Pine Grove Furnace State Park to Duncannon (Intermediate - Advanced 3 nights)

🥾 APPALACHIAN TRAIL BACKPACKING ADVENTURE
Pine Grove Furnace State Park → Duncannon, PA
🍂 October 23–26 | 3 Nights / 4 Days | Intermediate–Advanced

Join us for approximately 43 miles on the Appalachian Trail through South-Central Pennsylvania, beginning at historic Pine Grove Furnace State Park and finishing in the legendary trail town of Duncannon, PA.
We'll spend three nights on the trail and finish our adventure with food, drinks, and trail stories in Duncannon at The Pub.
Please note: This trip requires taking a half day off work on Friday, October 23rd, and a full day off work on Monday, October 26th for those who work typical 9-5 hours.

TRIP AT A GLANCE

📅 Dates: Friday, October 23 – Monday, October 26
🚐 Departure: Friday at approximately 1:00 PM
🅿️ Parking: 99-37 Inn Rd, Duncannon, PA 17020
🚌 Shuttle: Friday at 4:30 PM
⏱️ Shuttle duration: Approximately 1 hour
📍 Pine Grove arrival: Approximately 5:30 PM
🥾 Hiking: Saturday–Monday
🍻 Expected completion: Monday around 2 PM (~3:30PM if you decide to stay in town for food/drinks)
📍 Start: Pine Grove Furnace State Park
📍 Finish: Duncannon, PA
-Length ~43 miles
-Elev. gain 5,417ft
-Est. time hiking 18–20hr
🏕️ Nights: 3
⛰️ Difficulty: Intermediate–Advanced
Time off required:
➡️ Friday afternoon / half day
➡️ All day Monday

Please find this route using the below AllTrails link:
AllTrails

SCHEDULE & TIME COMMITMENT

Friday, October 23

🕐 Depart around 1:00 PM
We'll leave Friday afternoon and travel to Duncannon, where we'll park our vehicles and meet our scheduled shuttle.
📍 Parking & Shuttle Location:
99-37 Inn Rd, Duncannon, PA 17020
From there, we'll take our pre-scheduled shuttle at approximately 4:30 PM to Pine Grove Furnace State Park.
The shuttle ride is expected to take approximately 1 hour, putting us at Pine Grove Furnace at approximately 5:30 PM.

Carpooling

A couple of weeks before the trip, I'll reach out to everyone who is attending to coordinate carpooling and determine how many vehicles we'll need. We'll do our best to keep the number of vehicles manageable while making sure everyone has a comfortable way to get there.
If you prefer to drive yourself and meet us there, that's completely fine as well. Just let me know ahead of time so I can account for you when coordinating transportation.
Once everyone is organized, we'll take the shuttle from Duncannon to Pine Grove Furnace.
After arriving at Pine Grove Furnace, we'll get settled into the group campground, organize our gear, and prepare for the hike ahead.

NIGHT 1 — PINE GROVE FURNACE STATE PARK

Our first night will be at the Pine Grove Furnace Group Campground (Campsite C).
Amenities include:

⛺ Group camping area
🚽 Pit toilets
💧 Water available in the park
🔥 Fire ring

We'll use the more developed group campground facilities at Pine Grove Furnace before beginning the more rustic portion of our trip.

Saturday, October 24

PINE GROVE FURNACE → ALEC KENNEDY SHELTER - 15 MILES

We'll officially begin our trek north on the Appalachian Trail, making our way toward Alec Kennedy Shelter.

Night 2 - 🏕️ Alec Kennedy Shelter

Amenities include:

🏠 Appalachian Trail shelter
🚽 Privy
⛺ Camping opportunities around the shelter
💧 Nearby spring/water source

Water note: The Alec Kennedy spring can be unreliable, particularly later in the season. There is a reliable stream we will hit about 3.5 miles prior to getting to camp.

Sunday, October 25

🥾 DAY 3 — ALEC KENNEDY → DARLINGTON SHELTER -18 MILES

We'll continue north through Boiling Springs, PA and the Cumberland Valley before making our way toward Darlington Shelter.

🏕️ Darlington Shelter

Amenities include:

🏠 Appalachian Trail shelter
🚽 Privy
⛺ Camping area
💧 Spring/water source

Important water warning: The Darlington spring can be unreliable and may be dry later in the season. We'll plan our water carefully and obtain sufficient water before reaching the shelter if necessary. This day may require a longer water carry from Boiling Springs due to unreliable or questionable sources.

Note: This portion of the trip is mostly flat and easy hiking except for the final climb to the shelter.

Monday, October 26

🏔️ DAY 4 — DARLINGTON → DUNCANNON - 10 MILES

Our final day will take us toward Hawk Rock, eventually descending toward the Susquehanna River and Duncannon, PA.
We'll aim to reach the finish around 2:00 PM.
We'll finish near our vehicles and then head over to The Pub to celebrate the completion of the hike with some food and drinks before beginning the drive home.

💰 Cost

The shuttle ride to Pine Grove Furnace State Park and the Pine Grove Furnace Group Campground cost $174.50 total.
This cost will be split among the attendees participating in the trip. I’ll confirm the final cost per person at the end of the trip, once we know the final number of attendees to divide this total.

🎒 GEAR & BORROWING EQUIPMENT
You don't need to own an expensive ultralight backpacking setup to participate.
If you're interested in joining but need to borrow backpacking gear, please let me know when we connect. We should be able to help arrange some borrowed gear, depending on what's needed and what's available.
If you need equipment, please mention it as early as possible so we have time to figure out what can be provided before the trip.
You should still plan to have your own personal essentials, including appropriate clothing, footwear, food, water capacity, and other personal items.

WHO IS THIS TRIP FOR?

This trip is intended for intermediate and advanced backpackers.
You should be comfortable with:
Hiking approximately 12–18 miles per day
Carrying a full overnight backpack
Hiking multiple consecutive days
Rocky and uneven Pennsylvania terrain
Sustained climbs and descents
Potentially cold/wet October weather
Limited amenities between towns
Filtering/treating natural water sources
This is not a beginner backpacking trip.
You don't need to be an ultramarathoner, but you should be confident in your ability to hike consecutive long days while carrying your overnight gear.

LATE-OCTOBER CONDITIONS

Late October in Pennsylvania can be fantastic for backpacking—but we'll need to be prepared.
Expect the possibility of:
🌡️ Cold mornings and nights
🌧️ Rain and wet conditions
💨 Wind on exposed ridges
🍁 Beautiful fall foliage
🌙 Early sunsets
🥾 Muddy and rocky trail conditions
Everyone should bring appropriate cold-weather sleeping gear, rain protection, layers, headlamp, water filtration, and a personal shelter/tent.

Please find this route using the below AllTrails link:
AllTrails