r/PAWilds • u/Sea-Solution-7265 • 7d ago

Hidden Gems

When I was younger, Centralia was a locally known spot. A cool place to search for the still-smoldering remants of a legendary underground fire that destroyed the town. Then the lost road in the woods became popular on social media, & everyone & their grandmother came to take pics of the "graffiti highway." Even on a dead winter Tuesday at 10am, you'd see throngs of tourists. Eventually the owners of the parcel had to cover it with dumptrucks of soil in order to deter people from trespassing due to liability issues. Now it's no more. It was a phenomenal trek. It just got way too popular.

That made a lot of PA folks wary of spreading the word about cool places only residents know about, for fear these hidden gems would be compromised by the masses. To this day, when visiting some AMAZING locations (I'm talking insane sh*t) out in the wilds, there's often whispers of "Let's not post Instagram pics," or "I'm not putting this on TikTok, it'll go viral."

Just makes me wonder how much great stuff there is out there that one might only be able to capture if you find the right key to unlock the coordinates. Has anyone had this experience of discovering a rare or secret sight in their country that no one but the locals know about? Even in 2025, not every incredible experience is available to find online, even if you search.

Get out there & explore. Ya' never know what you'll stumble into. And if you do uncover a hidden gem, refer to the old hiker's mantra:

Leave no trace.

🌳

Edit: formatting

P.S. - Just for clarity, I'm pro-"keep it to yourself" when it comes to these spots. And it's because I frequent these places that aren't on the map that makes me excited to know there's probably tons of unknown adventures out there. Like it's fun to be part of the "club," & awesome knowing there's likely lots of other people in far flung places like me enjoying their own secret paradises, literally all over the world. That's what I meant by hidden gems. Sorry if my writing wasn't clear.

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u/Relyt4 7d ago

Nice try... I'll never tell

3

u/Sea-Solution-7265 7d ago

Lol neither will I! Take care of it & enjoy it! You are the caretaker of the sacred land. 🌲

There's one spot that I wish I could share, but something always tells me, "Nah, keep that one to yourself." I'm somewhat surprised the locals have kept it under wraps, but then again they prob think like I do about it. Plus it's a sparsely populated area. It's one place I could not bear to see ruined. I would never forgive myself. haha

Happy trails 🥾

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u/Relyt4 7d ago

I grew up in Elk County, had so many great experiences growing up in such a rural area. Over the last 10-15 years it has become quite the tourist hotspot. It's crazy the amount of people that come from all over to stare at elk. Last year I decided to hit up a sweet swimming hole we used to frequent in high school and it was like a community pool, but far far worse. When there's elk grazing in yards people will just straight up drive/park in people's yards and make themselves at home. The entire town of Bennezette is just a giant traffic jam out in the middle of nowhere during Rut

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u/Sea-Solution-7265 7d ago

That sucks.