West Rim Trail - Geography

Geography

The northern terminus of the trail is on Colton Road, 0.5 miles (0.8 km) south of U.S. Route 6, near the village of Ansonia. Ansonia is about 6 miles (10 km) west of Wellsboro, the county seat of Tioga County. The northern trailhead is at an elevation of 850 feet (260 m) and the trail climbs 700 feet (210 m) in 2.6 miles (4.2 km) as it heads south.

The West Rim Trail has many climbs and offers many vistas. It runs generally north-south along the west rim of the Pine Creek Gorge, hence the name. The trail is entirely on Pennsylvania State Forest lands, in the Tioga State Forest. It passes just west of Colton Point State Park, and is across the gorge from Leonard Harrison State Park. The trail runs parallel to the Pine Creek Rail Trail which follows the east bank of Pine Creek, but is some 800 feet (240 m) above it at the state parks.

The highest elevation on the West Rim Trail is at 2,080 feet (630 m), south of Gundigut Hollow. The trail is on the Allegheny Plateau and is generally at an elevation between 1,600 feet (490 m) and 1,700 feet (520 m). The steepest portion is along Lloyd Run near the southern terminus, where the elevation changes 300 feet (91 m) in just 0.25 miles (0.40 km).

Heading south, the trail drops 1,040 feet (320 m) in the last 2.0 miles (3.2 km) (this includes the steepest portion of the trail). Because of this, most hikers choose to hike from the north to the south. The southern terminus is at Rattlesnake Rocks on Pennsylvania Route 414, where Lloyd Run joins Pine Creek, 1.8 miles (2.9 km) south of the village of Blackwell. The total length of the West Rim Trail is 30.46 miles (49.02 km).