TRAIL MAP: Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area Hiking Trails - PA Game Commission (This map is really difficult to read together with was non of whatsoever use. I relied heavily on the Gaia app map to discovery my agency around.)
From the parking lot farthest away from the visitor center, starting on the Conservation Trail.
Looking dorsum at the visitor middle together with Middle Creek Reservoir from the Conservation Trail.
Flocks flight every which way.
Middle Creek Reservoir
Migrating Tundra Swans inwards Middle Creek Reservoir
Based on the footprints inwards the snow, the Conservation Trail is used heavily but nosotros ran into nobody else at 8:30 AM.
Once the Conservation Trail enters the woods, it is blazed green.
Sometimes the trail was covered alongside snowfall together with H2O ice ...
... other times sloppy mud.
I tried to say him at that topographic point was no feel non trying to larn his paws wet. This was simply they get-go of the hike together with at that topographic point was much to a greater extent than sloppiness to come.
When the Conservation Trail heads dorsum towards the visitor center, nosotros turned correct towards the picnic expanse ...
... thence correct on the paved route a brusque distance to the T-intersection.
According to the Gaia app, at that topographic point should accept been a trail hither upwardly to the Fire Line Trail. There was nothing.
It was simply a brusque bushwhack upwardly from the route together with nosotros establish the Fire Line Trail easily.
Fire Line Trail
The route over to the correct shows simply how brusque of a bushwhack it was to accomplish the Fire Line Trail.
At the end, a left on the Elders Run Trail.
Elders Run Trail is a broad gravel path through ...
... a ability cutting ...
... together with upwardly to the Horseshoe Trail at the top. The Elders Run Trail continues downward the other side of the mount but we'd last doing that later.
First a correct on the yellow-blazed Horseshoe Trail which is too a gravel route through this section.
When roughly other gravel route crossed over, nosotros firstly went to the correct fifty-fifty though it dead ends on the Gaia map but since it was the top of a hill, idea possibly at that topographic point would last a view. There was none. So dorsum across the Horseshoe Trail which would accept been a left plough from the Horseshoe Trail the agency nosotros had originally been coming. There was alone 1 educate of footprints along this unnamed route but they shortly left into the woods.
Following the Gaia app made this slow every bit I could tall where to plough left on an unmarked footpath.
There were no footprints at all hither but the snowfall had melted off of the path thence it was slow to follow.
Towards the top nosotros hurdled blow downs.
After crossing an opened upwardly area, the trail comes out at the bench where the Horseshoe Trail together with Elders Run Trail intersect - the same spot nosotros had been before.
After a interruption ...
... nosotros continued on the Elders Run Trail downhill.
Some ruins off to the right.
A distich over ...
... Elders Run.
Down to the left is the Middle Creek Trail which is an sometime railroad bed.
Left on the Middle Creek Trail.
Back over Elders Run.
Elders Run flowing into Middle Creek.
There were quite a few moisture spots. Some had boardwalks, others had bypasses.
This is a really scenic department of trail along Middle Creek.
This sometime railbed is loaded alongside ankle-twisting chunky rocks.
As nosotros were standing at the creek bank, I noticed a lonely snowfall goose waddling into the creek.
It was actually cool to accept an private viewing since they are ever inwards groups of thousands.
But what the heck was this guy doing yesteryear himself? Maybe he was tired together with taking a interruption together with would claw upwardly alongside his flock later. I hope. At to the lowest degree he was swimming inwards the administration of the reservoir where snowfall geese had been flight over.
Pileated Woodpecker
The Middle Creek Trail ends at the Horseshoe Trail where the Horseshoe Trail turns correct on the paved road. (We'd last coming dorsum this agency later.)
Brodie finally gave upwardly on trying to maintain his paws dry.
Crossing Middle Creek on the Horseshoe Trail over the route bridge.
Just after the distich a left ...
... thence a correct dorsum into the woods.
At the top of the loma when the Horseshoe Trail turns right, plough left on ...
... yellow/red to ...
a correct on the reddish Millstone Trail.
This passes correct yesteryear an overlook.
Middle Creek Reservoir
Time for a interruption together with Brodie is quite filthy!
Continuing on together with passing a millstone.
The Millstone Trail comes out on a paved road. Directly across the route is a parking lot together with the Deer Path Trail which runs along the reservoir. Needing a interruption from snow, H2O ice together with mud, nosotros turned left ...
.... together with route walked for a fleck passing the other destination of the Millstone Trail.
We turned correct at the boat launch ...
... for roughly to a greater extent than reservoir wild animals viewing.
We went inwards on this destination of the Deer Path Trail for a fleck ...
... but it was really soupy.
We stopped at a reservoir overlook ...
... simply inwards fourth dimension to run across a snowfall goose migration inwards progress.
Heading dorsum through the mud soup.
And continuing on the paved route ...
... passing the dam ...
... thence a correct dorsum over the distich over Middle Creek.
Passing the Middle Creek Trail where nosotros accept previously been together with right away keeping ask on the Horseshoe Trail.
Right on green/yellow.
Right on the dark-green Valley View Trail.
This follows a ridge job alongside dainty wintertime views on either side.
Valley View
Leaving the overlook, the trail switchbacks down.
Keeping left at the parking lot ...
... together with continuing on the Valley View Trail after crossing the road.
Spicebush Trail from the Valley View Trail dorsum to the visitor center.
Instead of turning left at the visitor center, nosotros turned correct across the champaign to larn a in conclusion await at the reservoir.
Traffic jam of waterfowl onlookers. Everyone comes to run across the snowfall goose migration inwards February/March.
Back to our machine on the other side of the visitor center.
