Backpacking Loyalsock/Link Loop

Trip Details

Over the summer (June 2025), my friend and I took a trip to Worlds End State Park near Williamsport, Pennsylvania for a backpacking expedition. This was my first backpacking trip ever!

We backpacked the Loyalsock and Link Loop trail, which is a 16.2 mile subsection of the much longer Loyalsock trail including an additional linking component to circle back to the trailhead. Although the length of the trail wasn’t too bad, the elevation gain was absolutely brutal for a beginner like myself (who also definitely overpacked their backpack).

The trail itself had a ton of stunning views. Most of the trail was through dense forests, with short bursts of relatively steep uphill and downhill sections. Overall, I learned a lot from this trip, and I feel much more prepared for another backpacking excursion in the future.

Highlights

First Stretch

We headed out in a counter-clockwise direction relative to Worlds End State Park, and immediately had a nice view of the Loyalsock Creek.

It didn’t take long for things to get pretty difficult. We headed up the Canyon Vista trail, which consisted of an 800 foot elevation gain over the course of a mile. Considering I was carrying a 50 pound bag, this nearly took me out!

Loyalsock Canyon Vista

After the initial (and massive) uphill portion, things became much more manageable. We eventually reached Loyalsock Canyon Vista, which is a beautifal overlook over the “Endless Mountains” portion of the Appalachians.

We met a few other backpackers here and struck up a conversation. They had a similar plan to us - make it to Sones Pond and set up camp for the night.

Sones Pond

Sones Pond is roughly the halfway point of the Loyalsock and Link Loop trail. It had a bunch of camping sites, which were mostly occupied by the end of the night. We set up our tent and had some Mountain House for dinner (basically MREs for backpacking).

I ran out of water in my 3L bladder around this point, so I decided to fill up using a gravity water filter we had picked up at REI. I was pretty concerned about drinking out of a natural stream (even with the filter), but it turned out to be completely fine.

Sleeping through the night was a bit difficult since I’m not accustomed to sleeping outdoors. Also, I brought a cheap sleeping bag and pad. I could definitely notice the quality, and will make sure to invest in better sleeping accomodations for my next trip.

The ambiance by the pond was pretty cool. We had natural white noise of frogs croaking and ducks quacking throughout the night. At one point, we started hearing coyotes howling to each other in the distance. It was interesting to listen to their communication patterns and how they progressed through the surrounding forest. Each coyote seemed to have its own unique callsign that it used on repeat.

Second Half

In the morning, we packed up and headed out on the second half of the trail. There were a few really cool portions, including an awesome stretch along a small creek with great views.

I began to struggle again around the 12 mile mark. My legs started cramping pretty hard, but I recovered after stopping to rest + rehydrate for a bit. This part of the trail wasn’t too interesting. It was VERY muddy and marshy, which admittedly isn’t my favoriate biome.

Loyalsock Creek

Once we finally made it back to Worlds End State Park, there was a pretty nice overlook on the mountain next to the park, followed by a crazy steep decline taking us back to Loyalsock Creek. We stopped and went in the creek for a bit - the water was enjoyably cold since I was exhausted and drenched in sweat. The creek itself was very pretty and seemed like a fun place to hang out.

Final Thoughts

I had a great time on my first backpacking trip, and would definitely go on another in the future. However, there are a few things I definitely need to improve on for my next trip:

• I 100% overpacked my backpack. Next time, I’ll make sure to bring only the necessities, and hopefully that will result in a much lighter load.
• My cardio isn’t exactly the best. I was heaving at many points during the hike, especially on the uphill portions. I should incorporate more cardio into my current gym routine (shouldn’t be too hard considering I don’t do any!).

One backpacking trip down, many to go!