Ketner Dam

I'm aware that most people do not set off with a walking stick and a bottle of Poland Springs as soon as they read about the hikes that I describe on this blog. (But, hell, I'm a minister; I long ago made my peace with people not putting my words into practice.) My main intention when I created a hiking blog was to give myself a sort of photo-journal of the places I discovered while exploring the Allegheny National Forest and its environs. That said, this time I'm for real: you really need to go to Ketner Dam.

Some friends from Johnsonburg recently discovered this place and told me about it. They even found a website documenting its history. But strangely, very few locals seem to know anything about Ketner Dam, Ketner Lake, or the former village of Ketner.

I say "former village," although the place is not exactly a ghost town. There are some very nice year-round residences out here, as well as some camps that--once again--I would give a body part to own. (Lightly-used, 40-year-old ear lobes, anyone? Never pierced, need occasional shaving.) But it is a ghostly kind of place at the end of a dirt road. And yet, Ketner once had a railroad station, a post office, and a great big old reservoir with a dam and control tower. It's reminiscent of Austin Dam in Potter County. It differs from Austin Dam in that it's mostly undiscovered; since large scale disaster was averted when Ketner Dam broke, the place has returned to nettles and jaggers. Oh, but this is one of the most spectacular scenes of ruination I've come across, and no melancholy loner within two hours of Wilcox, PA, ought to miss it!

Instead of talking about the place's past, I'll let interested parties do their own research. Instead, let's talk about these photos and how to get to Ketner. The top photo is the breached dam with control tower, taken from the outside of the old reservoir. The second photo is the tower from atop the dam, and the former lake bed beyond. The third photo is an old unloading tipple that stands along the railroad tracks at the end of Ketner Road. The bottom photo is the last building that remains of the original village. The old "railroad town" architecture is recognizable to anyone who's spent any time around here. This place is now a hunting camp that goes by the name of "Hidden Valley Ranch." (Why do unimaginative people have all the best cabins?)

Driving from Bendigo State Park toward East Branch Dam, you'll take a bridge to exit the village of Glen Hazel on the north end of town. Immediately after the bridge, there's a gravel road to the left. It cuts sharply and follows the East Branch of the Clarion River along the opposite bank. This is Ketner Road; set your odometer as soon as you turn onto it. At exactly 0.8 miles, find a place to park and look for a hard-to-find trail off to the right. This is one of three ways to get to the old dam, but it will give you the most scenic approach, as it follows the steep ravine carved by Johnson Run. After less than a mile, you begin to ascend the earthworks of the outer dam. Off to your right you'll find a big sluice where people sometimes camp. And soon enough you'll come to the dam itself. Take your time through here. The brambles will be harsh in full summer, and this place has got to be teeming with snakes. You can walk out onto the dam walls, try to climb the tower, and explore the floor of the old lake. When you decide you're ready to hike back to your car, go looking for the other sluice gate on the opposite side of the dam. There's a very old road that leads up the wall of the valley onto the railroad tracks. You can follow the tracks leftward as far as the unloading tipple (pictured above) then get down onto Ketner Road and walk back to your car. Walking this entire loop will take an hour or less, but you'll want to give yourself lots of time to explore, too.