Lehigh County High Point Trip Report

Date: May 1, 2000
Author: Michael Schwartz

on Blue Mtn 1 1/2 miles north of Quaker City (1,674 ft)

Take PA 143 for 0.7 miles north of the Lehigh/Berks County line to Wanamakers. Turn left at the Wanamakers Hotel onto Slateville Road. Go to right turn onto Desher Road at 1.8 mile point. Take Desher Road to 2.3 mile point, where blue blazed dirt road heads uphill at a sharp curve near a barn. The dirt road can be driven 0.2 miles by passenger cars to a pullout, and perhaps another 0.3 miles by high clearance vehicles.

The woods road climbs steadily up the mountain to a junction with the white-blazed Appalachian Trail, 1.8 miles from Dresher Road. Turn east (right) on the A.T. for about a quarter mile. Observe as the ridgeline above turns rocky. See a derelict cabin on the skyline. A faint trail leads to the base of the rocky ridge. Scramble up the boulders, aiming for the cabin. The ridge is sharp and rocky, with the cabin very close to the highest point. Outstanding views along the ridge and down to the valley. After returning to the A.T., it's any easy bushwhack straight down the mountain to the blue trail. There are no good landmarks on the ascent to know where to start the bushwhack uphill, and the uphill hike is easier on the trails. This is one of only two PA county high points requiring over 1000' of gain via the easiest route.

Note: I attempted access from the north via the trail shown on the topo, which involves less gain. Direct access is blocked by private property. I tried hiking from nearby state game lands, but the trails petered out. Not worth the effort for the savings in gain.

1 1/2 miles northeast of Lehigh Furnace Gap (1,660+ ft)

From Lehigh Furnace on PA 143, go NW 2.3 miles to the Appalachian Trail crossing at the gap. This point is 2.2 miles north of PA 895 at Ashfield, via Blue Mountain Road.

The trail heads NE, turns right at 0.5 miles and follows the state game lands boundary. Note the difference between the A.T. and game lands blazes shown on a signboard along the trail. At 1 mile, soon after passing a stone Lehigh/Carbon County boundary monument, the A.T. turns left and leaves the game lands boundary. It soon passes a prominent rocky outcrop, after which a faint blue -blazed "scenic bypass trail" turns right toward the high point. I chose to stay on the A.T. until a large boulder field appeared on the right, then bushwhacked to the ridge crest where I picked up the blue trail. The bypass trail rock hops for several hundred scenic yards to the high point. Outstanding views and rock hopping unusual for Pennsylvania.