Things to do

This Land is Your Land.

So What are You Waiting For?

Photo: Mary Linkevich

Recreation along the Kittatinny Ridge and Appalachian Trail

The Kittatinny Ridge is a place we go to reconnect with nature by taking part in our favorite pastimes. Hikers along the Appalachian Trail, photographers, painters, birdwatchers, and curiosity seekers flock to the Ridge in all seasons, but especially in the fall when the foliage is spectacular and kettles of migrating raptors fill the skies. Hunters frequent the multitude of State Game Lands on the Ridge, as well as private lands. Anglers may not visit the Ridge itself very often, but nearly every quality stream in the region has its headwaters on the Ridge. The Kittatinny Ridge has something for everyone and hundreds of thousands take advantage of this treasured recreational resource each year.

GET OUTDOORS PA

Birdwatching

The Kittatinny Ridge is internationally-known as a destination for birdwatching, primarily for witnessing the fall raptor migration at sites like Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the Cliff Jones Field Station at Waggoner’s Gap, and Bake Oven Knob. Songbirds, hummingbirds, and even butterflies also follow the Ridge during their migrations, attracting visitors during the spring and fall to state parks, state game lands, and other natural areas. During the summer months, the vast forests of the Ridge host a variety of nesting songbirds, some of which are difficult to find elsewhere in the region.

KITTATINNY RIDGE E-BIRD OBSERVATIONS
HAWK WATCHING SITES
PA BIRDING TRAILS

Hiking

The Appalachian Trail (A.T.), the most famous hiking trail in North America, extends 2,181 miles from Georgia to Maine. A National Scenic Trail administered by the National Park Service, the A.T. follows the Kittatinny corridor for 125 miles from the Delaware Water Gap into Cumberland County. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy provides hikers with an interactive map to find a hike and local information on parking and transportation to trailheads. Where the Appalachian Trail turns south off the Ridge in eastern Cumberland County, the Tuscarora Trail begins and follows the Kittatinny Corridor west and south for 60 miles into Maryland, eventually rejoining the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. Various other intersecting trails along the Ridge offer opportunities for day-hikes and loop hikes for both experienced and casual hikers and everywhere in between.

APPALACHIAN TRAIL – DAY HIKES
HAWK MOUNTAIN SANCTUARY TRAILS
HIKING CENTRAL PA (SATC)
HIKING THE TUSCARORA TRAIL
LEHIGH GAP NATURE CENTER TRAILS
EXPLORE PENNSYLVANIA TRAILS
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY TRAILS DIRECTORY

Hunting and Fishing

PA FISH AND BOAT – FISHING LOCATIONS BY COUNTY
PA GAME COMMISSION STATE GAME LANDS MAP

Biking and Experience Trails

DELAWARE & LEHIGH NATIONAL HERITAGE CORRIDOR
LEBANON COUNTY HERITAGE TRAIL
LEBANON VALLEY RAIL TRAIL
LEHIGH VALLEY WINE TRAIL
RT 15 BYWAY OF THE ARTS
SCHUYLKILL RIVER TRAIL
STONY VALLEY RAIL TRAIL
SUSQUEHANNA HEARTLAND WINE TRAIL

Visitors Bureaus

DISCOVER LEHIGH VALLEY
EXPLORE FRANKLIN COUNTY PA
FULTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND TOURISM
READING AND BERKS COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA’S AMERICANA
PA MUSEUMS
PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION OF CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAUS

PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT AND LODGING ASSOCIATION

PENNSYLVANIA VISITORS NETWORK
POCONO MOUNTAINS CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU
POCONO MOUNTAINS VACATION BUREAU
SCHUYLKILL COUNTY VISITORS BUREAU
VISIT CUMBERLAND VALLEY
VISIT HERSHEY AND HARRISBURG
VISIT LEBANON COUNTY

State Parks and Nature Centers

BIG BOYD TREE PRESERVE CONSERVATION AREA
CHERRY VALLEY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

COLONEL DENNING STATE PARK
FOWLERS HOLLOW STATE PARK
HAWK MOUNTAIN SANCTUARY
JACOBSBURG ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER

JOSEPH IBBERSON CONSERVATION AREA
LEHIGH GAP NATURE CENTER
SWATARA STATE PARK
TUSCARORA STATE FOREST
WEISER STATE FOREST

Local Maps of the Ridge

KITTATINNY RIDGE REGIONS
DELAWARE WATER GAP

LEHIGH GAP
HAWK MOUNTAIN/THE PINNACLE
SWATARA GAP
SUSQUEHANNA WATER GAPS
CAPITAL AREA
NORTH MOUNTAIN
THE TUSCARORAS

Appalachian Trail

APPALACHIAN NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL GIS CLEARINGHOUSE

Upcoming Events

Nature has been able to take back the land. However, if you look hard enough, you can still find relics of history as you hike.

Wes Schwenk / Lebanon County Historical Society