Cook Forest State Park

 Vanlog, Kettlesville, PA (Allegheny National Forest)

September 5, 2020

Shout out to my mom wishing her a happy birthday!

We left our beautiful campsite along the Tionesta Creek for the day and drove 45 min to Cook Forest State Park in Clarion County. Cook Forest is home to the most important tract of virgin old growth forest east of the Rocky Mountains. It was a beautiful sunny but cool morning when we arrived. We did a large loop on the many trails in the park. Starting at the park office, we hiked along the Clarion River and initially had a very steep incline up the Seneca Trail a little more than a mile to the top of a ridge. Along the ridge to the right was Seneca Point, a pimpled knobby rock outcropping with views of the forest below. To the left was an old iron fire tower, which you can still climb to the top. 

After climbing the fire tower (I had to, of course), we followed the Deer Park Trail back down the mountain and across Rt 36 to the Hemlock Trail and then across Forest Road to Tom's Run Trail. Here we made a right after crossing hte bridge and saw the amazing stone stairs ont he Red Aft Trail. After literally bounding up them as fast as I could, we turned left onto the Ancient Forest Trail and headed into the Forest Cathedral. We had to laugh when some woman asked us where the "chapel" was. She was totally clueless. But then again we are in Trump territory up here! The Forest Cathedral is made up of mostly eastern white pine and eastern hemlock trees, some as tall as 150 ft.

Our loop took us back across the swinging bridge to the parking lot, a nice 5.3 mile hike. After a picnic lunch, we headed back to our campsite along the Tionesta Creek again for an afternoon of relaxation, wading int he river, and good old-fashioned tin foil meals for dinner.