Hawk Mountain Lookout Trail Hiking Guide
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, on the Kittatinny Ridge near Kempton, was founded in 1934 by Rosalie Edge as the world's first refuge for birds of prey. The Lookout Trail is the quickest way to its famous North Lookout, a jumble of boulders where staff and volunteers count migrating hawks, eagles and falcons every fall. It is short, but the rock underfoot keeps it from being a stroll.
Permit: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary charges a per-person trail fee: $10 adults, $7 seniors 65+, $5 children 6-12, free for children 5 and under and for members. Pay at the Visitor Center or buy online.
Up the Orange Blazes
The sanctuary describes the orange-blazed Lookout Trail as 1 mile one way with a vertical rise of about 300 feet, roughly a 45-minute walk to the North Lookout. Mapping apps list the round trip at about 1.9 miles with around 210 feet of gain. The lower section is a groomed path; higher up it turns rocky, with uneven stones and a long stone staircase near the top. The North Lookout itself is a pile of large boulders you scramble across to find a seat.
The South Lookout and Beyond
If anyone in your group can't manage the climb, the South Lookout sits only about 175 yards from the Visitor Center on a path suitable for motorized wheelchairs, and it looks over the boulder fields below. Past the North Lookout, the red-blazed River of Rocks Trail continues along the ridge, but it is a different kind of hike: it starts with a 30-foot vertical descent and includes four-point scrambling, and the sanctuary recommends it only for experienced hikers.
Trail Fee and Hours
Hawk Mountain is a private nonprofit, and hiking requires a trail pass. The current fee is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors 65 and over, $5 for children 6 to 12, and free for kids 5 and under; members hike free all year. Pay at the Visitor Center or buy a ticket online. The Visitor Center and trails are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and if you come in on a trail from outside the sanctuary you are expected to pay at the front gate on the way out. The sanctuary closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Leave the Dog Home
Pets are not allowed on any sanctuary trail, even on a leash; only trained service animals are permitted, and emotional support animals do not qualify. If you are traveling with a dog, the sanctuary points to the Appalachian Trail, which crosses Hawk Mountain Road about 1.5 miles east of the Visitor Center and allows leashed pets.
When to Go
The hawk count runs every day from August 15 to December 15, and the second and third weeks of October tend to be the most rewarding for raptor watching. That is also when the lots fill; in October, arrive before 10 a.m. or after 3 p.m. to get a space. The sanctuary warns that hard-soled shoes and sandals are a poor choice on these rocks. Deer hunts close the trails on set days: for the 2026-27 season, every trail is shut November 28 and 29 and December 5, 6 and 12, and only the Lookout Trail stays open November 30 to December 4 and December 7 to 11.
Hiking tips for Hawk Mountain Lookout Trail
- Arrive before 10 a.m. or after 3 p.m. on October weekends to find parking.
- Bring a cushion and binoculars; you will sit on boulders at the North Lookout.
- Wear grippy trail shoes, not sandals, for the rocky upper section.
- Skip the River of Rocks Trail unless you are comfortable with a 30-foot down-climb.
- Leave pets at home or walk them on the Appalachian Trail down the road.
Nearby trails to explore
- French Creek Boone Trail
- Ringing Rocks and High Falls Loop
- High Rocks Trail (Ralph Stover)
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Fall at Hawk Mountain means a short climb and a long sit watching raptors ride the ridge. Use TrailMates to find Philadelphia hikers heading to Hawk Mountain. Download the TrailMates app to connect.