down the road. Before the yellow gate you’ll take a sharp left and cross the top of the
large concrete culvert above Lower Pine Bottom and proceed throughout the hemlocks up to the
Tiadaghton State Forest Resource Management Center and Aid Station 3.
Mile 17-20 From Aid Station 3 descend the road to PA-44 and turn right. Proceed across the
bridge over Pine Creek and turn onto the Pine Creek Rail Trail at the DCNR Waterville
Recreation Parking Lot. Follow the rail trail until just past the parking lot where you’ll turn onto
the Old Wagon Rd/Tiadaghton Trail (not only was the Old Wagon Rd the original road up the
Creek, it may have its origins at a much earlier date. Centuries ago, members of the Seneca
Nation used a trail along Pine Creek to access the great trade corridor to the south known as
the Shamokin Path). Proceed along the Old Wagon Rd for a short distance and then make the
sharp right that cuts back and up Huntley Mountain. The climb up Huntley is a fairly steep climb,
but it is aided by switchbacks constructed by the Jersey Shore Outdoor Club. The trail
progresses through open forest of oak, hickory, and white pine and skirts rock outcrops along its
western aspect before reaching a defined trail that was once used to access a fire tower on
Huntley Mountain. Along the old road you’ll pass vistas along the way. Watch out for
rattlesnakes! Once you near the top the trail levels out and continues along an open trail before
veering left back onto single track. The trail then continues to wind through the forest for a little
over a mile before turning sharply (left) onto the Gleason Trail.
Mile 20-22.7 The Gleason trail, which was re-established by the Pennsylvania Conservation
Corps, is a steep and rocky descent. The trail is blazed red from the top to the Old Wagon Rd.
Numerous switchbacks will guide you down one of the steepest slopes on the course. As you
proceed towards the bottom you’ll notice numerous quarry trails that were used to access
flagstone in the area and near the bottom there’s a large quarry on the opposite side of the
stream. The Gleason trail concludes when you arrive back at the Old Wagon Road. From here,
turn right and continue along this original route along Pine Creek to Jersey Mills where you’ll
find Aid Station 4.
A cart loaded with flagstone, similar to what was extracted from many quarries along the course
Mile 22.7-24.5 Now that you’re fully rested you can begin up the Turbert Trail. Have fun. Other
than a road shortly from the beginning of this trail, there’s not much deviation in the grade of the
trail…up, up, and away! This trail was likely a narrow road used to access the top of the
mountain at one time-note the remnants of communication lines on the trees as you stop to
catch your breath. Once you reach the summit (nothing too pointy here, but you may feel
accomplished by now) you’ll continue along the Turbert Trail to Okome Road. Here you’ll cross
another pipeline and continue onto the Pesto Trail.
Mile 24.5-26.2 Follow the Pesto Trail for a short distance and you’ll arrive once again at the Mid
State Trail. From here you continue towards Love Run via a fairly steep descent. As you clip
along you’ll pass a giant dead hemlock (PA state tree). Unfortunately, this is the fate of the
eastern hemlock as it loses the battle against the hemlock woolly adelgid. Once you arrive at
Love Run you’ll cross a bridge and there will be a hunting camp right in front of you. You’ll then
turn left and proceed along the Mid State Trail up Love Run. Eventually the Mid State Trail
switches back hard to the right and climbs a few hundred feet to the Panther Run Trail.
Mile 26.2-27.5 Once you reach the yellow-blazed Panther Run Trail you’ll stay to the right and
begin the descent to the park. Shortly after you start your descent you’ll pass some scraggly
pines and cross over some large rocks. WARNING- rattle snakes (many of them) are often at
the base of these rocks. The last time we passed through the area we counted at least nine
snakes. These buzz-tails may be black or yellow. After hanging out with the snakes for a while,
continue to descend over and around the unique rock outcrops on the trail until you reach the
trail register. You’ll notice Little Pine Creek Road is just to your left. Continue onto the road and
hang a right. Head down the road briefly and turn left to cross the finish line. By now you can
taste victory…or perhaps something you ate before heading up the Turbert Trail.
Congratulations!