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keno
10-13-2008, 04:30 PM
Anyone know the gradients on the 2+ mile access road from the Route 143 side to the Sancuary? Rode it yesterday and there is considerable lack of agreement on the steepness within the group.

keno
jhcakilmer
10-13-2008, 05:29 PM
It's about 875ft over 2 miles from either side of Hawk Mountain Road, which I calculated to be 8% average (rise/run x 100). I've never ridden it, but grew up in a rural town near Scranton, and our parents would take us there to.....well, obviously look for Hawks.

Another great climb is at Ricketts Glen State Park, in Benton, PA. 13k acre park, with Lake Jean at the top, which is almost 1100 ft in 2.5 miles. Also a lot of beautiful hiking trails, with dozens of tall waterfalls.
Ray
10-13-2008, 05:29 PM
Anyone know the gradients on the 2+ mile access road from the Route 143 side to the Sancuary? Rode it yesterday and there is considerable lack of agreement on the steepness within the group.

keno
No idea, other than it seems steeper climbing it from the west than from the east. Its somewhat stepped, but with some pretty steep sections. From the east it seems a bit steadier but not as steep.

I probably saw you yesterday. A friend of mine who's a potter lives and works at the base of the mountain on the 143 side and a bunch of us were down there yesterday helping him with one of his 2-3 times annual kiln firings. I saw a bunch of folks riding by, mostly in decent sized groups - one of 'em musta been you. You may have seen a bunch of cars by the side of the road just at the bottom of the climb.

-Ray
learlove
10-14-2008, 01:48 AM
nice place - hiked the hill many times as a kid.

side note - my dad flew in the pa air guard in the 70's and 80's . back then when the guard was the "good o boys" flying club they used to go ripping through that valley at couple hundred mph below the ridge. one saturday my boyscout troop went to the mountain to hike and as we got to one of the observation points 2 A-37's being chased by 2 F-4's came blasting through valley - later when I got home I told my dad and he said he was the second plane in the line.