Over the weekend, I took a nice hike on the
Pulpit Rock Trail in
Hamburg. The trail is easily accessible and easy to find.
To find it, instead of parking at the
Kernsville Dam monument, where you would park to jump on the
Bartram Trail or the
Therman Madeira Switchback Trail, just keep driving past the parking lot towards the falls of the Kernsville Dam.
Keep going past the falls and the road will eventually end. At one time, you could drive all the way back to the area known as "
The Rock" in Hamburg. This trail ends when you come upon the large rock summit that overlooks the
Schuylkill River below.
While many continue to jump off the rock for recreation, this isn't recommended as a few people have died over the years after jumping off the summit into the river.
Litter continues to be a problem along this trail. One area especially stands out which is a flat area many use for camping and fishing, especially night fishing. Luckily, volunteers clean up the area about twice a year.
The trail itself is flat and easy to navigate until you get near the rock summit which goes up hill slightly. I took some pictures while there for everyone to see.
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| Looking at the dam area before entering the actual trail. |
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| An area of the dam before entering the trail. This is the area where you can park. Boats can also be loaded here. |
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| Entering the Rock Pulpit Trail in Hamburg |
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| I think this is a bathroom but wasn't really interested in checking it out. Notice the graffiti all over it. |
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| The camping fishing area. A lot of garbage, but at least its in a pile. Perhaps, there was a recent cleanup. |
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| Another section of the camping fishing area. A bench can be seen to the left. |
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| A totem pole and rope for swinging on and jumping into the water. |
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| The totem pole sends a social message of, "Family & Friends Use Condoms Peace & Love". |
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| Someone's missing their rug. |
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| Somewhat near the end of the level section of the trail. |
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| Looking below to the Schuylkill River. |
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| The small hilly area that leads to the summit area of rock known as The Rock. |
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| Almost there. |
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| A little closer. The bridge in the distance is actually Route 61. |
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| Across the river is the beach area. People oftern park on Port Clinton Ave. and use the path to reach "The Beach". Thieves often target unlocked cars parked on Port Clinton Avenue. |
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| Litter. So bad!!! |
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| Right below the rock. Here is a nice view. |
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| Here it is! The Rock. It is off here many people have jumped below. Not recommended. Some have died due to head injuries. |
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| A good view of Route 61 from The Rock. |
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| Someone forgot their towel. |
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| The path along side the rock where you go down below to the river. |
