Pine Creek Pinnacles

One of two ways:

1. (Preferred) Sign up to create a MyHikes account. On each hike listed on the site, simply leave a Trip Report or upload photos from the trail. Each Trip Report has the option to upload a GPX file, if you wish, in addition to a Completed Date. This Completed Date field is used to track the exact day you did the hike and/or to retroactively submit your hike. Leaving notes about your hike within the Trip Report is optional, but recommended to help other hikers.
2. Keep your own personal hiking journal in whatever manner you see fit - notepad, Notes app, whatever.

With a MyHikes account: Once you've completed the challenge, use the form on the contact us page requesting Dave to verify your data and use the subject of Pine Creek Pinnacles Submission. You can also email myhikes1@gmail.com with the subject of Pine Creek Pinnacles Submission. Include your MyHikes username in the email so I can find your Trip Reports and photos.

Without a MyHikes account: Please email myhikes1@gmail.com with the subject of Pine Creek Pinnacles Submission. Include a list of the hikes, when they were completed, and supply photos from each one if you can - otherwise, pictures of your hiking journal are accepted. Unique and timestamped GPX files are also accepted.

Yes, this challenge is retroactive. If you've hiked these routes before the challenge was created, you can still submit your data. Please either create a MyHikes account to add Trip Reports to each hike or email myhikes1@gmail.com with pictures of journal entries from your hikes. We'll also accept any GPX file or pictures from your past trips.

Yes, each trail must be hiked in full. If you decide to hike from a different location, we'll accept a greater-than-or-equal mileage and elevation gain along a different route that reaches the same destination. Please include a map drawing or GPX file for us to validate the different route when submitting your challenge data.

This hiking challenge is self-paced, so take as long as you need. It took Dave a couple of years to slowly explore around Pine Creek Gorge enough to first conceptualize a challenge before picking these 20 hikes as the main challenge for himself.

Yes, you still need to submit your data to myhikes1@gmail.com to have your name added to the official Pine Creek Pinnacles Members List.

Every hiker that completes this challenge will receive:

• Their first name, last name, MyHikes username (if applicable), and location (if they choose) added to the PCP20 Members List on this page.
• The ability to purchase Member Stickers, which cost $15 for (3) stickers.

The idea is to showcase hikers that have completed the challenge over the course of many years, while also highlighting where folks have traveled from.

While participating and even completing the challenge is free, it costs $15 for (3) Member Stickers. The money is put back into MyHikes to keep the lights on and thus keep the Pine Creek Pinnacles going.

Note that there are no club fees or annual dues to participte or complete this challenge. Non-members may also purchase cheaper PCP20 stickers to show-off your work-in-progress or support.

MyHikes, by Dave Miller. Dave lives in to Wellsboro, PA and has mapped and written about 400+ miles of trails in and around Pine Creek Gorge on MyHikes between June, 2019 and March 2022.

The money is put back into MyHikes to continue sharing public trail information for free. The platform is free and run on a volunteer-basis. Operating, however, is not free. We map public trails and provide detailed notes and points-of-interest for everyone to explore - not to mention the countless hours coding, adding new features, maintaining, upgrading, and administration.

The Pine Creek Pinnacles is a challenge, so if you want to complete it, you also really have to want it. The North Canyon (Marsh Creek area) of the PA Grand Canyon is overlooked by most hikers, but there's still plenty to explore in that area. By including shorter and easier hikes like Big Rocks and South Hill, hikers get to explore an area that they may have otherwise skipped over. Most of the hikes in the North Canyon that are on this list are easier and flatter, but generally pass through the USGS Summits/Peaks. Additionally, if you want to create more of a challenge, you can even hike those spots from a further distance to increase elevation gain or mileage; that's up to you!

Yes! Please note that the Turkey Path is closed during the winter, so that hike is excluded from the winter challenge. By default, there are two ways to complete the Pine Creek Pinnacles:

1. Traditional: Hike all 20 locations any time of the year over any number of years.
2. Winter: Hike all 19 locations (exlcudes the Turkey Path) between December 21 and March 20, combined over any number of years. If you hike one of the Pine Creek Pinnacles in the Winter, it counts for both Winter and Traditional so you do not need to revisit that hike.

The Winter version is more challenging because most of these locations are harder to reach during the winter. For example, Barbour Rock in the winter is 8-miles out-and-back starting at the West Rim Trail's northern terminous instead of the 1-mile loop during warmer months. Half Dome Mountain (PA Half Dome), for example, may be treacherous during the winter as well due to its insanely steep elevation grade. Remember you're hiking at your own risk and it's always best to over-evaluate dangerous situations. If you do not feel totally comfortable, turning around ensures you can go home at the end of the day. Nature doesn't care either way.

To plan for winter hiking, please check out our How to Hike in the Winter guide for safety tips, tricks, and gear lists.

While the West Rim Trail is one of Pennsylvania's most popular backpacking and day hike trails in Pine Creek Gorge, it's not on the list because of its length. The Pine Creek Pinnacles is meant to breakup the canyon into smaller bite-sized chunks and while the West Rim Trail is a beautiful part of Pine Creek Gorge, it felt a bit brutal to add that to the official list.

There are plenty of places within the PA Grand Canyon that were not included; however, to create a challenge that includes every single unique or interesting place would not only take a lifetime to explore first, but it would be unrealistic to expect hikers to participate. The Pine Creek Pinnacles is meant to be an achieveable challenge, especially for those who have to drive long distances to reach the canyon in the first place.

The Pine Creek Pinnacles hiking challenge was created in 2022 by Dave Miller (MyHikes Founder and Admin) as a way to promote the beautiful and often rugged terrain that Pine Creek Gorge has to offer to outdoor enthusiasts. Miller, a transplant to Wellsboro, PA, has mapped and written over 400-miles of trails from the area on MyHikes between 2019 and 2022. After several years of exploring, he wanted to showcase Pine Creek Gorge by creating a challenge like the "ADK 46ers" or "NH 48". Despite Pennsylvania's lack of rocky peaks/summits, Dave figured that a challenge that combined the USGS peaks/summits with other "pinnacles" of Pine Creek could make for a really interesting way for hikers to explore the canyon. Additionally, the challenge is meant to drum up extra tourism for the area to help some of these tiny communities in/around Pine Creek Gorge.