Hawk Mountain

Last Monday we visited the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary In Pennsylvania (http://www.hawkmountain.org). After driving over 2 hours from New Jersey we finally reached the visitors center and were greeted with several signs warning visitors of car thefts and to secure their valuables. Although these signs were not very welcoming we locked the vehicle and proceeded to the visitors center to pick up a trail map and pay the trail fee of $5.00. After getting acquainted with the trails on the map we began our hike up Hawk Mountain. 

Relatively soon after we began our hike we came upon our first overlook which offered a great view of the surrounding mountains. While hiking on the lookout trail which has several overlooks relatively close together we hoped to get a glimpse of one of the many raptors that Hawk Mountain is known for. 

After painstakingly stopping at every overlook on the lookout trail we only spotted what looked like turkey vultures. Next instead of continuing on the Lookout Trail we took the Escarpment Trail and were faced with some difficult terrain.The Escarpment Trail involved lots of rock scrambling and climbing up large boulders and piles of rocks. Finally after completing the difficult and exhausting Escarpment trail we were rewarded with the view of the North Lookout. 

The North Look had the best view out of all the other overlooks at Hawk Mountain and was a great spot to rest and grab something to eat and drink. Once we refueled we made the decision to take the Skyline Trail which is the Most Difficult Trail at Hawk Mountain. 

The start of the Skyline Trail was very difficult and demanded the use of both hands to climb down some very large rock piles. For a good portion of our hike on the Skyline trail we were climbing over rocks and tackling very difficult terrain. I would say the time we spent on the  Skyline Trail was the most difficult and exhausting part of our hike. Instead of continuing on the Skyline Trail to The East Rocks overlook we turned down The Golden Eagle Trail to get a taste of all the trails at Hawk Mountain. We welcomed the relatively flat and not so rocky Golden Eagle Trail and saw some different terrain including some swampy areas and the river of rocks which was worth the journey down the Golden Eagle Trail.

Once we finished Exploring the Golden Eagle Trail we picked up the River of Rocks Trail which was going to lead us back to the Lookout trail to the visitor center. Up until this point we had little trouble navigating the trails but after hiking on the River of Rocks Trail we were confronted with some problems. Towards the end of the trail we lost our direction which was most likely caused by our exhaustion and driving hunger. So we ended up trekking through the bush to the road and walking up the road to the visitors center. Even though we ran into some trouble towards the end of the hike it was overall a very great hike with lots to see and trails of various difficulties for all levels of hikers to enjoy. Although we encountered very few other hikers on this trail I imagine that these trails may get very busy on certain days ,so if you want to enjoy Hawk Mountain by yourself try going on an off day.