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Hiking to Hawk Rock Overlook Along the Appalachian Trail in Duncannon.

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There are a lot of great hiking trails that end at overlooks throughout the state. And one of the best is the trail to Hawk Rock Overlook along the Appalachian Trail in Duncannon, Pennsylvania.

Seeing as I live in Harrisburg, only about 30 minutes away from the trailhead, this hike has been on my radar for a while now, but it was only recently that I was finally able to check it out.

After driving north along the beautiful banks of the Susquehanna River, and driving through the quaint downtown of Duncannon, I arrived at the trailhead for the hike. The hike up Hawk Rock is only a little over a mile, but gains over 700 feet in elevation and contains many large rocks, so it is certainly a bit difficult.

The trail itself is quite easy to follow. If you come in the way I did (See below for directions), you’ll meet up with the Appalachian Trail from your left. Keep going straight, following the white blazes to the top of Cove Mountain.

Along the way, be prepared to navigate some very rocky sections of the trail. In fact, you’re likely to fully understand why many Appalachian Trail hikers refer to Pennsylvania as “Rocksylvania.”

Rocks on the Hawk Rock Overlook Trail
Hiking the Hawk Rock Trail will give you an appreciation as to why Appalachian Trail hikers call the state “Rocksylvania.”

Hawk Rock Overlook is a large rock outcropping at the top of the mountain, and the view from the top is simply stunning. Spread out below you is the borough of Duncannon and the winding Susquehanna River. From this point, you can see north along the river for many miles, including the confluence of the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers.

The beauty of the view and relatively easy trip to the top has made Hawk Rock Overlook a popular place for locals and one of the most famous views along the Appalachian Trail. Unfortunately, this popularity has also brought trash and graffiti to the overlook, in addition to a large number of hikers.

A panoramic look at the view from Hawk Rock Overlook in Duncannon, Pennsylvania.
A panoramic look at the view from Hawk Rock Overlook.

Fortunately, there is a secret overlook nearby that provides much better views. However, you have to know how to find it because the trail can be difficult to find and there are no signs indicating the way. (Again, directions below)

From Cove Mountain Overlook, you’ll have an expansive view of the Susquehanna River and Duncannon. While it is similar to the view from Hawk Rock Overlook in many regards, it is much, much better in my opinion, though there is a bit of noise from the highway and train tracks below.

A panoramic look at the view from Cove Mountain Overlook near Duncannon, Pennsylvania.
A panoramic look at the view from Cove Mountain Overlook.

Overall, the hike to Hawk Rock Overlook and Cove Mountain is definitely one of the best and most rewarding in the Harrisburg area. If you haven’t yet done this hike, I highly recommend it.

And, just to give you an idea of how awesome it is, check out this time-lapse video I put together from Cove Mountain Overlook, and then scroll down to find out how to get there!

How to Get to Hawk Rock Overlook and Cove Mountain Overlook

Park your car at the following coordinates: 40.383009, -77.033086.

This is a gravel parking lot behind some residential homes and is only accessible by crossing the bridge over Sherman Creek from downtown Duncannon. You can also park along Inn Road across from Tubby’s Nightclub if parking is full.

While you can hike along the Appalachian Trail from near the nightclub, I’ve been told that accessing it from the first parking area listed is easiest.

From the main parking area, you’ll see a trail going uphill, next to the road, which continues straight for a bit. Take the trail uphill.

Trail to Hawk Rock Overlook in Ducannon Pennsylvania.
Take the trail on the left up to Hawk Rock Overlook

While steep, the trail is easy to follow and relatively smooth. After about 10 minutes, you’ll see the Appalachian Trail coming in from your left. You’ll want to keep going straight, but from here on, you can follow the white blazes on the trees.

A few more minutes up the trail, it gets very rocky, and you’ll have to watch your step as you carefully pick your way across the rock field. It’s in this area where the blazes are rather helpful in keeping you on the trail.

Once you leave the rocks behind, you have another 5-10 minutes of hiking in front of you before you reach Hawk Rock Overlook. Overall, expect the hike to take roughly 30 minutes to complete.

Hawk Rock Overlook in Duncannon PA
The view from Hawk Rock Overlook is quite stunning.

After you’ve had your fill over Hawk Rock Overlook, you can head back down the mountain, or you can continue to Cove Mountain Overlook for a better view.

To get to this overlook, continue following the Appalachian Trail to the crest of the ridge, which is less than 100 yards from Hawk Rock Overlook. On your left, you will see a small open area with a fire pit in the middle. Looking at the fire pit, you’ll be able to see a small trail heading off at roughly the 9 o’clock position.

Trail to Cove Mountain Overlook Duncannon PA
Follow this trail from the fire pit near Hawk Rock Overlook to the Cove Mountain Overlook.

This trail follows along the ridgeline of Cove Mountain and is relatively flat.

At points, this trail is wide and easy to follow, but at other times, it can be narrow and even a bit difficult to pinpoint. Fortunately, those areas aren’t too common, and you should have little trouble figuring out the path of the trail, which is basically straight along the mountaintop.

It should be noted, however, that this trail is not an official one and doesn’t receive much traffic. Because of this, I can only recommend this route for experienced hikers.

Depending on how fast you walk, it will take you 10-15 minutes to get to Cove Mountain Overlook. The overlook is really just a small rock outcropping, barely big enough for a handful of people to congregate. The outcropping sits a few feet below the ridgeline, but at the very edge of the mountain.

Cove Mountain Overlook near Duncannon Pennsylvania
Cove Mountain Overlook from a few yards up the trail.

To get back to your car from this second overlook, you have two choices. Both are behind you, where you’ll see a fork in the trail.

Heading along the left trail will allow you to retrace your steps back to Hawk Rock and go back down along that trail. If it is at all icy on the trail, this is what I would recommend.

Hiking to Cove Mountain Overlook
Head left to retrace your steps to Hawk Rock, or right to complete the loop.

The second way allows you to make a loop but is rather difficult as it follows a narrow and rocky unmarked path.

To follow this path, take the right split. The trail will very quickly become very narrow shortly after leaving the overlook, before widening out. Follow the rocky old creek bed down the hill. While there are no markings, the path of the rocks is easy enough to follow. After hiking for about 10 minutes, you’ll come to the Appalachian Trail.

If you parked where I recommended, head left (if you parked at the nightclub, turn right).

After a few minutes of hiking the Appalachian Trail, you’ll reach a split at an obvious trail. Turn right to head downhill towards your car.

Want to hike more great trails? Check out the nearby views from Fort Hunter Conservancy or the hike to White Rocks and the midway point of the Appalachian Trail which are further south on the trail. You can also explore our list of the best parks and hiking trails near Harrisburg.

[Click here for information on how to use the coordinates in this article to find your destination.]

See map below for other area attractions.



More nearby places worth exploring

Find more things to do in the Susquehanna Region

11 thoughts on “Hiking to Hawk Rock Overlook Along the Appalachian Trail in Duncannon.”

  1. Hike the trail this past weekend! It was great and the views spectacular! Could not have found Cove Lookout without your directions. Thanks for a heads up on a true treasure!

    Reply
  2. We started this hike in the dark- to watch the sunrise at Hawk Rock Overlook! Absolutely stunning, we were able to avoid the hot temps of July, and didn’t see any other hikers! This website was very informative and gave great directions. Truly enjoyed the hike! Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Loved this hike! Thank you for your article and coordinates for parking. Can’t wait to discover more of your blog.

    Reply
  4. Probably a little easier to do in the opposite direction. Hike from the parking lot. When you reach the AT, turn left. The fork towards Cove Mtn Overlook(others call it Peters Mtn Overlook because you are standing on Cove Mtn looking at Peters Mtn) has been made extremely obvious. Go to the right, and uphill steeply. Clockwise loop. Almost always go up the steeper and down the more gentle one.

    Reply
    • If you want to do the whole loop, that may make more sense. Since most people go to Hawk Rock and turn around, I decided to write the directions in the order that I did as it does work that way without much difficulty.

      Reply

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