TRAIL HOURS: Hawk Mountain trails are open year round from dawn to dusk.
TRAIL CLOSINGS: Vor visitor safety, all trails are closed on the first two days of Pennslvania's deer hunting season, the Mon and Tues after Thanksgiving. Otherwise, trails are open year round except during severe ice storms. Please call the Visitor Center for trail conditions during winter.
VISITOR CENTER HOURS: Year round: 9 am-5 pm Sept-November: 8 am-5 pm
CLOSED: Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day New Year's Day Days with inclement weather. Please call ahead during winter for road conditions.
ADMISSION Trail admission is collected inside the Visitor Center.
Members: Always admitted free, year-round. Click here to learn about our membership levels. Members may proceed directly to the trail entrance. Non-Members: Your trail fee supports Sanctuary maintenance and Hawk Mountain conservation programs. Please stop inside the Visitor Center to pay trail admission and receive your ticket.
WEEKDAY or OFF-SEASON(Mon-Fri or anytime spring, summer, winter) Adult $5 Seniors: $4 Children ages 6-12: $3
AUTUMN WEEKEND or HOLIDAYS(Weekends, Sept-Nov; National Holidays) Adults & Seniors: $7 Children ages 6-12: $3
RULES AND REGULATIONS
No pets are allowed on the Sanctuary, including pets on leashes. Please walk your pet before you arrive.
No radios, alcohol, bikes, camping or fires.
Hawk Mountain is a carry-in, carry-out facility. There are NO trash cans, so carry any snacks or lunch and bring a bag to carry-out any debris.
Leave no trace: Never remove anything from the Sanctuary, inculding plants, leaves, sticks and even rocks. The Mountain's fragile ecology depends on YOU. Please help us to protect Hawk Mountain for future vistiors and for wildlfie.
Trails close at dusk, so be sure to allow enough time to return to your vehicle.
Please remain on the trails at all times. This protects you as well as the forest.
Never cross safety rails or enter restricted areas.
Be curteous of other visitors. Please keep voices low on trails and lookouts, and if you are leading a youth or student group, remind them to "Whisper in the Wild."
Report any first aid emergencies at the Visitor Center. Here we have a fully-equipped, self-service first aid area where you may self-administer to any minor cuts and bruises.
ACCESSIBILITY Hawk Mountain is committed to providing as much accessibility to scenic overlooks as possible. The Native Plant Garden and main level of the Visitor Center are accessible. Please use brick pathway from the Handicapped Accessible parking areas to access both.
All-terrain Wheelchair: An all-terrain wheelchair is available at no charge for visitor use on a first-come, first-served basis. It is not self-propelled, and therefore requires a strong helper to push. The over-sized tires absorb the shock from small rocks but still requires strength on the part of the helper to push the chair up the incline to South Lookout.
Golf Cart: Visitors who call ahead (610-756-6961) can arrange to have golf cart transport to the nearest overlook. For safety purposes, people who use golf cart service must be able to get into and out of the cart and hold onto the handle.
Motorized Wheelchairs: Some motorized wheelchairs make it the South Lookout. However, although a short distance, this path still has an uphill incline and visitors must use their own judegement. Motorized chairs can traverse the Hawk Mountain parking area and make it to the outdoor amphitheater. Here, live raptor programs are held on spring and autumn weekends (See our Calendar of Events page for dates, times). The Native Plant Garden has brick paving and is accessible. There is a wooden platform/deck overlooking a small pond that also is accessible.
South Lookout Viewing Platform: South Lookout, Hawk Mountain's closest overlook, has a flat but natural stone-and-gravel viewing area that was designed specfically for electronic wheelchairs or people who must sit on a chair. Folding chairs are not provided.
Hawk Mountain encourages visitors with limited mobility to call the Visitor Center, Mon-Fri between 9 am and 5 pm to discuss in more detail (610-756-6961) and to also watch the Virtual Tour to get a better idea of the view and the trails.
NATIVE PLANT GARDEN
A garden featuring native plant species is located next to the Visitor Center. The fence and gate are to keep deer OUT, but visitors are welcome! Please enter and explore. Information is provided in the mailbox just inside the entrance to the garden.
More than 250 species of native plants and examples of native plant landscaping are on display here. Perennials bloom from late March through October. From the deck overlooking the small pond you also can often spot frogs, turtles, fish and newts.
Garden Tours are held each spring and autumn, and typically during special events, and Hawk Mountain volunteers organize and host an annual Native Plant Sale each May. Check the calendar of events page for more information.
RESTROOMS Restrooms are located inside the Visitor Center, near the Outdoor Amphitheater, just beyond the trail entrance and near North Lookout.
PARKING Parking is limited to 300 cars, which is space aplenty except on busy October weekends. If you plan to visit on an October weekend, consider arriving before 10 am or after 3 pm to be guaranteed a parking spot. Local townships have designated certain roadside areas as tow-away zones, so follow our parking crew; they will direct you efficiently to the closest spot. The main parking area is locked by 8 p.m. or dusk.
FOOD AND AMENITIES Light snacks, bottled water and juices, binocular rentals and water fountain are available at the Visitor Center .
Pack lunches may be eaten on the lookouts. There are also a handful of picnic tables at the Amphitheater next to the Visitor Center . Binoculars are available for rental at $5 per day.
Local Weather Report During the migration season (August - December) visitors are encouraged to call the Info Line at 610-756-6000 x7 after 6 pm to hear the day's hawk flight, a weather report, and a prediction for the next day's flight. During the winter months, the mountaintop conditions are often more sever than even those in the local valley communities. Visitors are encouraged to check local weather reports for Kempton, PA (link on bottom our home page) and in case of potential snow and ice conditions, call the Info Line at 610-756-6000 to check for potential trail closings.
Learning more about Birds of Prey and the Migration Browsing the exhibits in the Visitor Center and attending one or more of our weekend programs (offered spring and autumn) are a good way for visitors to learn more about birds of prey and the Sanctuary. Be sure to visit the Wings of Wonder exhibit to see a carved replica of each of the 16 species of raptors that regularly migrate past Hawk Mountain .
On spring and autumn weekends, staff, volunteers and interns are stationed at Lookouts to help you identify these striking birds. With a good eye and practice, you'll increase your chances of spotting a wild raptor on your own. If you happen to be standing or sitting next to a birdwatcher more experienced than you, don't be shy about asking questions. Sharing your enthusiasm and curiosity about raptors is always welcome.
To learn more about birds of prey, visit our education page for many links on the different species of raptors that migrate past Hawk Mountain. Or, learn more about the timing of hawk flights, record highs and lows, spring migration and more by reading our Raptor Migration section.
