Loading...

Distance:
2.6 Miles / 4.2 km
Type:
Loop
Difficulty:
Hard
Time to Hike:
1 hour, ~18 minutes
Features:
PA Wilds
Surface Type:
Dirt
Park:
Tioga State Forest
Town:
Morris, Pennsylvania
Directions:
41.611035, -77.304201
Added:
May 07, 2021
Updated:
May 08, 2021

The Slide Hollow Falls Loop at Tioga State Forest in Morris, Pennsylvania is a difficult 2.6-mile loop hike that features a scenic 12-foot waterfall named Slide Hollow Falls and also includes a stop at an old abandoned coal incline that was used from 1903 to 1909 by the Tioga Coal Company named the Rattler Incline.

Trails
This hike follows the Mid State Trail (MST - orange blazes), Slide Hollow Trail (yellow blazes), and Rattler Mine Road which is a wide dirt road that leads through the state forest.

Hike Description
This trek begins along Rattler Mine Rd in Morris, PA near the coordinates provided and heads south along the road for about 50-feet to reach the trailhead for the Mid State Trail (MST). Here, hikers will begin a short, but steep, uphill climb that eventually leads to an old log slide track that heads gradually back downhill through the forest. Eventually this old log slide will converge with yet another old log slide before reaching the old abandoned Rattler Incline.

Rattler Incline
Around mile 0.6, hikers will reach the Rattler Incline - an old abandoned incline that was once used to transport coal down the mountain. This incline was only used for a short period of time because the quality and abundance of coal that was expected to be produced by the Rattler Mine did not live up to expectations. Additionally, the steam-powered incline did not operate as well as it was designed to and in 1909 the coal operation stopped, along with the incline. All that's left here today are the concrete and stone foundations that once held the incline.

Reaching the Slide Hollow Trail
After visiting the Rattler Incline, the trail heads up and behind the incline along a small series of switchbacks before heading downhill for quite a ways. At the bottom of this steep hill are two creek crossings and just after the 2nd creek crossing lies the trailhead for the Slide Hollow Trail and a registry box for the Mid State Trail (MST), which sits around mile 1. Hikers should sign in at the MST registry box.

Reaching Slide Hollow Falls (approx 12-feet tall)
Hikers will then head downhill, following yellow blazes, along the Slide Hollow Trail which also appears to be an old log slide of sorts. Slide Hollow Run or Slide Hollow creek has several small waterfalls, between 2 and 3-feet tall, that cascade down the run; however, I did not photograph any of these as I was waiting to reach the main waterfall - Slide Hollow Falls. Hikers will finally reach Slide Hollow Falls around mile 1.45, just before the trail turns to cross the creek once again to avoid private properties. Here, hikers can backtrack up the creek about 50-feet to reach the base of the waterfall. Slide Hollow Falls is a multi-cascade waterfall that spills down two large boulders to create a ~12-foot tall waterfall.

Hiking Out
After visiting Slide Hollow Falls, hikers will head out along the yellow blazes to reach Rattler Mine Road once again. Before reaching the road, a keen-eyed hiker may notice more concrete foundations located in the creek and to the side of the creek just off-trail to the opposite side. These old foundations were used for the Rattler Incline where dump-loads of coal were unloaded into hoppers on a trestle that extended from this location, south, toward the present-day campground. A train would then pass through Landrus (passing Nessmuk's Winter Camp) and Arnot up through Blossburg and Mansfield before reaching NY state.

Hikers will then hike uphill along Rattler Mine Road to reach the parking area, which is approximately 1-mile from where the Slide Hollow Trail reaches the road.

Lazy-Person's Hike to reach Slide Hollow Falls
For the lazy adventurer - or someone who's short on time - if you can find a decent place to pull-off on Rattler Mine Road close to the Slide Hollow Trail, you can reach the waterfall within less than a 0.3-mile out-and-back hike.

Difficulty
This trail is considered "hard" because there are several steep sections of hill, along with a longer climb at the end. Some hikers may find this trek moderate, but it certainly is not an easy hike. If you visit Slide Hollow Falls without using the Mid State Trail at all - assuming an out-and-back hike - the hike difficulty is definitely easy.

Parking
Hikers will find parking at the coordinates provided where the Mid State Trail crosses Rattler Mine Road.

Pets
Dogs are allowed and they should be leashed.

Camping and Backpacking
Backpackers will find no campsites or any place to easily setup a camp along this trek; however, backpacking is allowed along the Mid State Trail and at Tioga State Forest. Please follow all rules and regulations when dispersed / primitive / backcountry camping.

Blaze Colors
This hike follows orange blazes (Mid State Trail) and yellow blazes (Slide Hollow Trail). The blazes end when the hiker reaches Rattler Mine Road, where the Slide Hollow Trail terminates.

Wildflowers
During the Spring, hikers may find Squirrel Corn and Trillium wildflower growing mostly within Slide Hollow. Along the Slide Hollow Trail in particular was a very large patch of Squirrel Corn wildflower during Spring 2021.

Explore 266 trails near Morris, PA
  1. Parking

    41.611035, -77.304201
  2. Main Trailhead

    41.61057, -77.304063
  3. Abandoned Rattler Incline (1903-1909) foundation

    41.60398, -77.299523
    Abandoned Rattler Incline (1903-1909) foundation
  4. Slide Hollow Run - water source to filter

    41.601325, -77.305542
    Slide Hollow Run - water source to filter
  5. MST registry and Slide Hollow Trail trailhead

    41.600956, -77.305519
    MST registry and Slide Hollow Trail trailhead
  6. Slide Hollow Falls approx. 12-feet tall

    41.599322, -77.300697
    Slide Hollow Falls approx. 12-feet tall
  7. Old foundations in Slide Hollow Run - part of the abandoned Rattler Incline

    41.5994, -77.299028
    Old foundations in Slide Hollow Run - part of the abandoned Rattler Incline
Explore other trail routes for this hike, added by the MyHikes Community via Trip Reports.
No community routes found. To add your own route as a Community Route for this Trail guide, please leave a Trip Report with a GPX file on this Trail.

Hazards

Ticks - Lyme Disease More Info (CDC)
Snakes
Poison Ivy/Oak

Seasons

All

Blaze Color

Orange
Loading...
Loading...
583 '

Total Change
630 '

Ascent
720 '

Descent

Photo Albums

1 Trip Report

No Star-Ratings
Write-up by:
Admin user profile picture
2.6 miles / 4.2 km
Trail added
May 07, 2021
Hiked on
May 07, 2021
Updated on
May 08, 2021

Weather Forecast

In Morris, PA

Explore Hiking Trails

New Hikes

Congaree Boardwalk Loop
2.5 Miles
4 km
Easy
Loop
Weston Lake Loop
3.2 Miles
5.1 km
Easy
Loop
Coquina Loop (Old Levi Mill Waterfall)
1.7 Miles
2.7 km
Moderate
Loop
Raven Rocks via Appalachian Trail
5.1 Miles
8.2 km
Strenuous
Out-and-Back

Before you leave...

MyHikes is an indie web platform aimed to make exploring public trails easier for everyone. The site has no investors and is owned and operated by one person, Dave Miller (Founder & Admin). As the Founder, main contributor, and doer-of-all-things for MyHikes, I share my trips with over-detailed write-ups for fun on a volunteer basis and I believe that public trail information should be available to everyone.

It takes a lot of time 🕦, money 💰, and effort (including espresso shots ☕) to run MyHikes, including hiking , mapping , writing , and publishing new trails with high-quality content... along with building new features, moderating, site maintainance, and app development for iOS and Android . I simply ask that if you find MyHikes' trail guides helpful to please consider becoming a Supporter to help keep the site, iOS, and Android apps available to everyone.

Supporters unlock website and in-app perks with a one-time payment of $25 (you renew) 😎👍. Or you can simply make a Donation of your choice without a MyHikes user account. Otherwise, telling your friends about MyHikes is the next-best thing - both quick and free 🎉

Thanks for visiting MyHikes and have a great hike!️

Admin user profile picture

Dave Miller
MyHikes Founder & Admin