Philadelphia: Wind Gap to Smith Shelter
This 8.8-mile, out-and-back wooded hike runs the spine of the Appalachian Mountains to one of the most remote AT shelters in Pennsylvania.
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Trail Facts
- Distance: 7.1
- Miles from city center: 80
Waypoints
WGT011
Location: 40.8393516540527, -75.3596572875976
Overnight @ Smith Shelter or in one of a handful of good campsites nearby; springs provide trailside water most of the summer
WGT002
Location: 40.8614158630371, -75.2947769165039
Veer L onto AT; trail is marked by white blazes as it climbs sharply out of Wind Gap
WGT001
Location: 40.8613357543945, -75.2940216064453
Hike NW along the shoulder of Broadway St., passing under PA 33
WGT003
Location: 40.860107421875, -75.2961502075195
Switchbacks snake up Blue Mountain; catch occasional views through hardwoods to the town of Wind Gap and surrounding fields
WGT010
Location: 40.8432846069336, -75.3578033447266
Power lines sizzle above; hike access road for a few yards before turning L onto blue-blazed trail
WGT007
Location: 40.8506813049316, -75.3299331665039
Trail skips over an underground pipeline
WGT005
Location: 40.8580436706543, -75.3067932128906
Trail enters PA state game lands; deer tracks common on trail
WGT004
Location: 40.8593940734863, -75.2995147705078
Trail reaches narrow, tree-covered ridgetop
WGT008
Location: 40.8469696044922, -75.3368301391602
Begin short descent
WGT006
Location: 40.8532752990723, -75.3246383666992
Small rocks tilt up like tombstones on the forest floor
WGT009
Location: 40.8433952331543, -75.3508758544922
Keep W, following white blazes