South Twin, North Twin and Galehead Mountain, August 4, 2026, White Mountain National Forest

View to South Twin and Galehead Mountain from North Twin Outlook

For whatever reason, the Twin Range is never on my radar when I visit the White Mountains. Maybe it's because the day that I hiked them when doing the 4,000 footer list was a total rain out. I can't recall why I decided climb a couple of extra high peaks with great vista points on a day when there would be no visibility up top, but I did. My post about that wet hike reminded me that I did enjoy the solitude of a day when nobody else was out. Still, I suppose that soggy slog of a hike engendered a somewhat indifferent feeling towards what some people call their favorite peaks in all of the Whites. For many years now I've been wanting to give them another chance.

Little River Torrents

That chance came during my annual White Mountain hiking trip with brother and nephews. The young ones get to choose the peaks, and this time they chose the Twins. Since we were meeting in New Hampshire instead of carpooling, we had two vehicles on hand and decided to set up a shuttle. The logistics and time involved in so doing can sometimes be a hassle, but the two trailheads were only minutes from our base camp in Bethlehem and we set it all up and hit the trail at the respectable hour of 6:30 a.m. Only two cars were in the lot at the North Twin Trail. Overnight hut visitors, we surmised, meaning we'd probably have the trail all to ourselves.

Admiring clouds hovering on Mt. Washington on an otherwise cloud-less day

Turns out we did. Barring a slightly dicey crossing of the raging Little River, we had a lonely, uneventful climb to the much-heralded vista point on the shoulder of North Twin. We took a first extended break of the day here, admiring the easterly views towards the Presidential Range. After moving out, we touched the cairn at the unremarkable, wooded true summit of North Twin and everyone but me quickly forged ahead towards South Twin. I decided to take the super short spur over to an open viewpoint ledge, which offers a great vista of South Twin, Galehead Hut and Galehead Mountain -- our next three destinations. It was worth the five minute detour, for sure.

Steep descent from South Twin towards Galehead Hut, Mount Garfield in distance

We took a second extended break on the summit of South Twin, which has some of the best views in all of the White Mountains, especially those to the south into the Pemigewasset Wilderness. With good views come hikers aplenty, and we had to carve out a private space for ourselves in a corner of the rocky summit to avoid 15 or so others who steadily arrived just after we did. Next came the extremely steep descent down to Galehead Hut. It's always nice to have a hut on a hiking route as it affords a chance to fill up water bottles, catch a baked good, and/or talk with other hikers. Two of us decided to run up to nearby Galehead summit; the other two decided that the hut was a good place for a rest and a nap. I suppose that I applaud the logic behind both choices of how to best conclude a day on the 4,000 footers.

Peaks: North Twin, South Twin, and Galehead Mountain 
Elevation: 4,760, 4,902, and 4,024 feet (Gain: 3,748 feet)
Distance: 11 miles point to point
Route: Traverse; North Twin Trail, North Twin Connector, Twinway, Frost Trail, Gale River Trail
Conditions: Sunny and windy, 50 degrees F
Notable Flora/Fauna: Common Ravens

 

Hemlock Mountain via Naval Run and Black Forest Trails, June 20, 2026, Tiadaghton State Forest

View to Pine Creek Gorge from Hemlock Mountain

My brother and I don't do a lot of summer hiking in Pennsylvania. We prefer the late fall, early spring and winter months for meeting up in his neck of the woods for big day outings in the commonwealth. This year, however, we wanted to take advantage of a rare, cool and breezy mid-June day with low humidity to do a hike in the mountains around Pine Creek Gorge and enjoy the seasonal blooming of the mountain laurel. The one downside to not hiking in early summer is that you miss out on the optimal time to see the official state flower of Pennsylvania. But, as we soon found out, peak season for mountain laurel is also peak season for timber rattlers.

Mountain Laurel on Naval Run Trail

It took an hour and a half to drive to the trail, which is the absolute max amount of one-way car time for a day hike that either of us can handle. Fortunately, we still managed to be geared up and on the trail by 7:30 a.m. sharp. Unlike most of our hikes, which begin by ascending, this one starts with a long, gradual descent via switchbacks. The Naval Run Trail is a grassy trail with easy footing leading down into a pleasant wooded canyon. The blooming mountain laurel was aplenty on the higher elevation ridge top, then gradually disappeared as we lost elevation, replaced by large swaths of stinging nettles. However, this loop hike contains multiple ups and downs, so the mountain laurel would appear again each time that we climbed back up to the higher elevations. It's been a long time since I hiked Pennsylvania in mid-June. Keystone State forests are diverse and beautiful at this time of year.

Waterfall on Callahan Run Tributary

At the bottom of the ravine, we connected with the Black Forest Trail which makes a long ascent to the top of Hemlock Mountain. On the sunny rocks near the summit, a timber rattlesnake warned us of its presence so we gave it a wide berth, admired it from afar and made note to keep an eye out for others. I was in the lead and thought that I was being extra careful to scan the rocky trail ahead. However, I must have gotten lost in conversation at one point and suddenly heard my brother exclaim "snake!" I whipped around to see another rattler directly on the trail behind me. I had walked right over him. I don't have a fear of snakes, but coming that close to stepping on a venomous creature six miles deep into the forest had me, well, rattled. Lesson 1 of the day. Pay close attention in snake season. Lesson 2. Rattlers don't always rattle. 

Big Sky on Big Trail Scenic Road

After Hemlock Mountain, we traveled along the ridge to a campsite, stopped for lunch, and then descended again along Callahan Run. At the bottom of the valley, three trails and several streams come together at a very nice campsite within earshot of a small, picturesque waterfall. We made note of the spot for future hiking trips and then started the second of the two long, unrelenting ascents of the day back up to the higher elevation lands of the blooming mountain laurel. At the top, we ran into two hikers traveling in the opposite direction and chatted with them for a few minutes about the weather, their route and other favorite hiking spots in Pennsylvania. After bidding farewell, we set off on the Big Trail Scenic Road back to the car and quickly lamented our one mistake. 

Should have warned them about the rattlers.

Destination: Hemlock Mountain
Distance: 11.4 miles
Elevation: 2,080 feet (2,533 feet gain)
Route: Clockwise loop, Naval Run Trail to Black Forest Trail to Big Trail Scenic Road
Conditions: Sunny, 60 - 80 degrees F
Notable Flora/Fauna: Timber Rattlesnake x2

Rattlesnake, Bird and Blue Mountains, Tillman Ravine and Silver Spray Waterfall, April 27, 2026, Stokes State Forest

Blue Mountain Summit, View to the Northwest and Fog Trails on the Delaware River

With May quickly approaching, I resolved to hurry up and do at least one more big hike in the Delaware Water Gap before the season's end. My season for the Gap is November-April. Outside of those six months, there are just too many people for my liking. I'd also been cooped up in a car on several recent road trips and needed some locomotion big time. I ultimately decided on a 12.5-mile loop that covers 2,500 feet of gain starting along the Appalachian Trail ridge, descending into Tillman Ravine, climbing back up the ridge, descending again past the Silver Spray waterfalls, and then concluding with a final climb back up to the top. My new favorite hiking GPS app, CalTopo, is a great tool for putting together hikes at the Delaware Water Gap. Unlike the Adirondacks, there are not many long distance trails other than the AT, so a good app helps plan out the higher-mileage, higher-elevation gain hikes that I am looking for. I've been using CalTopo in conjunction with my NY-NJ Trail Conference paper maps and it has tons of neat features for the serious hiker. It's so much better than AllTrails, aka Facebook for hikers.

Spring Fiddlehead Ferns on the AT

I started out at 7 a.m. from the small parking lot off Owassa Road and made quick work of the switchback climb up to the AT. The warblers were out early and I got the sounds and sightings of plenty of Black and White Warblers almost immediately. I followed the rocky ridge up and over Rattlesnake, Bird and Blue Mountains and then descended past the Brink Road shelter to the highlight of the day -- The Tillman Bog. Iridescently-beautiful tree swallows were flitting about the dead trees and beaver lodges and in the background rose the distinct call of a Barred Owl doing his usually-nocturnal thing in the early a.m. I thought about finding a spot to camp out for an hour to listen and watch, but in the end I only spent about 15 minutes there before hitting the trail again. I'll be back.

Tillman Bog

After the bog, I followed a combination of hiking trails and the auto road down to the bottom of Tillman Ravine, then climbed back up past its rocky chutes and cascades. We had a substantial rain the day before and that was one of my reasons for choosing this hike. As I expected, the water was flowing nicely through this picturesque spot and it reminded me a little of the Flume and Basin in the White Mountains, though on a much smaller scale. More importantly, there were no cars in the two parking areas that give access to the ravine and I fortunately had it all to myself. 

Tillman Ravine

I took a relatively-newer trail called the Maple Leaf Trail back up towards Bird Mountain and then descended again along the trail that passes the Silver Spray waterfalls. You actually have to leave the trail to get to my favorite viewing spot, but it is less than a 1/4 mile detour and well worth it. After another break next to the cascades, I followed the long, straight woods road to the connector trail that leads back up to the AT. This is a rocky, steep trail reminiscent of something you'd find in the Adirondacks. It felt a little strange doing a steep climb so late in the day since my usual peak bagging always means climbing early and descending late. But it was fine. Once back on the ridge, I followed the AT back to the switchback and headed down to my car. 

On the day, I only encountered two other hikers. That won't be the case come May.

Destination: Rattlesnake, Bird and Blue Mountains, Tillman Ravine and Silver Spray Waterfall 
Distance: 12.5 miles
Elevation: 2,569 feet gain
Route: Clockwise hour glass loop: Mullins Road Trail to Appalachian Trail to Brink Road to Tilman Road to Tillman Trails to Red Maple Trail to Woods Road to Appalachian Trail to Woods Road to AT Connector to Appalachian Trail to Mullins Road
Conditions: Sunny, 34-64 degrees F
Notable Flora/Fauna: Black and White Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Black-Throated Green Warbler, Louisiana Water Thrush, Barred Owl, Tree Sparrow, Oven Bird