[1] For about 34 miles, the trail traverses Quehanna Wild Area,[2] and its main trailhead is at Parker Dam State Park.

[6] The Quehanna Trail is known for visiting numerous vistas and a wide variety of landscapes, including open meadows that are relatively rare for this region of Pennsylvania, plus steep stream hollows, high plateau-tops, and several different forest ecosystems.

[9] In 1985, the western portion of the loop near Saunders Run was severely damaged by an outbreak of tornadoes,[10] necessitating a temporary relocation of the hiking route onto nearby dirt roads until 2001.

[12] Several relocations involving another failed footbridge and unstable topography have been necessary at the Corporation Dam site on Mosquito Creek.

At 3.5 miles, reach a junction with the 1.7 mile-long Cutoff Trail, one of the system's cross-connectors that can be used to form a short loop in and near Parker Dam State Park.

[20] At 22.0 miles the Quehanna Trail passes a historical monument of dubious authenticity called Wild Cat Rock,[21] and then begins a significant plunge into a canyon formed by Mosquito Creek.

[22] The unstable topography creates an unusual landscape of mini-canyons dug into the loose soil by Mosquito Creek and its incoming tributaries.