W3/PO-023 Broad Mountain

Broad Mountain is an easy mountain in State Game Lands 141, north of Nesquehoning, PA. I was in the area to visit family for Christmas, and I managed to get a day for myself to get in some SOTA. From the Philadelphia airport, I got a car then headed up 476. Closer to the summit I took a number of smaller state roads, following my GPS. I had no trouble finding the trailhead. There is a very large parking area on the east side of the road.

Parking area just through the trees.

I crossed the road, then followed the dirt fire road into the woods. It is very flat for most of the distance, and the hardest part was walking through the icy sections. Luckily they were short enough that it was not hard to get across them. After about a half mile of flat, there is a little bit of a hill. At the top there is a turn towards the towers and the trues summit. Just below the summit is a memorial to a soldier who died in World War 2, with a few benches. This would probably make a decent operating area. The communication tower and lookout tower were both fenced off, so no views from the top.

Freezing at the summit.

I setup on some rocks in the woods just below the summit. This was sort of out of the wind, but it was still cold, especially for someone used to California weather. I got on the air a quickly as I could, and sent out a spot. There was good cell coverage the entire time. After getting six contacts on 30 meters I called it quits, because of the wind and cold.

Setup in the woods.

I'm glad I brought my mag loop, it would have been difficult to deal with a wire antenna amongst all the trees. The hike back to the car was quick, and I enjoyed breaking the icy crust of some puddles as I walked. I then drove over to Smiths Gap Mountain for another activation.

Trailhead: Height of land, PA 93
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Cross the road, then follow the jeep trail into the woods. At the high point, turn left and follow the road to the towers and memorial at the top.

Red Tape: None. Watch out for hunters.

Not the most exciting trail.