⏲︎ This article is more than a year old.

One of LebTown’s favorite things to do in the fall is capture the beautiful autumnal foliage at Lebanon County’s finest outdoor locations.

Fall colors. Burn these rich shades into your retinas because, pretty soon, they’ll be gone for the year.

Previous visits have included: Mount Gretna, Coleman Memorial Park, Union Canal Tunnel Park, Governor Dick, Quittie Creek, Swatara State Park, and Marquette Lake, and the photos are as captivating today as when they were originally captured.

This time we went out to Second Mountain Hawk Watch, located (you guessed it) on Second Mountain.

All photos by Will Trostel.

Informative signs such as these are located all throughout the mountain.
Heading up to the observation point.
Many smaller trails are available, both for walking and driving.

The observation area for the Second Mountain Hawk Watch is open from Aug. 15 to Dec. 15, coinciding with the official migratory bird watching season.

Looking south from the overlook at Second Mountain Hawk Watch.
Looking north from the overlook at Second Mountain Hawk Watch.

During the four months the site is open, bird watchers may use it from dawn to dusk to count migratory birds from the vantage point. The organization itself dates back to 1984 and offers a membership option for like-minded members of the public.

Second Mountain Hawk Watch sites on the outskirts of Fort Indiantown Gap, near ranges where troops train and bivouac.

Read More: Once again, The Gap is the nation’s largest National Guard training center by training volume

Looking south from the Second Mountain Hawk Watch overlook. Facilities at Fort Indiantown Gap can be seen towards the right.

Types of raptors visible from the Hawk Watch include sharp-shinned hawks, harriers, bald eagles, and golden eagles. Although LebTown did not spot any this time, we’ll be back.

On the way out, enjoy some more beautiful shots of the Lebanon Valley wearing its best fall colors.

A quiet mountain road, heading down from Second Mountain and back towards Lebanon.
Eyes on the road, buddy, don’t get distracted by the amazing colors.

Still want more fall foliage photos? Try these:

[Photo Story] Brilliant blues and fiery fall colors on display at Swatara State Park
[Photo Story] One last peek around Quittie Creek at the end of autumn
[Photo Story] Taking a fall foliage hike up to Governor Dick Observation Tower
[Photo Story] Autumn arrives full-fledged at Coleman Memorial Park
[Photo Story] Mt. Gretna is as lovely as ever in late fall

Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.

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