From Allentown · Hawk Mountain · Blue Mountain

This full-day version starts in Allentown. The first 29 miles go out on back roads through small towns to Hamburg, where the good part begins. The core stretch, Hawk Mountain · Blue Mountain, is a 26-mile loop that comes back around to Hamburg.

The ride home is the quick way: 30 miles on I-78 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike back to Allentown. All in, it's about 85 miles and 2.5 hours in the saddle, before any stops for gas, food or photos. There's time to take it easy.

Full-day version that starts in Allentown: it adds the ride there and back to Hawk Mountain · Blue Mountain. Here is what you'll find on the core stretch:

A short, technical loop from Hamburg: PA-61 along the Schuylkill, the climb up Hawk Mountain Rd from Drehersville to the sanctuary, then down through Eckville and Albany and back via PA-143 and Lenhartsville. The climb is steep and tight; it's for riders comfortable handling a bike on grades, not for someone's first outing. From September to November the hawk migration fills the sanctuary and parking is hard to find.