The Lumberjack Trail is very boggy, even in dryer weather. If there has been any rainfall within the past week be prepared to take extra time on the the Lumberjack Trail. Follow the Lumberjack Trail for 3.6 miles and arrive at the intersection of the Huckleberry Trail (TR533). Continue straight on the Lumberjack Trail for another 2.0 miles, passing through a small clearing, then arriving at the High Meadows Trail junction.
At this point the High Meadows Trail passes through a rocky area in the forest, and is hard to follow for the next 200 yards before entering the next set of meadows. Follow the blue diamond trail markers through the meadows as it descends to the left for another 0.4 miles before heading more directly downward, then turning more uphill to the left.
As you enter the forest cross a small stream, and arrive at the next intersection. Turn right downward towards Seneca Creek (the arrow has been scrapped off the sign), and in 0.2 miles reach Seneca Creek at which point the trail turns right downstream. Continue for 0.1 miles, turn left crossing a small gully, and in 150 yards turn sharply down to the junction of the Seneca Creek Trail (TR515).
In 0.1 miles pass the intersection of the Bear Hunter Trail on the right before arriving at the Judy Springs campground. Pass through the campground, and continue past the Judy Springs Trail (TR512) on the left, DO NOT cross the footbridge. In 0.5 miles cross Seneca Creek for the last time where the trail becomes easier to follow for the remainder of the hike. Pass the Swallow Rock Trail in another 0.5 miles, and the Tom Lick Trail 1.4 miles further on. 1.0 miles past the Tom Lick Trail arrive back at the Seneca Creek parking area.
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Reviews For The High Meadows/Seneca Creek Hike (5 Most Recent)
Awesome hike, first day hike to seneca falls was amazing, rained for the first couple hours on lumberjack/high meadows but didn't slow us down. Bog was pretty deep, but there's ways to get around it. Directions were a little hard to follow in some spots, but it's pretty clear when you're off track. Took about 6 1/2 hours to get to Seneca Falls, hike would be faster in drier conditions. Best camping sites I've seen, beautiful meadows and great streams. Went cliff jumping at seneca falls and camped out a little past them. Hiked back up to the parking lot the next day in about 2 hours, a little uphill the whole time but not bad. Would recommend highly!
By:
Rating:
Date of Hike: Saturday, July 04, 2009
After reading the description, we were really looking forward to a hike on par with Old Rag, and while it was lovely, it did not meet the hype. We left the parking lot at 10:30 and reached the campsite (which was beautiful and romantic) at 3. We ended up hanging out for a little bit, enjoying the river, but then left since we still had the whole day ahead of us. Would we go back? Yes, if we were bringing friends, in the mood for campfire social hour, and the point was to enjoy nice camping in the woods with good fixins for dinner. Was it worth it just for the hike? Alas, probably not. The pros: much less crowded than Old Rag and the like, an ideal hike for a dog (off leash is allowed, and there aren't a lot of people), the meadows are open and beautiful, great camp sites, waterfalls. The cons: long and boring paths through the woods were quite boggy, lots of horse trail riders (and the poop that comes with). Recommend bringing a pair of crocs for the stream crossings - in two locations, you're up to your shins in water. Overall a nice hike, but not the best in the area.
Did this as an overnight trip. The meadows and falls made it a pleasant one overall. The first part of the hike on the Lumberjack Trail was slow going due to a great deal of mud. At one point the trail disappeared into a marshy area with high grass and ankle deep water.
It is easy to lose the trail leaving the first meadow - there was a well worn path going downhill to the left but you actually want to go a bit to the right as you leave the meadow to stay on the trail.
For the part where you first reach Seneca Creek and "turn right downstream," you actually have to cross the creek first. There appears to be a path to the right before crossing, but it eventually leads up a hill away from the creek. Seems like others had also ended up here.
The creek crossing near the main falls is about knee deep. We had water shoes so it was no problem.
Lastly, the distances for the campsites after you have been following the creek seem to be too short in the description. We camped at the site on top of the small waterfall, but it was probably closer to 1000 yards than 100. We kept wondering when we were going to find it and stopped just as we were running out of daylight. The next morning we saw the other campsites by the waterfall, which were all taken. The hike back to the parking area is short, so there is probably time for exploring side trails on the second day.
By:
Caitlin
Rating:
Date of Hike: Thursday, May 14, 2009
This is a great hike, but make sure you bring a map! I'm not going to judge this hike on the mistakes that my group made, but the directions were a bit flimsy. We wrote down the general directions and got turned around several times because of missing markers. You WILL have to cross several streams, and there are NO bridges. We weren't prepared for that and all 4 of us had to share 1 pair of water shoes (there are some areas where you're in knee deep water.. and its coooold!)
The views are amazing, and its nice to get out from under the trees and enjoy the sky. The trails can get pretty muddy, we spent a lot of time trekking on the side of the trail because the mud was so deep. The high meadows were a great place to stop for lunch. And the campsites are great too... right next to the river and falls!
Overall, I would definitely do this hike again, but after getting in shape some. I wouldn't recommend this hike for a total beginner, as there are some strenuous hills. But for someone who's been on a few hikes its great!
By:
LandurSea
Rating:
Date of Hike: Monday, November 17, 2008
This was truly a fantastic hike- my favorite so far. This beats Morgans run and Old Rag hands down. It has good challenge [nothing extreme, just good old fashioned uphill], and extremely good visual features. Some of the best campsites I have seen and great apple picking when in season.
I will hike this again and plan on taking in the allegheny sister hike.
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