places where you won't be able to wipe the wag off your dog's tail - Hamburg PA
The Park
The Appalachian Trail through Pennsylvania is not popular with many thru-hikers, derided as “the place where boots go to die” due to the rocky nature of the mountains. But one spot all agree is worth the purchase is the Pinnacle - a jumble of rock ledges offering a true panoramic view of the wooded Blue Mountain and the contrasting cultivated fields of the Cumberland Valley below.
The Walks
This is not a casual canine hike. Expect to devote a solid five hours to completing the 9-mile loop to the Pinnacle and back. The going is rough and rocky and athletic dogs only need apply. Tackling the loop counter-clockwise offers two routes to the Pinnacle: the rocky Valley Rim Trail (the path is not true to its name - there are no views from the trail) and a shortcut on a switch-backing access road to a mountaintop observatory (it is not a major time-saving shortcut). Your anticipation for the views at the Pinnacle will be whetted with a stop at Pulpit Rock across from the observatory. The mountain climbing ends at Pulpit Rock but not the treacherous footing for your dog as the trail to the Pinnacle is particularly rock-studded here. The return down the mountain is best taken down a fire road along the hemlock-draped Furnace Creek. This trail is a completely different experience from the climb up and gives the loop a feel of two canine hikes for the day.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Much trotting on rocky patches with uneven pawfalls and considerable boulder-hopping in spots
Workout For Your Dog - You may not find a better one
Swimming - Furnace Creek is fast and fun but not for swimming
Restrictions On Dogs - No dogs in the reservoir
Something Extra
Rocks are certainly a theme of a hike to the Pinnacle. From Pulpit Rock and the Pinnacle you get a commanding view of a river of boulders 500 feet wide and a half-mile long known as the Blue Rocks. These erosion-resistant quartzite boulders are souvenirs of the last ice age when powerful glaciers left them behind.
Phone - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Hamburg, Berks County; northeast of town. Take I-78 east into town or Route 61 north. Take Fourth Street east out of Hamburg for two miles and make a left on Reservoir Road. Cross Mountain Road to the end of the road and parking at the Hamburg Reservoir.
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