Hawk Mountain, South Lookout — Local services in Albany Township

Exceeded my expectations. This place is not a State of PA park. It is privately owned and run by a non-profit. Costs $10 to walk their trails and it is worth every penny. Their South lookout is a short walk (~0.25 mile) from the visitors center, where you pay for the sticker to put on your shirt. Park workers are very plentiful, although they might have had more today since it was their annual native plant sale & Monarch butterfly day (middle of September). Park biologists were on hand to point out and identify the hawks. Bring binoculars (7×35 are good birding binoculars). Birds of prey migrate all the way to South America and alot pass by this mountain on their way. Stunning 30+ mile views await you. The path is not wheelchair friendly, but a rugged one might make it to South lookout. North lookout is another mile away with some extremely rocky sections as well as some steep "stairs" that are really just strategically placed boulders. Saw some 70 year olds and people with babies. Be prepared to carry your toddler back. Even for this short walk, take a water...

What a beautiful place! If you love the outdoors and especially birds and birds of prey, Hawk Mountain is a must see. They have lots of trails with different degrees of difficulty. There is educational information to read. They also had a live show at an outdoor amphitheater with raptors the day we went. Others in our party were there before and saw of show with Eagles. There are many lookouts to view the beautiful terrain, hawks, eagles, and many others. It does not cost to see the live show but there is a fee to walk the trails. The fee helps to maintain the area and support the valuable research that is done there. Definitely wear comfortable clothing and hiking boots. Take water and snacks and binoculars. Some of the trails are steep and extremely rocky. I am not a hiker, not in the best of shape and in my sixties but I hiked all the way to the North lookout. Words cannot express the beautiful view from there. It was breathtaking! Our group spent alot of time taking in the...

Great hike. When you hit the South Lookout you can go left (Lookout Trail) or right (River of Rocks Trail). Lookout trail is easy and pretty flat, great for families with little kids. River of Rocks trail is much more technical and requires good balance as there is a lot of rock hopping and challenging declines but the view of the colluvial flow is worth it if you like geology and prehistory. We hiked at the end of October and the leaves on the trail made hiking a bit...