Berks County Highpoint Trip Report

Date: September 9, 2006
Author: Don Desrosiers

I mostly used James Wedekind's excellent directions. Route 183 is Exit 19 from I-78. At 2.8 miles there is a large game land parking area on the right. You probably want that. The AT crosses at 3.1 miles and is posted against parking at the TH (on the yellow pipe gate). If you miss it, the next crossover through the median isn't for another 5/10 mile.

Take the trail south (I tend to think of the AT as going north-south, although the southbound trail heads west from 183) for about 1.3 or 1.4 miles. It is well blazed and easy to follow. I never found any significant rise as noted by Mike Schwartz but, according to the GPS, the highest point in the trail appeared to be about where James found it. We built a small cairn on the north side of the trail. One of my dogs promptly decreed that cairn to be "Number 1"!

After that it was about 650-700 yards due magnetic south to the HP. The HP area is reasonably flat, so we wandered a bit then declared victory.

Come back due magnetic north to the AT then turn right and back to the car. Alternately, if you come across the game land boundary trail (white splotches versus the AT's white rectangles), it is possible to take this to the right and eventually intersect the AT but you will need to pay close attention in these featureless woods.