Appalachian Trail, PA - Pulpit Rock and the Pinnacle

ABOUT THE PARK:
The BMECC Section of The Appalachian Trail - Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club

DIRECTIONS:
GPS coordinates to Reservoir Road Parking
40.583229, -75.941910

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The parking lot at 7:00 AM

The parking lot at 1:00 PM - there is an additional huge lot off to the right and cars were parked all along both sides of Reservoir Road.  This is only one of several parking lots which can be used to access the Pinnacle.This is a VERY popular hike so best to get there very early.

TRAIL MAP:
PA Appalachian Trail Map Sec. 1-6: Delaware Water Gap to Swatara Gap - Keystone Trails Association
Hiking Near the Pinnacle - Berks County, PA

HIKE DISTANCE:
9.35 miles
This site gives options for hikes of various lengths from different parking locations.

APPALACHIAN TRAIL SECTION HIKING:
TrailHeadFinder.com - AT section miles 1208.3 to 1214.9

THE HIKE:

The hikes starts on the gravel road beyond the yellow gates.

The gravel road is blazed blue.

A bridge over Furnace Creek just after turning right on the white-blazed Appalachian Trail at the site of the Windsor Furnace.

The AT starts out nice and smooth...

... but it just wouldn't be the AT in PA without some rocks thrown in.

The rocks bring you up to...

... an observatory on the left and

Pulpit Rock on the right.

Coming up on Pulpit Rock.

It was a gorgeous sunny day but fog obstructed the views in the valley below.

Over some more rocks and along the ridge ...

... to a blue side trail at the largest cairn you have probably ever seen.

Still lots of fog down in the valley at the Pinnacle.

I had the Pinnacle all to myself since I started so early.

Picture from a clear day when I hiked to the Pinnacle from Eckville on November 8, 2009.

The AT then continues on as a woods road with droves of people coming up to the Pinnacle as I was leaving.

At a clearing known as the helipad, a blue trail leaves to the left for the 8.7 mile hike but we kept going on the AT to make the hike longer.

Another blue-blazed trail leaves to the left as the AT makes a right turn...

... and it is a very pleasant grassy woods road where we only ran into two other hikers.  This is not a route used by the masses to get to the Pinnacle so it is a much quieter way to return to the parking lot.

This blue-blazed woods road leads down to Hamburg Reservoir...

Where I was mobbed by ladybugs!  They were everywhere and all coming at me.

The dam at Hamburg Reservoir.

A gravel road leads from the reservoir to the AT briefly, then to the blue-blazed gravel road back to the parking lot with yet more people heading to the Pinnacle.

One ladybug rode all the way back to the parking lot on my backpack.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  Walk beyond yellow gate at the large map and continue on blue-blazed gravel road
[  0.40]  At intersection turn right on white-blazed Appalachian Trail, cross bridge, after bridge keep right on AT when gravel road goes left
[  0.65]  Rock hop over small creek
[  0.70]  Right on AT when blue side trail goes left to shelter
[  1.70]  Keep straight on AT when blue trail goes right to Blue Rocks Campground
[  2.05]  AT leaves woods road to the right and becomes rocky
[  2.30]  Observatory on left, Pulpit Rock on right
[  2.45]  Communications tower on left
[  2.75]  Keep straight on AT when red trail goes left
[  4.20]  Keep straight when yellow trail goes right to Blue Rocks Campground
[  4.50]  At giant cairn, turn right on blue trail to Pinnacle Overlook where AT turns sharply left; from overlook retract and keep right to resume on AT
[  6.10]  Keep straight on AT through helipad clearing when blue trail goes left
[  6.40]  Gold Spring
[  7.00]  Turn left on blue-blazed woods road when the AT turns right
[  7.45]  Keep straight when trail crosses over with Stephanie Spring on right
[  8.35]  Turn left at the reservoir and loop around
[  8.55]  At opposite corner of reservoir, turn right and continue around when blue trail comes in from the left
[  8.70]  Keep straight through yellow gate leaving reservoir
[  8.80]  Keep straight on gravel road when another gravel road comes in from the left
[  8.85]  Turn right on AT, cross bridge, then turn left on blue gravel road
[  9.35]  Back at parking lot

Appalachian Trail, PA - Bake Oven Knob to Lehigh Valley Tunnel

ABOUT THE PARK:
The BMECC Section of The Appalachian Trail - Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates to Bake Oven Knob Parking 40.744774, -75.738075

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My GPS did not tell me this, but when on paved Ulrich Road, at a fork where a gravel road goes to the left and the paved road continues right, turn left on the gravel road which switchbacks uphill to the parking lot.

Huge parking lot on right to access the AT northbound.  There is also a parking lot on the right.

TRAIL MAP:
PA Appalachian Trail Map Sec. 1-6: Delaware Water Gap to Swatara Gap - Keystone Trails Association

HIKE DISTANCE:
From Bake Oven Knob parking - 10.55 miles
From Ashfield Road parking - 4.25 miles

APPALACHIAN TRAIL SECTION HIKING:
TrailHeadFinder.com - AT section miles 1234.0 to 1239.3

PEAKBAGGING:
Bake Oven Knob - Peakery.com

THE HIKE:

The AT northbound starts in the corner of the parking lot.  Because Bake Oven Knob is only a short distance from this lot, expect a lot of graffiti and litter along the way.

There are several old county boundary markers along the way.

Don't be fooled by the smooth trail leaving the parking lot.  Although the elevation change on this hike is minimal since the entire hike is along the ridge, there will be several challenging boulder crossings and the trail, for the most part, will be pretty rocky.

Graffiti announces the arrival at Bake Oven Knob

View to the east.

View to the north - the hike will be following this ridge on the AT northbound.

View to the east.

View to the west with the sun rising from behind over the ridge.

The AT continues north from Bake Oven Knob along the rocky ridge...

... the over boulders with lots of rock hopping along the western side of the ridge.

Blowdowns from Hurricane Sandy were minimal but I brought along some snippers to clear the way...

... because Shawnee doesn't do blowdowns if small branches are blocking her way.

Cross a power cut where they saved the jumbled mass of boulders special for the AT to cross over!

After the power cut, about a mile stretch of easier trail.

Enjoy it while you can because...

... next up is the blue-blazed South Trail, if you dare.

They aren't kidding!  If you have ever hiked The Giant Stairs in the New Jersey Palisades, this is very similar.  It took me 1 1/2 hours to do this 1-mile stretch.  Shawnee demonstrates in the video below.

Looking back to the south along the ridge where the AT resides.

The relentless sea of often wobbly rocks and boulders continues on...

... and on ...

But with rewards of great views.  The views are better than at Bake Oven Knob and there is no graffiti or litter.

Had to render a little first aid at the end but it looked worse than it was, just a scratch from the boulders.  Be sure your first aid kit is stocked before heading out on this hike!

The blue-blazed South Trail meets back up with the AT almost over the Lehigh Valley Tunnel at I-476 then southbound on the AT all the way back to the parking lot.

To shorten this hike to about 4 miles and only do the nothern South Trail lollipop part you can park on Ashfield Road at the power cut where the AT crosses over.  GPS coordinates are 40.7696,-75.694051

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  From the northeastern corner of the northern parking lot, head north on the white-blazed Appalachian Trail
[  0.15]  County marker on left and side trail on right that goes to campsite; keep straight
[  0.40]  Bake Oven Knob with views on both sides
[  0.90]  Bake Oven Knob shelter on right
[  2.85]  Blue Eagle Mountain Climbing Club sign on the left
[  2.90]  Woods road crosses over diagonally coming in from the right and leaving to the left at red game commission boundary sign
[  3.05]  Enter power cut
[  3.15]  Cross Ashfield Road at AT parking area and communications tower
[  3.35]  Kiosk on left
[  4.25]  Concrete SGL boundary marker
[  4.35]  Keep left at unmarked fork then veer right at next fork at blue South Trail sign
[  5.40]  Turn left on white-blazed AT when blue ends
[  6.30]  Keep straight when beginning of blue South Trail goes left
[  6.40]  Concrete SGL boundary marker
[  7.30]  Kiosk on right
[  7.40]  Cross Ashfield Road at AT parking area and communications tower
[  7.50]  Enter power cut
[  7.65]  Woods road crosses over diagonally
[  7.70]  Blue Eagle Mountain Climbing Club sign on right
[  9.65]  Bake Oven Knob shelter on left
[10.15]  Bake Oven Knob
[10.40]  County marker on right and side trail to campsite on left
[10.55]  Back at parking lot