Reading Hospital and its Community Wellness Department began its sixth annual Berks Trail Challenge Monday, May 1st. Local hikes are scheduled through Tuesday, October 31st.
Participants can visit BeWellBerks.org/berks-trail-challenge to register and print out a challenge card for each participant or family to record trail visits, as well as a schedule of guided hikes.
The challenge card highlights eight local trails and includes the difficulty level and terrain of each. The trails range in length from one mile to nine-and-a-half miles long. Participants also have the option of including up to two trails not on the Challenge list. Trail challenge cards must be submitted by Friday, November 10, to be entered to win a prize. 40 winners will be selected at random.
Guided hikes hosted by members of Blue Mounty Eagle Climbing Club, Berks County Parks & Recreation, and Altitūd Outdoors will be offered throughout the challenge. Participation in guided hikes is not a requirement to be eligible for a prize. New this year are a series of bilingual hikes, noted with an asterisk.
Upcoming hikes include: Pagoda to Peace Rock White Trail, June 3, 10 a.m. Antietam Lake to Mount Penn Loop, Saturday, June 17, 10 a.m. Perimeter Trail Loop, June 24, 10 a.m. Green Hills Preserve, Saturday, July 8, 10 a.m. Ridgeway Trail at Gibraltar Hill, July 15, 10 a.m. Ridgeway Trail at Gibraltar Hill, July 29, 10 a.m. Sand Spring and Tom Lowe Trails, August 12, 10 a.m. Pagoda to Peace Rock White Trail, August 19, 10 a.m. Neversink Trail, Orange Loop, August 26, 10 a.m. Neversink Trail, Orange Loop, September 9, 10 a.m. Perimeter Trail Loop, September 16, 10 a.m. Union Canal Tail, October 14, 10 a.m.
Desha Dickson, Tower Health vice president of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Wellness said, “We are always looking for opportunities to grow our programs and adding bilingual guided hikes was an obvious next step to make this event more inclusive for our community. We know prevention is medicine, and this program encourages Berks County residents to get outside with their family and friends and participate in a great, free opportunity to explore their local community. This year I urge all participants to not only revisit your favorite trails from past challenges but also to explore new ones.”
Participants are encouraged to take pictures or videos of their trail outings and post them using the hashtag #BerksTrailChallenge and tagging any of the Reading Hospital – Tower Health social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Be Well Berks is an initiative of the Community Wellness Department of Reading Hospital. The mission is to improve the health and wellness of Berks County residents through thoughtful leadership, partnership, and community investment.
