Shades of Death Trail

The dramatically named Shades of Death Trail loops through the most atmospheric terrain in Hickory Run State Park, descending into a deep hemlock-shaded gorge where Hickory Run stream cuts through Pocono Plateau sandstone. The trail's ominous name likely derives from the dense hemlock canopy that plunges the gorge bottom into perpetual twilight, creating conditions so dark and cool that early settlers found the forest floor genuinely forbidding. Today the gorge is celebrated rather than feared: the old-growth hemlock stands, some trees exceeding 300 years in age, create a cathedral-like atmosphere of remarkable beauty. Hickory Run tumbles through a series of cascades and deep pools over smooth rock shelves, and several informal swimming holes along the stream are popular on summer weekends. The trail climbs out of the gorge onto the plateau, traversing second-growth oak and birch forest before descending again to complete the loop. Salamander diversity is exceptional in the moist gorge microhabitat: northern dusky, two-lined, and spring salamanders shelter beneath rocks in the stream. The trail is well-marked with blue blazes but requires careful navigation at several junctions with connecting paths. Winter visits offer dramatic iced-over cascades and the possibility of photographing hemlock boughs laden with snow, though the rooted, rocky trail surface demands microspikes in icy conditions.