Tuscarora Trail itinerary
Every mile marker on the Tuscarora Trail route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one, and which permit each stretch needs. To set alerts for your dates, go to the Tuscarora Trail Thru-Hike permit page.
Which permit covers this route
The Tuscarora Trail. One reservation is a trailhead or zone plus an entry date; you roam after that, issued by walk-up.
The permit is issued for a named entry point. Mathews Arm Campground area, Shenandoah National Park (south terminus) and Blue Mountain (north terminus, near Duncannon, PA) are the ones on this list.
- Stops mapped
- 11
- Across the markers
- 252.0 mi
- Published route length
- 252 mi
- Ascent, at least
- 2,190 ft
How long it takes: 2-3 weeks. That is the figure the permit publishes. This page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.
The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.
Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.
The Tuscarora Trail route, stop by stop
Mile 0.0
2,720 ft
Mathews Arm Campground area, Shenandoah National Park (south terminus)
Entry point: the permit is issued for this trailhead
Southern terminus of the Tuscarora Trail near Mathews Arm Campground, per the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.
20.9 miles · 1,012 ft down to Shawl Gap
Mile 20.9
1,708 ft
Shawl Gap
27.0 miles · 305 ft up to Sheffer Gap
Mile 47.9
2,013 ft
Sheffer Gap
22.9 miles · 102 ft up to Dry Gap
Mile 70.8
2,115 ft
Dry Gap
21.1 miles · 1,460 ft down to Gainesboro
Mile 91.9
655 ft
Gainesboro
46.0 miles · 247 ft down to Redrock Crossing
Mile 137.9
408 ft
Redrock Crossing
19.1 miles · 56 ft up to Yeakle Mill
Mile 157.0
464 ft
Yeakle Mill
21.2 miles · 1,604 ft up to Big Mountain Shelter
Mile 178.2
2,068 ft
Big Mountain Shelter
A PATC shelter on Tuscarora Trail Section 7 (Tuscarora Summit), 9.6 miles long.
36.7 miles · 123 ft up to Sherman Mountain
Mile 214.9
2,191 ft
Sherman Mountain
17.3 miles · 673 ft down to Berrys Gap
Mile 232.2
1,518 ft
Berrys Gap
19.8 miles · 1,113 ft down to Blue Mountain (north terminus, near Duncannon, PA)
Mile 252.0
405 ft
Blue Mountain (north terminus, near Duncannon, PA)
Entry point: the permit is issued for this trailhead
Northern terminus of the Tuscarora Trail, about 10 miles south of Duncannon, Pennsylvania, per PATC.
Getting a Tuscarora Trail for the dates you want
Planning the route is the easy half. Tuscarora Trail dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations. They return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag checks Tuscarora Trail around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.