Hanging Rock tower is an old fire tower on top of Peters Mountain. Its proximity to the Allegheny Trail allows for year round casual visitors, but most of the birding activity takes place during the fall migration season which runs from mid-August thru the end of the year. There is no electricity or running water. Our bathroom facility is a portajohn that we keep as clean as possible.
Be sure to take drinking water. Other things you should consider are comfortable hiking shoes, hat, sunglasses, binoculars and an extra layer of clothing. It is usually 8-10 degrees cooler on top.
The hike from the parking lot is a little less than a mile with a rise of 350 feet, and will take anywhere from 25 to 50 minutes depending on your enthusiasm. The trail is well marked with yellow blazes. The side trail to the tower is blazed in blue. To avoid the steep section left of the photo below, and a rocky area near the tower, you can proceed farther along the Allegheny trail and access the blue trail from the other end. This takes you past the outhouse and back to the tower and only adds about 500 feet to the hike.