I got out for an early morning activation of Cornell Lookout near Lancaster, PA before my day-long workshop in Elizabethtown started. The drive into the site was uneventful, following Horseshoe Trail, which is a paved road(/riding trail?) with many patched potholes dotting the asphalt. While driving up, the right side of the road is posted private property, and everything to the left is part of State Game Land 156. I parked at a pullover inside the activation zone that is within the tiny 10 acre Cornwall Tract of William Penn State Forest. This tract was purchased from the Cornwall family in 1935 for $1.00.

I got on the Lancaster Radio Transmitting Society’s repeater on 145.390 (PL 118.8 Hz) to try to drum up some locals for 2m. I connected with John W3RC who was driving in the Poconos. I don’t get out to eastern PA too often, but I know that the Poconos are very far away, so I confirmed with John that the repeater is part of a linked network. After chatting a bit, I set up my EFHW for HF activation by the side of the road, just after 6:30 am local time.

I was happy to get 17 QSOs before the anticipated rain started to roll in. I packed up and continued driving west along the road to see the Lancaster radio club’s shack and the other antennas on the peak. The road was in very bad shape, with large potholes, the further I went, but careful driving got me there. I recommend staying on the paved part of the road as it’s in better condition.

This is an easy 1-pointer drive-on to add to a trip to Hershey, PA. This was also my 40th SOTA complete, as I chased KE8OKM on his activation back in 2024. I’m surprised that it hasn’t been activated since late 2024. It would have been good to reach out to the LRTS with a bit more lead time as they seem like a good group to know, and their club is on the peak as well.

• Trailhead: 40.24119, -76.37037 : Pullover south of Horseshoe Trail
• Maps: [PA State Game Land 156]
• Route: Drive-on.
• POTA: US-5481 William Penn State Forest or US-8854 PA 156 State Game Land