Hike to the Bartlett Mountain Balds (And Explore the Wonders of Bartlett Mountain)

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Hike to the Bartlett Mountain Balds (And Explore the Wonders of Bartlett Mountain)

Bartlett Mountain Balds in autumn, a stunning sight

Parking: Large lot near White Brook. 41.496533, -76.131886 Small pull off for about three cars near Stony Brook. 41.466829, -76.161814

Difficulty: This is a challenging and difficult place to explore due to very rugged terrain, no marked trails, overgrown trails, and off trail hiking. You should be an experienced hiker with navigational aids. Some areas, like Catlin Brook or parts of Mary’s Glen and Burgess Brook, are very difficult and demanding. This is an isolated place. Hike with others. Have sufficient food, water, and first aid.

Animals: Bartlett is popular with bear hunters, yet I’ve not seen one on this mountain. Snakes are also common on the rocks and balds, sunning themselves. Do not harm them. There are bobcats, coyotes, deer, and snowshoe hares. The mountain is also known for its diverse populations of songbirds.

Hunting: Be aware of hunting seasons and wear orange. Avoid hiking here at peak hunting times, like deer rifle and bear seasons.

Length: You can expect to hike 12-14 miles to the Bartlett Mountain Balds from the White Brook parking area. Routes obviously vary. You can easily hike twenty miles on Bartlett Mountain.

Highlights: The only spruce bald ecosystem in Pennsylvania. Bartlett Mountain in general is incredibly diverse and scenic with views, waterfalls, miles of giant rocks, caves, chasms, mazes, overhangs, spruce forests, hemlock forests, boreal wetlands, old mines. Most people have no idea scenery like this exists in Pennsylvania.

Description: Bartlett Mountain is a crown jewel of Pennsylvania, no other mountain has its level of diversity and scenery. It is the only location of a spruce bald ecosystem in the state, something found in West Virginia, Adirondacks, and New England. Surprisingly, this was not discovered until 1993. (Source: Wyoming County Natural Areas Inventory, 2001). Bartlett is a vast plateau. Water gathers in swamps and bogs at the top, and then flows down rugged gorges with many waterfalls. I think Bartlett is one of the most outstanding plateaus in the entire Appalachian Mountain range. It is a place of great biodiversity due to its diverse habitats. Bartlett is also known for its extensive giant rocks, with miles of ledges, overhangs, boulder cities, caves, and chasms. These are generally located at the top rim of the plateau.

The mountain is laced with old mining and logging roads, atv trails, and game trails. No trails are marked. Floods over the last twenty years have degraded many old roads and trails. Bartlett is located in State Game Lands 57.

I’ve been exploring Bartlett for over twenty years. After hiking across the country, not to mention hiking the Appalachian and Colorado Trails, it remains one of my favorite places. It has so much diversity, so much beauty, and has something special every season of the year.

This post is not about describing a particular hike or route. It is about giving you the tools to explore Bartlett for yourself- a choose your own route adventure.

Navigating Bartlett Mountain: DOWNLOAD THIS GEO-REFERENCED PDF MAP. It was made by my friend Ben Van Riper. You can upload the map to Avenza or other mapping app to navigate with your phone. Note: the various routes on this map may be faint or even bushwhacks. Others follow old logging roads and atv trails. You must be comfortable hiking off trail. On this map, the Bartlett Mountain Balds are the north half of the pink route. The map is also below:

Bartlett Mountain Download

More information: This blog has many posts about Bartlett Mountain. Just type in “Bartlett Mountain” or “State Game Lands 57” in the search engine on the blog.

When to hike: Every season is unique on Bartlett. The balds are incredible in early October to see the red blueberry meadows. Fall colors tend to be excellent on the top of Bartlett. June is great for sheep laurel and mountain laurel blooms, which are beautiful. (Keep in mind, the area is known for its snakes). Winter is stark and beautiful, with heavier snow than surrounding areas. All the spruce and hemlock make for great winter hiking.

History: This area was once known as White Rock. In the early 1900s, small towns of tents were erected on Bartlett to harvest huckleberries, which was a cash crop and attracted people from all over. There was music, fights, and storytelling during berry season. Sections of the mountain were burned over every three to four years to encourage the growth of huckleberries. (Forests are slowly reclaiming the balds. For example, in the 1930s, they were significantly larger). This culture of berry picking has been completely lost. Coal was also mined here in the late 1800s. The mines were shallow and relatively small. There were mining camps on the mountain. The coal was soon exhausted. A few old mines remain. Logging arrived in the early 1900s.

Why share this information? Only people can protect special places like Bartlett Mountain and they will do so when they form a relationship with that place. Despite being public land, Bartlett has no official protections to my knowledge. There is no guarantee it won’t ever be drilled, mined, logged, or have wind farms. I’m not opposed to those things, but I feel some places should be protected for future generations. I’m unaware if any of those things are planned for Bartlett, but who knows what the future will bring. Bartlett should remain forever wild. It is a true gem of the Appalachians.

Enjoy this beautiful and special place.

East and central parts of Bartlett Mountain. All locations approximate.

West part of Bartlett Mountain. All locations approximate.

Legend for maps above:

Blue dots: waterfalls or cascades. Black dots: large rocks, ledges, boulders. Yellow dots: vistas. Green circles: bald areas (there are far more). P is parking. Use the link above to the PDF map to navigate.