World’s End State Park is located in the Endless Mountains region of Pennsylvania. The name is believed to be a tip of the hat to the location’s remoteness, and the park is still remote – the nearest town is Forksville, and Forksville is barely a town. And yet that remoteness drew me here.
Well, that AND the planned backpacking trip with Ian scheduled for the next day. I still had things to do before my hike, so I decided to just hang out at the two overlooks the park is best known for. I started at High Knob.
High Knob Overlook isn’t technically part of Worlds End, its outside the park in Loyalsock State Forest. And High Knob is practically a park in itself, consisting of the overlook and six miles of hiking trails in the immediate vicinity. After registering for my campsite and breakfast in Forksville I headed up the road to High Knob, driving slowly on the access road to avoid the large number of deer.
The overlook is impressive, with a lot of parking, a picnic area, permanent chemical toilets, and a wide range of positions to photograph from. Yet the fog obscured everything until early afternoon. Even then this is the best I could get. The view on a good day is of the high points of seven counties. This was not a good day.
The fog hadn’t lifted by later that afternoon, when I decided, despite Ian’s warning, to visit the park’s iconic view, Canyon Vista. I reasoned I should see it because I didn’t know if I’d find the conditions any better for photography tomorrow, or if I’d be in a mood to take photos.
Despite the foggy weather, the Canyon Vista was impressive. The view is down Loyalsock Creek, past the Visitor’s Center and beach, showing you one reason they call the area the Endless Mountains. Scott Brown’s book on Pennsylvania vistas is correct to describe the view as “narrow” for photography; the overlook itself is wide, but there is so much foreground brush that to get the view that appears on calendars – and on the cover of Brown’s book – you have to shoot from one location. I was creative with the cell phone for this photo, but even here the foreground vegetation intrudes. I did manage to ‘crop’ out the tree branches.
After a day hanging out basically doing nothing aside from photographing foggy overlooks, I wanted to hike SOMETHING. I’d not hiked earlier because I wanted the muscles to be fresh for whatever faced them tomorrow. But I was getting antsy. I needed to move, and hiking would not only prepare me for what I was going to face but it might tire me out enough that I’d not be up all night worrying. So on discovering there was a short trail to yet another vista, I grabbed my poles and set off.
The Worlds End Trail starts opposite the Visitor Center on PA Route 154, near the swimming beach on the Loyalsock. And like every other trail in the park it climbs, and climbs, and climbs again. The vista, a narrow view of the swimming beach, is reached after a half mile slog uphill.
I felt strong and confident after this short hike, because I not only got up, but I got down. I sweated from the exertion, but I had a good time, and I felt ready for the backpacking trip the next morning. I retired to my tent and slept well.