Hickory Run State Park, October 9, 2023, Gould, Switchback, Hickory Run, Fireline Skyline Loop, 5.4 Miles RT, 899' +/-

Today we hiked in Hickory Run State Park. It had been a while since we’d been here, and I knew the fall foliage would be starting to change into autumn color.

Hickory Run was once territory of the Lenape, Susquehannock and the Iroquois Nation. When the colonists arrived, they named the area Shades of Death due to the rocky unfarmable soil and swamps.

We started on the Gould Trail which took us through the woods and down to Hickory Run via the Switchback Trail. Hickory Run was beautiful and the leaves were starting to change to golden color. We headed north on the Fireline Trail which took us up the hillside overlooking the Lehigh River and the distant State Gameland 149. I particularly enjoyed the Pitch Pines along the trail. We passed an overlook with a clear view of Lehigh Gorge. Heading east on Fireline, we turned south to take the Skyline Trail back to Gould to make a lollipop loop. But before reaching the trailhead, we found a comfortable log just off the trail to stop, make coffee and have light breakfast on our campstove. I miss camping. We haven’t been since we left California. Most of the campgrounds in our area are very developed and mostly made for large campers. I’m not a fan of this type of camping, so I haven’t had much luck finding more remote space.

It was a lovely day. As we reached the trailhead the sun began to hide behind the clouds and we headed back home.

Click “Read More” below for more photos from this hike.