Showers 500 Steps and The Devil's Graveyard (difficult)

The Appalachian Trail has been rerouted many, many times since its first completion in the 1930s. Locally, BMECC member and avid hiker Lloyd Showers of Bethel, PA advocated in the 1920s for an AT alignment over Rund Kopf (Round Head), an edifice of crumbling white quartzite boulders which offered fine views of the Berks County countryside and the ridge-and-valley Appalachians marching off to the west. When the trail was cut it ultimately did not take in Lloyd Showers' beloved view from Round Head. And so he built himself his own trail from the valley bottom to the top of the mountain. Showers 500 Steps was maintained by the BMECC until 1978, when the AT was rerouted over Round Head and incorporated parts of Showers' trails. Today the steps themselves are more of a boulder scramble than a proper set of steps, but they make for an adventurous climb up the talus fields below Round Head.

This will be a more difficult, 7 mile out and back hike. We will start from the new PA SGL Parking lot at the base of Round Head off Route 501. Climbing the Steps in the first half mile we will then head down the ridge to Hertlein Campsite and The Devil's Graveyard boulder field. The climb will be strenuous and requires scrambling over large rocks and boulders. There is an elevation gain of 700 feet over around 0.5 miles. Wear appropriate footwear with good traction. As always bring water and extra calories for the day. We'll take a break at Hertlein Campsite before descending the steps back to Route 501.

Meet up will be at the PA SGL 80 parking along Route 501 at the bottom of Round Head. Make sure to arrive on time. Once we start hiking I will not check for late comers and will not be able to check my phone.

Hike will cancel from severe weather.