Summit Hill offers two different ways to experience the Switchback: a combined driving and hiking tour through the western section, and a trail with two intersecting routes. There is also a walking path in Ludlow Park and historical points of interest in town. This makes it possible to plan around a clear distinction: should the Switchback be the main focus, or a walk that also leads to local sites of remembrance?
Switchback: Understanding the Tour and Trail
The Summit Hill Walker’s Tours on the Switchback combine driving and hiking along the western section of the route. You can explore four places, with part of the Switchback route covered by car. So the mixed format is key to planning your trip: driving is part of the tour, not just how you get there. Tour conditions may change; check the latest information in advance.
The Switchback Trail consists of two intersecting routes, each nine miles long. Summit Hill is recommended as the starting point for the trail. The easier southern route follows firm, compacted dirt alongside Mauch Chunk Lake and through forests. Two specific questions can help you decide: are you interested in the drive-and-hike format with four places to explore, or in the trail with its two routes and the southern section described here? Check current trail conditions before setting out.
Walking Path and Local History
Ludlow Park is in the center of Summit Hill, on West Ludlow Street. It has a walking path, shade trees, a pavilion, and historical monuments. The path and monuments are all in the same park. One monument commemorates Philip Ginder, who received a small plot of land as compensation for his discovery. If you’d like to combine a walk with a connection to a named historical figure, you’ll find both here in the same park.
Pine Street Crossover is a historic site at the corner of Pine Street and Ludlow Street; it commemorates the former Switchback Railroad. Unlike the monument to Ginder, it refers to the railroad rather than to a person. Another point in history tied to a specific date is 1859: that year, a burning underground mine was discovered at the western edge of Summit Hill. These places offer different perspectives on local history: a former railroad, a named individual, and a discovery with an exact historical date.
Birds of Prey Along the Elevated Walkway
The Carbon County Environmental Education Center is in Summit Hill. Its elevated walkway takes visitors past birds of prey that cannot be released into the wild. This adds a clearly defined nature-focused option to the selection of places to visit. The southern trail section runs alongside the lake and through forests; at the center, the walkway passes by birds of prey. These offer different landscape and nature experiences, without needing to combine them into a single outing.
Discover more destinations: Lake Harmony, Palmerton, Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Albrightsville, Beaver Meadows.
Go to the main travel overview: Carbon.
