There are a lot of people who just do the 2 mile hike instead of the 8 mile one in Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. The 8 mile hike does not have a lot of viewpoints but I think it is worth doing. There is an entrance fee so it is best to explore and see what this place has to offer. The 2 mile hike is very rewarding in terms of views so if you are a beginner or very tired already then the 2 mile hike is a good option to do.
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Important Information
Trail Map: Trail Map 1
Suggested Phone GPS Apps: Alltrails.com, Avenza Maps, Google Maps
Difficulty: Easy Or Strenuous
Distance: 2 or 8 Miles
Elevation Gained: 900 ft
Toilet At Parking: Yes
Entrance Fee: ~$10
Trail Breakdown
Short Hike – 2 Miles
Entrance To South Overlook
Appalachian Overlook
River Of Rocks Overlook
Ridge Overlook
Ridge Overlook
Bald Overlook
Escarpment Trail
Kettle View
North Overlook
Sunset Overlook
Long Hike – 8 Miles
Skyline Trail
Skyline Trail And Golden Eagle Trail
East Rocks Lookout
Golden Eagle Trail
River Of Rocks Trail – Short Loop
River Of Rocks Trail To South Overlook
South Overlook to Parking Lot
https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/3527808316
Note: The information is just an approximation.
Parking
Start Of The Hike
The sun showered its morning rays along the entrance of the Sanctuary as I saw smiles from the faces of a few people coming and going to the park. I said a quick “Good Morning” to everyone then proceeded happily on my way. The entrance was unmanned and I had to pay at the center instead. The sanctuary was filled with tourists, bird watchers, hikers and various kinds of people that wanted to enjoy the park. There was a little bit excitement in my heart with each step that I made as I was looking forward to the scenery that I was going to see.
South Overlook Sign
Just a short distance from the entrance was the South Overlook. A quick viewpoint that is both beautiful and somewhat large at the same time. This is where the paths cross each other where hikers must decide whether they should go left for more views or go right to do the longer trail.
South Overlook
A cold wind blew in from the valley, a little bit colder even at this time of the year. The wind was laden with the scent of Fall, laden with the scent of change. It was chilly, with bits and pieces of dead leaves, and with the forest adorning the colors of yellow and orange, I could feel that change was coming. The morning sky was so blue with hardly any clouds, giving me a sense of how beautiful nature could be. I was stunned, mesmerized for a few seconds, unable to move. I was just there admiring and appreciating the scenery in the front of me.
South Overlook Views
I sat on a chair near the overlook. It felt comfortable and sturdy even though it must have seen more than a thousand rainy days in its lifetime. I zipped my coat shut as the cool breezy wind would come from time to time. I sat there gazing at the landscape, not realizing that lots of time had passed by. However, I didn’t care. The scenery was beautiful and I knew I wouldn’t be back there for some time.
Appalachian Overlook
Another overlook was near the first one but it was blocked by a few trees. The trees must have grown bigger than expected as such the view was obstructed. I looked at the view for a bit hoping for a better angle to take a picture of the landscape. Sadly, there was none so I moved on and never looked back.
River Of Rocks Overlook
The river of rocks overlook was blocked by even more trees and it was a lot harder to see anything. I could see glimpses of the mountains, houses, and valley but the view was so obstructed that it just wasn’t worth staying.
Ridge Overlook
A few steps away from the river of rocks overlook was the ridge overlook. These overlooks are very closed to each other that I understand why there was no need to maintain them or trim the trees. There was nothing to see but there were two people sitting down. I left them alone to enjoy their solitude and went on my way.
Bald Overlook
Bald overlook had the nicest view compared to the others that were blocked by trees but it was also the farthest. I took a rest to admire the scenery even though I was not tired. A few hawks came passing by. They were magnificent and beautiful in their own right. They looked so beautiful flying around that I could understand why a lot of people would spend so much time just admiring them take flight.
Escarpment Trail
I walked ever so slowly, just appreciating the weather and the nice easy trail that I was traversing. It was so different from the usual high elevation with well-known “mountain names” hikes that I had been doing that I felt at ease and happy that I could take my time. Just nice and easy, felt more like a stroll in my local park.
Ascent To North Lookout
I touched the cold hard rails as I stepped upwards. The sounds of birds chirping echoed throughout the top of my head. It was as if the birds were dancing and playing with each other from one point to another but my eyes were too slow to follow them. I heard their happiness as I ascended upwards, a nice natural background music to provide amusement to my ears.
Trail To North Lookout
The stairs kept on coming, a somewhat steep yet easy ascent to the viewpoint. The light of the sun was gentle on the skin and the cool air that surrounded me refreshed my body, urging me to keep moving forward.
Kettle View
I took a brief detour to look at kettle view but it was blocked by rocks and trees.
Rocks Near North Lookout
The entrance to the North Lookout was unmistakable as it was filled with large boulders of different sizes and a metal sign protruding from the ground could be seen.
North Lookout
A tall pole with a sculpture of a hawk sitting down on top of it could be seen the moment I reached the viewpoint. The sculpture looked real as if it was watching the valley, as if it owned the whole landscape and it had all the freedom to go wherever it pleased. There were a lot of bird watchers at the viewpoint. Some had big and long cameras, some have binoculars hanging on their necks, and some were just there admiring the hawks flying by with their own eyes. I sat far away from others, tried my best not to ruin other people’s enjoyment.
North Lookout View
I felt more like an outsider since I didn’t have the passion for watching the hawks like the people in the viewpoint did. But we all enjoyed the land, even the hawks, so in essence we all had something in common. We all loved the Earth and its natural beauty.
North Lookout Viewpoint
I came upon a ledge with rails that had a great view of the landscape. The winds would come passing by caressing my skin and comforting my whole body as the hawks would fly by from time to time. The landscape was beautiful and I could see myself spending a lot of time on this place just sitting and admiring the land. Such peacefulness seeped into my skin and into my heart, filling my body with calm and a sense of satisfaction as time passed me by without me knowing.
The Slide
The slide did not have any views at all. The views were blocked by trees. There was a plaque that told a tragic story about the hawks and people that happened a long time ago.
Sunset Overlook Trail
The trail to the overlook was ascending and my body was already tired. I’ve been hiking for a lot of time now and an uphill hike was the last thing I wanted to do. Still, I kept going, tried my best to get to the top even if each step I made was very slow. To my disappointment, the overlook did not have any views. Numerous tall trees blocked the viewpoint that I couldn’t see anything. I took a rest, calmed my heart and lungs before heading back to the parking lot.
8 Mile Hike
For people who wanted a long hike then they can explore the whole area by going to the skyline trail after North Lookout. But for people who wanted a short hike, they can just go back to the parking lot. I did the longer version on a different day though. It was raining when I did this.
Skyline Trail Descending
Nervousness filled my body as I descended down the blue trail. The narrow rocky footpath, filled with slippery rocks, with almost vertical slopes, made me sweat in fear and made the once very friendly trail very grueling to traverse. The descent was very tough but i kept moving on hoping the terrain would soon change.
Skyline Trail Going Downward
The early morning rain made the rocks very slippery as my hands and feet would lose their grip occasionally. The trail was not for the weak of heart and the thought that I should have gone the other way kept filling my mind. But it was too late to go back, I kept moving on, one step at a time, one breath at a time.
Skyline Trail
Rocks of various sizes filled the trail that my body sweat profusely as I traveled the footpath. There were brief ascents and descents as well. Definitely not what I was expecting this trail to be. I expected a flat and tourist friendly footpath that I had before. But this trail made my body worked hard as sweat kept dripping out of my forehead.
Skyline And Golden Eagle
Beautiful baby leaves were starting to sprout where the blue and golden trail meets. I touched the leaves that were dripping with water and cleaned my hands of soil and dirt that was sticking to them. The morning rain hit this place rather hard as I walked slowly and carefully due to the slippery rocks that covered the trail.
East Rocks Lookout
A small view point could be found along the trail. It was a nice place to stay and rest. There were no people in sight and I had the place all to myself. I dropped my hiking backpack to the ground and proceeded to take a sit on top of a sturdy rock. Chilly and fresh, the wind would come along a couple of times from the valley, rejuvenating my body and taking the sweat away. I stayed for a few minutes just to enjoy the view then moved on.
Skyline Golden Eagle Trail
I continued my journey as the terrain somewhat changed in this part of the trail. There were no soil nor ground, just a big pile of rocks that were scattered through out the trail. It looked like sedimentary rocks or layers of layers of rocks piled on top of each other.
Lookout Blocked
Another lookout could be seen but this time to my right. However, a lot of trees has blocked the view. I took a few pictures then continued my hike.
Intersection
The skyline trail and golden eagle trail separated.
Golden Eagle Trail
The rocks were pretty dry by the time I got to this place. The slope was too tempting as I started running downward without any hesitation nor care about my own safety. It was fun to run the trails at times especially when it looked safe and when I would save energy in doing so. I let the momentum pull my body downwards as my legs moved on its own. The less I resist, the faster I moved downward and the less energy I end up using. The wind brushing upon my skin and the thrill of running on a trail felt amazing and exhilarating.
First Intersection
Water was streaming from all over the place and meeting into one single place. Surprisingly, there were no mosquitoes nor bugs flying around. In most cases, this is a great breeding ground for those perky flies that kept biting my skin while I was hiking. There was only relief in here as I find the air to be cool and moist, refreshing my body and taking away all the heat.
Mud
I stepped into the ground and my boots sank into the deep black mud that was all over the place. There was no way around the mud, even the sides of the trail were muddy. I hopped from one rock, to a branch and to a boulder. I tried to get across any way I could without injuring myself and without putting any unnecessary dirt onto my pants.
Second Intersection
I took the river of rocks trail that was going to the left. It should make a round trip and get me back to the first intersection.
River Of Rocks Clearing
The river of rocks was just a trail filled with rocks and boulders that it was a little bit hard to navigate. At the center of the loop was a clearing devoid of any tree or plant life, just numerous rocks and boulders scattered through out the patch of land. There were some cairns but no idea why they would be in the center. I continued my hike without going into the center.
Second Intersection
Back to the second intersection but this time, I took the right.
River Of Rocks Going To South Overlook
The soft soil felt nice to my feet for a couple of minutes as the trail started out as a flat terrain with soft black soil. Definitely a lot better than the hard pointy boulders that I had to endure in the River Of Rocks trail. My relief was short lived as the trail started moving upwards and bigger boulders were scattered along the trail. But I knew that the parking lot was close and I could enjoy a good rest on my car driving back home.
River Of Rocks Trail
The final ascent was ahead of me, a series of stairs that was obviously put together by human beings. I was thinking of resting for 5 minutes but I omitted that thought as I dragged my body upwards. I couldn’t wait to have a nice cool drink at my car and be able to sit and enjoy the cool air conditioner that my vehicle offers. I moved slowly, one step at a time, pushing my body till I reached the top.
End Of The Hike
I took one final step and a big smile came over my face as I could see the first overlook. It was a great hike filled with interesting things to see. I will miss this place as I know I will not be back here for a long time. But while I say goodbye to this place, I know the adventure continues as I will hike more places and mountains in the future.
For More Hikes
For more hikes similar to this one, you can go to my Best Hikes In Pennsylvania page.