Hawk Mountain Sanctuary's Autumn Hawkwatch runs daily from August 15 through December 15, and that end date is the one printed in the Sanctuary's season announcement. The trail calendar is shorter. Under the Sanctuary's 2026–2027 deer hunting closures, every trail closes on November 28–29, December 5–6, and December 12–13. For anyone in Lenhartsville and the surrounding northern Berks towns who climbs the ridge on Saturdays and Sundays, that leaves three fully open weekends between now and the end of the count: November 7–8, 14–15, and 21–22.
Those three weekends also line up with the Sanctuary's best window for golden eagles, its two biggest remaining programs, and the last autumn the current Visitor Center will stand.
The Calendar Inside the Calendar
The full schedule from the coming weekend to the end of the count, taken from the Sanctuary's hours and admission page and its events listings:
| Dates | What's open |
|---|---|
| Sat–Sun, Nov 7–8 | All trails, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Eagle Day on Nov 7 |
| Sat–Sun, Nov 14–15 | All trails; final Autumn Lecture on Nov 14 |
| Sat–Sun, Nov 21–22 | All trails |
| Wed, Nov 25 | Closes at 1 p.m. |
| Thu, Nov 26 | Closed for Thanksgiving |
| Sat–Sun, Nov 28–29 | All trails closed |
| Mon–Fri, Nov 30–Dec 4 | Lookout Trail only |
| Sat–Sun, Dec 5–6 | All trails closed |
| Mon–Fri, Dec 7–11 | Lookout Trail only |
| Sat–Sun, Dec 12–13 | All trails closed |
| Tue, Dec 15 | Final day of the autumn count |
The count keeps running after November 22. Trails stay open on the weekdays of Thanksgiving week, apart from the early close on November 25 and the holiday itself, and from November 30 on, weekday visitors can use only the Lookout Trail. For a weekend visitor, though, Sunday, November 22 is the last full day on the mountain before the count ends.
What the Ridge Is Carrying Now
The season has already beaten its usual total. Hawk Mountain says an average of 16,000 raptors pass over each autumn. The official count table for October 29, 2026 showed 17,500 for the season to date. Broad-winged hawks accounted for 11,712 of them, and none were counted that day because their flight had already moved through.
The September kettles of broad-wings are over, and the November flight is made up of bigger, slower, rarer birds. As of October 29 the table listed 11 golden eagles for the season, with a best single day of 3. No goshawks had been counted yet; the table lists them as American goshawks. Red-tailed hawks stood at 500 for the season, 131 of them in the week of October 19–25 alone.
The Sanctuary's species pages explain why those counts matter now:
- Golden eagle: early November is listed as the best chance to see one.
- Red-tailed hawk: the best window runs from late October through early November.
- Northern goshawk: the best chance is mid- to late November, and its flight can run from late September through early December.
Set those windows against the closure table and they fit almost exactly. The golden eagle peak lands on the November 7–8 weekend. The goshawk window covers November 14–15 and 21–22, then runs into the first closed weekend. After November 22, goshawk chances this year fall on weekdays, during Thanksgiving week and then on the Lookout Trail only.
The October 29 figures will be out of date by the time you read this. The count table is updated daily at hawkmountain.org/count, and checking it before you drive up shows whether the past few days have been busy or quiet.
Two Saturdays With Something Extra
The first two open weekends each have an event built around them.
Eagle Day, Saturday, November 7. Eagle programs run at noon and 2 p.m., and an Eagle Discovery Station is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It falls on the Saturday that matches the Sanctuary's best golden eagle window. Members get in free, and nonmembers pay the standard trail fee.
The final Autumn Lecture, Saturday, November 14. Birder and author Holly Merker presents "Ornitherapy & Forest Bathing: Natural Pathways to Wellbeing of Mind, Body & Spirit," about nature-based practices and ways to connect with places like Hawk Mountain. The series is free. The Sanctuary says most lectures start at 5 p.m. in the Visitor Center Gallery unless stated otherwise, and this year's October lecture was held in the Outdoor Amphitheater. The announcement doesn't give a time for the November 14 talk, so check the events page before you plan around one.
That November lecture ends a series held monthly from August through November. The Visitor Center's own timeline makes this year's series more significant.
A Building in Its Final Autumn
On October 15, 2026, Hawk Mountain announced that it will demolish the existing Visitor Center in spring 2027 and begin building a new Visitor Center and Center for Global Raptor Conservation right after. The campaign goal is $13 million. The Sanctuary had raised $10 million and had $3 million left to raise. Sanctuary President Sean Grace said the board had determined "spring 2027 is the right time to move forward," citing the money already committed and rising construction costs. The Sanctuary's homepage gives a projected grand opening in fall 2028.
According to Hawk Mountain's volunteer handbook, the current building went up in 1974. A staff office and conference room were added at the back in 1987, and the exhibit gallery and bookstore in 1991. If the spring 2027 schedule holds, the hawkwatch now under way is that building's last full autumn.
Two pieces of it will move to the new building. The Sanctuary says the stained-glass art piece and the carved beam from the current entrance will carry into the new design. Berks Weekly described the stained glass as work by local artisans and the beam as carved wood bearing the Hawk Mountain name.
Plans for the new center include a timber-frame entrance with vaulted ceilings, covered porches and terraces, an outdoor fireplace, a multipurpose education room, new interpretive exhibits, bird-feeding and observation areas, and bird-friendly glass. The mountain will stay open while it's built. Trails, overlooks, programs, and events will continue, with a temporary visitor service area, and the Sanctuary says details on check-in, parking, and restrooms will be posted before work starts. Next autumn's hawkwatch will go on, just without the 1974 building.
Before You Climb
November on the ridge needs a little more preparation than September:
- Getting in. The Visitor Center is at 1700 Hawk Mountain Road, Kempton. Trail fees for nonmembers are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors 65 and over, and $5 for children 6–12. Children 5 and under and members get in free.
- The climb. The trail to North Lookout rises about 300 feet, and the boulders at the top take some scrambling. The Sanctuary's hiking tips suggest allowing at least an hour, usually longer with stops. For visitors with small children or limited mobility, the Sanctuary suggests the South Lookout, reached by the ADA-accessible Silhouette Trail.
- The footing. Hawk Mountain warns that wet leaves make the trails slick, especially in late October and November, and recommends warm layers and a protective shell. Trails aren't maintained in winter, so the Sanctuary says to expect snow and ice, wear cleats, and consider walking poles.
- What to bring. Carry a daypack with water and snacks, and bring binoculars. Pets aren't allowed.
Dinner Down Route 737
The trails close at 5 p.m. Hotel Stony Run, a few miles away at 2409 Route 737 in Kempton, lists "this week's dinner hours" on its site as Friday and Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 3 to 7 p.m. If those hours hold into November, it makes an easy last stop on any of the three remaining weekends.
The building has a long history on that road. WFMZ reported that it was built in the 1850s as the Wessnersville Hotel, that its time as the Stony Run Inn ended in 2020, and that chef and owner John Bakay held a soft opening on September 6 with a limited menu on the deck. In an update dated October 25, Berks County Eats still described a soft-opening menu with limited outdoor deck seating, with the full dinner menu coming once staffing is in place. The restaurant's site says reservations are required by phone at 610-756-7998, and that's the place to check the menu and seating before a November evening.
Our agents at Addison Wolfe Real Estate follow the calendars that shape life along the Kittatinny Ridge and in the Berks and Bucks County towns below it. If you'd like help understanding a historic property in northern Berks, or an introduction to the communities around Hawk Mountain, Contact Us.
