Hiking the Cherry Run Gamelands

Bear Run

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to explore a section of our state that I had passed by many, many times, but had never stopped to actually enjoy the natural beauty of the area. This prime piece of mountain land is located between Interstate 80 and Sugar Valley and has been preserved as a part of State Game Lands 295. These gamelands are known locally as the Cherry Run Gamelands after the large mountain stream that cuts through the middle of the gamelands, between Big and Bear Mountains.

It was early morning when I was joined by a group of friends who agreed to explore the gamelands with me. Chuck, Dawn, and their girls and Steph met up with me that morning for the day-long hike.We met at the mouth of Cherry Run and after a bit of discussion, we agreed to leave our vehicles parked at the larger parking area at the mouth of Cherry Run (between Lamar and Tylersville) and took one vehicle to the smaller parking area at the mouth of Bear Run about half mile away. This parking area can easily be missed because it is not along the main road and isn't well marked.

The trail up Bear Run Hollow is an easy incline. Under normal situations, it would have been a simple trip up the hollow. However the rains from the storms the week before had Bear Run running fast and furious; at times, the banks failed to contain all of the water and the trail was flooded. It was an added degree of difficulty as we hiked up the old road with water flowing down the trail we were on. If that wasn't enough, the crossings where the trail crossed Bear Run were high and the water fast. After finding logs to bridge the stream at each of the crossings, we managed to finally arrive at the top of the mountain.

A make-shift bridge we made over Bear Run

From the parking area to the highest point on the trail was a change of 900 feet, but at no time did it seem to bother any of us as we hiked up the old logging road. At one crossing, we spooked a turkey which was an added bonus to our trip. I had read others reporting natives trout in the small pools of Bear Run, but I didn't see any on this trip, though I did see some in the waters of Cherry Run.

We came out of the hemlocks and laurel into an open forest; a couple hundred yards later we were in the open, having arrived at the top of the mountain and an area used by the Game Commission as a feed lot. Crossing the grassy field, we continued through a forested area that was surrounded by a deer fence and then another much larger field. Finding a log near the Cherry Run Access Road, we took a short breather before continuing our journey.

We travelled about another mile before arriving at the Cherry Run Trail. Here we enjoyed another break and lunch. In the remoteness of this land we enjoyed sharing stories of previous adventures and ones we wanted to try and accomplish some day. The peacefulness of this remote area was broken only by the sound of an occasional tracter trailer traveling on Interstate 80, which was just beyond the next mountain north from where we were sitting.

Car sitting near the top of Cherry Run

After enjoying the time on the mountain, it was time to start back down towards civilization. A half mile into our descent, we discovered an old car alongside the trail. Though it has obviously been here for a while, it still sits in a small, open area; weeds and grass have overtaken it and it had sunk into the earth. We didn't walk over to investigate it, but instead left it there in its solitude for others to one day discover and wonder how it had arrived at this location.

The trail parallels Cherry Run as it descends back into the Narrows. The normally dry trail was water-logged and the small trickles of water were now overflowing and formed small, shallow ponds on the trail. The trail moved through tunnels in the hemlocks and laurel as it slowly descended the mountain. Twice during the descent I could hear grouse drumming somewhere nearby, but the thickness of the forest kept me from seeing them.

Bridge over Cherry Run

 At the bottom of the old road, within a couple hundred yards of the main road, the trail makes a sharp right to go around a piece of private ground. The trail crosses Cherry Run on two old bridges and then wanders the last couple hundred yards before coming back out to the parking area on Cherry Run. We were amazed that near the parking area was a group of pines that had been uprooted (probably during the storms of the past week); none of them had a deep growing root system and we were surprised that more hadn't fallen.

The trip was roughly 10.5 miles and we did it in a little over 8 hours. At no time were we rushed or was the trail strenuous, unless you count the extra steps we had to go through to cross the flooded trails. Unlike the the section of the Allegheny Front Trail I had hiked previously, these trails have been maintained and upkept; most fallen trees were cut so the hiker could easy pass through the fallen giants. I think we only had to step over two trees; they were both on Bear Run and appeared to have recently fallen.

I look forward to hiking this one again when there's not so much water and I can enjoy it even more.