Hundred Degree Hammock Camping with Thunderstorms – Black Forest Trail

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3 days of Backpacking, Thunderstorms & Hammock Camping in Heavy Rain on a section of Pennsylvania’s Black Forest Trail. 

For this adventure,  I headed out for a 3 day, 2 night solo backpacking trip in Pennsylvania’s Tiadaghton State Forest.  The full Black Forest Trail is a rugged 43 mile loop with 8,550′ of elevation gain that I’ve done in the past and really enjoyed.

Facing a July forecast in the triple digits with thunderstorms, and the fact that my last solo hike was a pretty intense one, I decided to scale the mileage back this time.  My general plan was to simply go into the woods and use the network of connector trails to come up with a route on the fly, based on how the weather played out from day to day.

Black Forest Trail Short Loop – Route Overview – Sintax77

If you’re interested in the details of the full Black Forest Loop, along with downloadable GPS data, you can find that in my previous post and trip video here.

I also highly recommend the Black Forest Trail Guidebook and Map.  I found the mile by mile information provided and overall quality to be great and very helpful.

Trailhead Used: Pine Creek Rail Trail Access Area by Wolfe’s General Store
41°28’15.6″N 77°30’05.8″W
Slate Run, PA 17769


The trailhead is on the other side of the auto bridge, behind the Hotel Manor inn / pub. Parking immediately at the trailhead is for day use only. No overnight parking is permitted in the hotel’s parking lot by the actual trailhead.

Trails Used Day 1

  • Park at the Slate Run Rail Trail parking lot
  • Head over the auto bridge and make a right.
  • Begin the loop at the Black Forest Trailhead, located in the lot behind Hotel
  • Manor.
  • Black Forest Trail
  • Setup camp along Red Run Creek on the Black Forest Trail
    • This is a large campsite with a fire ring and room for several tents or hammocks located right by the creek. This is the first water source I encountered all day.  According to the guide book, there is a spring on the ridge about 2.75 miles in, but I didn’t notice it on my hike.

Day 1 Elevation Profile – Black Forest Trail Short Loop – Sintax77

Day 1 Mileage: 6 miles
Day 1 Gross Elevation Gain: 1,499′
Day 1 Gross Descent: 1,193′

Trails Used Day 2

  • Continue on the Black Forest Trail
  • Old Supply Trail (this shortcut leaves the BFT shortly after reaching Francis Rd)
  • Reconnect with the Black Forest Trail
  • BFT crosses Slate Run Road
  • Setup camp along Slate Run Creek

 

Day 2 Elevation Profile – Black Forest Trail Short Loop – Sintax77

Day 2 Mileage: 6 miles
Day 2 Gross Elevation Gain: 1,430′
Day 2 Gross Descent: 1,594′

Day 3
Continue on the Black Forest Trail
Return to the Slate Run Rail Trail Recreation Area Parking Lot

Day 3 Elevation Profile – Black Forest Trail Short Loop – Sintax77

Day 3 Mileage: 2 miles
Day 3 Gross Elevation Gain: 152′
Day 3 Gross Descent: 295′

Grand Total Mileage: 14 miles
Grand Total Gross Elevation Gain: 3,081

Notable Backpacking Gear

Camera Gear used for this episode