In the News: Preserving Pennsylvania’s Lands and Historic Structures One Step at a Time

Thank you to Franklin County Free Press for featuring South Mountain Partnership in a recent lifestyle and travel article!

By Morgan Faith, May 4, 2024

“Atop a scenic overlook trail, massive rippled, grooved, and streaked boulders are treasures that tell stories of how mountain ridges shifted and developed over centuries of time. The steep boulders tower over any individual who dares to climb them and reach the peak of the overlook, known as Chimney Rock. Looking out from the overlook, Chimney Rock gives a glimpse of the valleys below and a small lake out in the distance.

Hiking to Chimney Rock is strenuous, but it showcases the beauty of mountainous landscapes in the Northern Blue Ridge Mountains of Pennsylvania. The trail is situated in the South Mountain region of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which was once formed by shifting continents creating large boulders that appear like decade old, melted lava.

The South Mountain landscape covers over one million acres of land protecting unique species, sections of the Appalachian Trail, state forests, and state parks. Millions of these miles are hidden gems that provide recreational activities such as hiking and kayaking for American citizens…”