Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, on the Kittatinny Ridge in eastern Pennsylvania, is the world’s first refuge for birds of prey — a famed lookout where, each autumn, thousands upon thousands of hawks, eagles, falcons and other raptors stream past on their southward migration, riding the winds along the Appalachian ridge. It is one of the premier raptor-watching sites on Earth.

Founded in 1934 to stop the slaughter of migrating hawks (which were then shot for sport from the ridge), Hawk Mountain became a pioneering sanctuary and a global center for raptor conservation and research. Visitors hike to rocky lookouts with sweeping ridge-top views to watch the migration (peaking in autumn), explore trails and a visitor center, and witness one of nature’s great spectacles. A landmark of conservation and a haven for raptors, Hawk Mountain is a treasured natural icon of Pennsylvania.

Hawk Mountain is famous for hawk-watching — visitors hike to the rocky North and South Lookouts on the ridge to watch the raptor migration (especially spectacular on the right autumn days), with official counters and educators on hand to help identify the birds. The sanctuary also offers eight miles of hiking trails, a visitor center with exhibits, and year-round programs. Watching the autumn raptor migration from the lookouts is the signature, unforgettable draw. The combination of world-class raptor watching, ridge-top views and a pioneering conservation legacy makes Hawk Mountain unique.

Autumn (roughly mid-August through mid-December, peaking in September for broad-winged hawks and October–November for many species and golden eagles) is the prime season, when north winds send raptors streaming past the lookouts — the right cold-front days after a north wind are best. Spring sees a smaller migration, and the trails are lovely year-round. The fall migration, especially on north-wind days, is the clear highlight — come in autumn, check the wind and the sanctuary’s count forecasts, dress warmly for the exposed ridge, and bring binoculars.

By the early 20th century, gunners gathered on the Kittatinny Ridge each fall to shoot migrating hawks by the thousands. Appalled, conservationist Rosalie Edge bought the mountain and founded Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in 1934 — the world’s first refuge for birds of prey — to stop the killing. It became a pioneering center of raptor conservation, research and education, helping change attitudes toward predators and contributing to the discovery of pesticide impacts on raptors. Hawk Mountain preserves this historic sanctuary and its spectacular migration, a treasured icon of Pennsylvania.

Hawk Mountain sits on the Kittatinny Ridge, a long, hard ridge of erosion-resistant quartzite and sandstone (the Tuscarora and Shawangunk formations) raised during ancient Appalachian mountain-building and left standing as the softer surrounding rock eroded away. The ridge runs for hundreds of miles and creates the updrafts and winds that migrating raptors ride south each fall, while its rocky lookouts (like the boulder-strewn North Lookout) offer the sweeping views. The hard ridge rock, the long Appalachian ridge and the winds it generates make Hawk Mountain a raptor superhighway.

Hawk Mountain is all about raptors — in fall, thousands of broad-winged, red-tailed, sharp-shinned and other hawks, plus bald and golden eagles, ospreys, falcons (including peregrines and merlins) and more stream past the lookouts (over a dozen raptor species are seen). The sanctuary’s forests also host deer, bears, and a rich birdlife and other wildlife. The autumn raptor migration is one of the great wildlife spectacles in the East. Hawk Mountain offers world-class raptor watching and is a global center for studying birds of prey.

Hawk Mountain protects forested ridge habitat along the Kittatinny — a vital migration corridor for raptors and other birds — with oak and other hardwood forest, rocky outcrops and streams supporting diverse wildlife, and serving as a living laboratory for raptor and ecosystem research. The ridge’s role in concentrating migrating raptors makes it globally important, and the sanctuary monitors raptor populations as indicators of environmental health. Protecting the ridge forest, the migration corridor and the raptors sustains both the ecology and the spectacular migration that defines Hawk Mountain.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary holds a treasured place among the icons of Pennsylvania and the conservation movement — the world’s first refuge for birds of prey, founded in 1934 to stop the slaughter of migrating hawks, and now a global center for raptor conservation and one of the premier hawk-watching sites on Earth. Its pioneering legacy and its spectacular autumn migration embody the triumph of conservation. Hawk Mountain is a cherished natural and conservation icon of Pennsylvania.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is on the Kittatinny Ridge in eastern Pennsylvania, near the town of Kempton (between Allentown and Harrisburg), off Route 895 in Berks/Schuylkill counties. The sanctuary is run by the nonprofit Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association; an admission/trail fee applies (higher in peak fall season). It has a visitor center, the lookout trails (the South Lookout is near; the North Lookout is a rockier hike), and eight miles of trails. The lookouts are exposed and rocky. Check Hawk Mountain Sanctuary for fees, hours, the migration count and conditions before visiting.

The Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association protects the ridge, its forest and the raptors. Visitors help by staying on trails (the lookouts are sensitive rocky habitat), not disturbing the birds, keeping noise down at the lookouts, packing out everything, supporting the sanctuary’s conservation mission, and following all rules. The migration corridor, the ridge forest and the raptors are the focus of protection and research. Protecting the ridge, the forest and the raptors sustains both the ecology and the spectacular migration that has made Hawk Mountain a conservation landmark.

The trail to the North Lookout is rocky and uneven, and the lookouts are exposed boulder fields — wear sturdy footwear, watch your footing on the rocks, and keep back from edges and supervise children. The ridge is exposed to wind, sun and cold (dress in warm layers for the often-chilly, breezy fall watching, but also sun protection), and weather can change. Carry water. Hawk-watching means sitting on rocks for a while — bring a cushion and patience. Respect the rocky terrain, the exposed ridge, the weather and the need for warm layers.

Hawk Mountain is a private nonprofit sanctuary with an admission/trail fee (higher in peak fall). Stay on designated trails; do not disturb the birds or other visitors’ watching. Pets are generally not permitted (service animals excepted) — check rules. Drones are prohibited. Do not collect or disturb plants, rocks or wildlife. Keep noise down at the lookouts. Pack out all trash. Follow all sanctuary rules and staff guidance. Check Hawk Mountain Sanctuary for fees, hours, pet rules and the migration forecast before visiting.

The towns of Kempton and Kutztown, the cities of Allentown and Reading, the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, the Appalachian Trail along the Kittatinny Ridge, and the rolling farmland of eastern Pennsylvania lie near the sanctuary. The Kittatinny Ridge and Pennsylvania Dutch Country define the region. Hawk Mountain anchors the raptor-migration corridor of eastern Pennsylvania, a centerpiece of a birding adventure, easily combined with the Appalachian Trail, Pennsylvania Dutch Country and the Allentown/Reading area.

Come in autumn on a day with north winds following a cold front — the best conditions for the raptor migration — and hike to the North Lookout (rocky trail; wear sturdy shoes) to watch thousands of hawks, eagles and falcons stream past, with the sanctuary’s counters helping you spot and identify them. Bring binoculars, warm layers (the ridge is breezy and cool), water and a cushion for sitting on the rocks, check the sanctuary’s count forecasts, and pair your visit with the Appalachian Trail or Pennsylvania Dutch Country.