First Day Hike at King’s Gap Environmental Education Center
I started off the New Year by participating in one of the First Day Hikes offered by America’s State Parks. Several Pennsylvania parks offered the hike, and I thought it would be fun to go to King’s Gap Environmental Education Center and check it out. I wasn’t the only one, as there was a total of 36 people on the hike. King’s Gap is located in south central Pennsylvania on South Mountain.
The hikers met at the bottom of the mountain in the Pine Plantation Day Use Area. Park manager Scott Hackenburg led the hike, stopping occasionally to talk about different facets of the park. For example, goats used to control unwanted plant species. We walked through the Pine Plantation part of the park, where the goats are used. Also, we hiked past a pond where the spring peeper frogs come out in full force and make a deafening sound with their calls. I hope to go back to King’s Gap in the spring to experience this.
We then connected to the Rock Scree Trail. This trail leads up the side of the mountain, but due to time and skill levels we didn’t go all the way up the mountain. At the top of the mountain sits a mansion that was the summer home of a political figure, James Cameron. The mansion is built of rock quarried from a nearby ridge. The mansion is now an office and the William C. Forrey Training Center, where training and meetings for government agencies are held. Although I didn’t hike to the top of the mountain, there is a drivable road to the top of the mountain. I drove to the top of the mountain to check it out. There is a parking lot, trail heads, and of course, the mansion at the top of the hill. If you park at the bottom of the mountain to hike through the Pine Planation, I highly recommend driving to the top after your hike to take in the sights.
The hike was informative, fun, and a great way to get some exercise. For more information about King’s Gap Environmental Education Center, visit http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/kingsgap/index.htm.
Published: 01/12/2012
