Pine
Creek Gorge is one of six National Natural Landmarks to be visited on
this tour of Pennsylvania old-growth forests. There are several small
true old-growth stands scattered along the steep walls of the Gorge,
but the primary attraction of the area is the impressive size of the
deep, nearly straight gorge cut down about 1,000 feet by Pine Creek
into the flat-lying Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of the area. The cutting
of the gorge must have been accelerated by drainage from the huge ice
sheets that covered the entire countryside just north of here during
the glacial periods. The gorge is now covered with 100-year-old secondary
hardwood forest, having been largely cut over in the late 19th century.
Views from the two state-park overlooks at the north end of the gorge
give a good idea of what the original forest must have looked like to
early explorers, trappers and finally settlers.
The
Gorge is protected within the Pine Creek Gorge Natural Area over a length
of 12 miles within the Tioga State Forest, but the entire gorge is almost
40 miles long. A rail-trail opened in 1996 through the bottom of the
Natural Area, taking over an abandoned railroad bed. The trail ends
at Jersey Shore, a total of 62 miles.
With its size and natural area protection, this watershed is poised to become a "specimen" old-growth area in the next centuries. In the meantime, it is a very special place on its own merits.
Access Details
Pine Creek Gorge can be reached at the north end from US Rt 6, at Leonard Harrison State Park, on the east side of the Gorge by PA Rt 660 west from Wellsboro and Colton Point State Park on the west side of the Gorge, following Colton Road south from the tiny cross-roads of Ansonic on US Rt. 6, about 11 miles west of Wellsboro. Most of the Gorge itself is only accessible by an excellent but fairly open rail-trail along Pine Creek inside the Tioga State Forest, but PA Rt 414 follows Pine Creek for many miles down to Jersey Shore, much of that distance in the Tiadaghton State Forest.
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