Hinckston Run is a high-gradient stream originating in the mountainous terrain along Route 22 in Jackson Township. It flows 10.6 miles to the Johnstown neighborhood of Minersville, where it enters the main stem of the Conemaugh River. Its course is interrupted by Hinckston Run Dam, a large reservoir owned by a subsidiary of a Johnstown steelmaking company. About a 2-mile section immediately upstream of the dam is stocked in-season by the Fish & Boat Commission. The stream is small but has good cover from undercut banks, large boulders and small, swift pools. However, it is adversely impacted by the typical problem in the region - abandoned mine drainage - and when acid-snow melts in the spring in combination with the mine drainage, fish kills have been reported. The stream is accessible by several township roads - T-419, T-739 and T-405 - which intersect Route 271 near Vinco.
Hinckston Run is close to Johnstown, a sizable population base, and that is a factor in the stocking despite the occasional water-quality problems.
Fish - Brook trout, the heartiest of the trout species, is the only sport fish on Hinckston Run because of the occasional problems with acidity.