Parking Near Windsor Furnace

[~Ronin~]

Hi guys,

I was planning a hike to Pulpit Rock and the Pinnacle this week and wanted to park near Windsor Furnace. I read in another thread that you can park in the Hamburg Reservoir parking lot if you obtain permission (which I might just do), but are there any other parking areas around there.

Also, has anyone ever used the Pocahantas Spring bypass back to Port Clinton? I hiked from Port Clinton to Windsor Furnace last week and tried this bypass on the way back. I got massively lost and ended up in some secluded valley. I saw no markings on this "trail" to tell me which way to go back to the AT. By the time I found my way back I ended up hiking for an hour in the dark. I know it was dumb to go without a flashlight, and next time I'll bring one.

Any help on either subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Lyle]

Blue Rocks Campground used to allow day hikers to park. Might have charged a small fee. They maintain two trails from the Campground, one joins the AT just south of the Pinnacle, the other joins the AT near Pulpit Rock. This makes a nice loop.

[emerald]

Hamburg expects hikers to obtain permission only for overnight parking at the terminus of Reservoir Road. As the sign posted at the lot indicates, they will ticket vehicles left overnight without permission.

Only day hiking is permitted and camping is prohibited on the watershed, except on a small NPS tract which includes Windsor Furnace Shelter and its immediate surroundings.

I believe Hamburg's phone number is listed in ALHDA's Companion, but I will be happy to provide it.

Click on the link below for a post of mine which includes their phone number and the thread's title in the upper right to open the thread for more information.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=898416&postcount=9

[~Ronin~]

Thanks for the info. I guess I won't need permission then because I only plan on dayhiking. Can anyone tell me how to get to the reservoir parking lot if I'm coming out I-78 from Allentown?

[emerald]

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Hamburg&state=Pa

Zoom in to find Reservoir Road east of Hamburg on Old Route 22. It's just beyond and opposite a church on a rise you will see long before you get there. Follow it to its end at the watershed parking area.

You may be able to get driving directions and a map you could print out to take with you by specifying your address and the intersection of Old Route 22 and Reservoir Road or any two Hamburg streets or a street address there and then follow my directions above. Unfortunately, I don't recall the name of the church.

Expedia offers the same service also without charge. You may or may not find it more convenient to use.

[shelterbuilder]

Hi guys... has anyone ever used the Pocahantas Spring bypass back to Port Clinton? I hiked from Port Clinton to Windsor Furnace last week and tried this bypass on the way back. I got massively lost and ended up in some secluded valley. I saw no markings on this "trail" to tell me which way to go back to the AT. By the time I found my way back I ended up hiking for an hour in the dark. I know it was dumb to go without a flashlight, and next time I'll bring one... Thanks.

Well, I'll try to answer this one, even though I'm not 100% certain that I'll be talking about the same area that you were in.

It sounds like you may have ended up one valley NORTH of the AT itself, hiking along the Rattling Run (which supplies Port Clinton with its drinking water, which is why Port Clinton frowns upon hiking/camping in this area). In years past, the AT crossed Rt. 61 between the Port Clinton Hotel and the Port Clinton Peanut Shop, followed the macadam road past a now-defunct trout hatchery on the left and back past the last house on the right, and then onto an old woods road that went back "a ways" and petered out into a footpath over some VERY rocky terrain that went up the side of the mountain and joined the present AT route a little bit before the decent to Pocahontas Spring. (In 1975, I took my new bride of several weeks over this section - needless to say, she never became a backpacker!!!) This old route has been closed for decades now - the new route which goes under Rt. 61 at the bridge abutment is much safer, and the walking and the views are much better, IMHO.

There are a couple of different ways to get into this valley: one, of course, is from Port Clinton. Another is the rather obvious side trail (another woods road) that leaves the AT north of Pocahontas Spring, gains the ridgetop and then decends completely to the valley floor and Rattling Run (also called Rattler's Run on some old maps!). There is also a side trail coming down from the area around the Port Clinton Fire Tower (which will also join the AT on the other side of the Pinnacle - this is part of the woods road system that DCNR can use to fight wildfires in the area).

Just remember - this IS a watershed area: please treat it as if it provided YOUR drinking water. It used to be posted against entry from the Port Clinton area, but it's been decades since I was back there, so I don't know if it still is or not.

[~Ronin~]

Quote: "Another is the rather obvious side trail (another woods road) that leaves the AT north of Pocahontas Spring, gains the ridgetop and then decends completely to the valley floor and Rattling Run (also called Rattler's Run on some old maps!)." Quote

I believe this is what I did. However, there was a sign during the ascent that led me to believe I could get back to Port Clinton by going this way. However, once you descend into the valley with Rattling Run, the trail virtually disappers and the terrain more or less becomes impassable. I don't know if I missed some kind of marking on the trail, but if there was one it was very inconspicous.

[~Ronin~]

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Hamburg&state=Pa

Zoom in to find Reservoir Road east of Hamburg on Old Route 22. It's just beyond and opposite a church on a rise you will see long before you get there. Follow it to its end at the watershed parking area.

You may be able to get driving directions and a map you could print out to take with you by specifying your address and the intersection of Old Route 22 and Reservoir Road or any two Hamburg streets or a street address there and then follow my directions above. Unfortunately, I don't recall the name of the church.

Expedia offers the same service also without charge. You may or may not find it more convenient to use.

Thanks for the info emerald. I should be able to find it now. Hope the weather is nice this week.

[emerald]

Some warm, sunny days before it gets and stays cold would fit with my plans well too. Have a blast!

[shelterbuilder]

Quote: "Another is the rather obvious side trail (another woods road) that leaves the AT north of Pocahontas Spring, gains the ridgetop and then decends completely to the valley floor and Rattling Run (also called Rattler's Run on some old maps!)." Quote

I believe this is what I did. However, there was a sign during the ascent that led me to believe I could get back to Port Clinton by going this way. However, once you descend into the valley with Rattling Run, the trail virtually disappers and the terrain more or less becomes impassable. I don't know if I missed some kind of marking on the trail, but if there was one it was very inconspicous.

It's been a LONG time since I was back that way - mid-80's I think, when my son was just a wee one starting out (he's 30 now!). There was a loosely-organized group of retired hikers from the Hamburg area who used many of the cross-trails in this area for their day-hikes, and they sometimes (illegally) blazed and signed some of these trails for their own benefit. (Nice guys, all of them, but they just didn't think that the rules were written for them!) Anyway, this was one of their favorite side-trails.

If I recall correctly, when you get to the bottom of the valley, you have to cross the stream (ie, turn left down the valley). Once on the other side, the old woods road became more obvious - remember, though, that this was over 20 years ago: the terrain may be different now. If you were to follow this woods road downstream (with the stream on your left) you would eventually come out on the macadam road across from the Port Clinton Hotel.

The first time that I was ever in this area was with Albright College's Outing Club in September, 1973. It was the club's first overnight trip of the academic year, and we started on Friday (after class) at the trout hatchery, and walked back to the last campsite before the stream crossing. In the morning, we turned STEEPLY uphill to the left, which put us on the first ridgetop north of the AT, and we walked out to the AT just after it comes up from the Eckville side of the mountain. We walked out to the Pinnacle and camped there (yes, illegally! who knew?) Saturday night, then hiked down to the Kempton Rod and Gun Club at the base of the mountain below the Pinnacle on Sunday morning.

[shelterbuilder]

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Hamburg&state=Pa

Zoom in to find Reservoir Road east of Hamburg on Old Route 22. It's just beyond and opposite a church on a rise you will see long before you get there. Follow it to its end at the watershed parking area.

You may be able to get driving directions and a map you could print out to take with you by specifying your address and the intersection of Old Route 22 and Reservoir Road or any two Hamburg streets or a street address there and then follow my directions above. Unfortunately, I don't recall the name of the church.

Expedia offers the same service also without charge. You may or may not find it more convenient to use.

I think (not 100% sure) that the church is St. Paul's, and the little village is Edenburg, which is probably NOT listed on the maps as a separate entity from Hamburg. Go slow (45 MPH) when coming from Hamburg - Reservior Road sneeks up on you rather quickly! Heck, go slow if you're coming from Lenhartsville - the view is worth taking in!!

[emerald]

I believe the village is named Edenburg. The linked map refers to it as Ededburg.

The church is not named on the map.

[nox]

The church at reservoir rd is definitely called st, pauls. I pointed it out to my friend Paul last week when we were up there.

[~Ronin~]

It's been a LONG time since I was back that way - mid-80's I think, when my son was just a wee one starting out (he's 30 now!). There was a loosely-organized group of retired hikers from the Hamburg area who used many of the cross-trails in this area for their day-hikes, and they sometimes (illegally) blazed and signed some of these trails for their own benefit. (Nice guys, all of them, but they just didn't think that the rules were written for them!) Anyway, this was one of their favorite side-trails.

If I recall correctly, when you get to the bottom of the valley, you have to cross the stream (ie, turn left down the valley). Once on the other side, the old woods road became more obvious - remember, though, that this was over 20 years ago: the terrain may be different now. If you were to follow this woods road downstream (with the stream on your left) you would eventually come out on the macadam road across from the Port Clinton Hotel.

The terrain has definitely changed. I crossed the stream in hopes of finding a way to follow it because I figured it would eventually run out towards Rt 61, but once on the other side everything was overgrown. Someone actually had a mini-campsite/fire pit set up there, but it had not been used recently from what I could tell. Maybe if you go back a little further you can still find the woods road, but I could not see any sign of it. Its actually a nice, picturesque little valley in most regards, just not someplace you wanna be stuck when you are running out of daylight and aren't entirely sure where you are. Maybe one day when I have more time, I'll go back down there and see if I can find the old road.

[klattu]

Hey fellas,

I often use this trail to make a nice loop hike: park at the reservoir, head north on AT until just before it heads downhill into Eckville, take left at what on the AT maps is called the Pinnacle Spur Trail, once on Weiser State Forest land look for trail on left that heads down and across Rattling Run and up the other side to rejoin the AT and then back on the AT to the parking lot. I've never tried it in the dark though!

[emerald]

From St. Paul's website:

The first church was started some time after 1750 on a land grant by John Penn of 1 3/4 acres. The first Lutheran log church was dedicated on November 6, 1756. It was later burned down by Indians.

A second log church was built in 1769. In 1826, the Reformed Congregation started to hold services in the church, and in October 1832, it became known as St. Paul's Union Church.

On April 29, 1832, a new stone church was built, which is still part of the present church. In June 1929, an additional 20 feet was added and the interior remodeled.

Legend has it, the name, "Smoke Church," originated from the members of the congregation sitting and smoking while waiting for the circuit preacher, who was often late due to bad roads. When the minister arrived, smoking ceased and people became attentive to God's word.

[emerald]

I knew I should know the name of that church and had come across it before. It served as a gathering point on more than one occasion for BMECC including this seminal event in the history of the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania:

On the tenth anniversary of the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club on October 30, 1926, the hikers climbed up to their favored Eagle's Nest. After the hike they drove to St. Paul's Church (Smoke Church) on old Route 22 near Hamburg to meet with Professor Bingham. That was halfway between Easton and Eagle's Nest. Professor Bingham made a plea for volunteer workers and support from the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club to complete the trail in the general Berks area. Many members thought the task was impossible, but Dr. Rentschler was enthusiastic and became the main driving force behind the effort.

The Historical Review of Berks County, Fall 1997 Paul R. Lehman Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club: Keepers of the Appalachian Trail