Have you ever seen a sand spring? Join us in seeking out these odd underwater phenomena on the Sand Spring / Tom Lowe Trail Loop in the Blue Mountain of Berks County PA.
Sand springs are natural springs that look like mesmerizingly beautiful tiny underwater volcanos as they continually bubble up water and sand. There are many roads, trails, and places with the name “sand spring” but the articles themselves are much more challenging to find. The Sand Spring and Tom Lowe trails form a loop on the southern slope of the Blue Mountain in State Game Lands 110 just north of Shartlesville in Berks County, PA. In this case, the “Sand Spring” Trail lives up to its name, so join us on the hunt for sand springs.
From the parking lot, head north past the gate and follow the gravel road for a few hundred feet until you come to the Sand Spring trailhead to your left (pictured above). The stream crossing at the beginning is a good indication of the character of the trail. I wasn’t keeping track of how many stream crossings there were, but there were many. Good news is that all of them can be completed with dry feet.
Except for a short portion at the top of the mountain, the trail follows a tributary of the Northkill Creek on the way up and another tributary on the way down. The soothing sound of water was a nearly constant companion. Here’s another crossing below.
Shortly after the crossing shown above is a level area and a side trail to the left that leads to the first of several cascades. They aren’t quite waterfalls but are still enjoyable. The side trail was blocked by a downed tree that you can crawl under or navigate around. You can see us maneuver to the cascade in the video at the bottom of the post.
The Sand Spring trail curves around a bend as it ascends the southern slope of the Blue Mountain. Some parts are very rocky and some parts are smooth and clear, perhaps remains of logging roads.
The next two photos are from one of my favorite parts of the trail where it dips into a ravine and intermingles with the stream. At some parts the trail is a strip of dry ground with water on both sides. The stream and landscape down in the ravine are especially scenic.
The trail ascends the serene ravine to what looks like a different kind of stream, not of water but of boot-devouring rocks! We must be near the Appalachian Trail on the infamous Rocksylvania Blue Mountain!
The short path to the sand spring is clearly marked. We’re brimming with anticipation!
I almost didn’t post photos of the sand spring because they don’t do it justice. Please be sure to see the video of the hypnotically beautiful bubbling sand springs at the bottom of the post.
There are several logs that span the sand spring. With good balance you can go right over the water to get close-up views of the miniature volcano-like springs.
Do you the springs bubbling up white sand in a pool of crystal-clear water? The water was so clear and reflective that it was challenging to get video and photos. Note the reflection of the trees above on the mirror-like surface of the pool.
The trail near the sand spring is very rocky and zig zags numerous times across the stream. The woods open up and the land plateaus at the top of the trail. There is a large campsite where the blue blazed Sand Spring trail and Tom Lowe Trail meet. The Sand Spring Trail continues a short distance up the mountain to join with the white blazed Appalachian Trail. On this adventure we will take the orange blazed Tom Lowe Trail back down the mountain along another stream and see a waterfall.
After a short distance on a State Game Lands access road, the trail curves left to a steep, rocky descent to the stream we will follow down the mountian.
We got a view of the sylvan hill horizon on the rocky descent.
A small waterfall is located at 40.53072, -76.14301. Stone steps lead down to the tranquil spot in the ravine. There is a bench to pause and experience the moment. You can see the waterfall in the video at the end of the post.
The trail down the mountain is wet in spots. We found these azure bluet wildflowers thriving on a rocky island in a trail puddle.
The trail splits at approximately 40.52774, -76.14095. It doesn’t matter which way you take because both paths lead to a stream crossing at 40.52823, -76.14003. After the steam crossing the trail follows an old grade past an excavated area. The trail then climbs back up the hill a little and follows the contour until it descends again and reunites with the Northkill creek. The trail is not nearly as rocky on this side as it was on the way up. The trail avoids the rocks on the hillside shown below.
Within sight of the road, nearing the end of the adventure, the trail crosses the Northkill Creek one last time for good measure. This is the most significant crossing, but still pretty easy thanks to logs and abundant rocks. We followed the creek back to the parking lot and were greeted by this cascade over a rock slab as a farewell to the fun and scenic adventure.
Join us on the trail in this video. You have to see the sand springs!
Overall the trail was 4.8 miles.
Parking is at: 40.53750, -76.12356.
A few things to know before you go:
1. Wear appropriate footwear for rocky terrain. You will encounter the famous (or infamous) Rocksylvania Blue Mountain rocks.
2. There may be muddy/wet portions of the trail on the southwest section near the stream.
3. There is a steep section, as you can see in the leftmost point of the trail in the topo map above.
4. There are many stream crossings, but there’s no need for wet feet. Most are just a few steps. All of them can be done easily with a little balance.
Is the Sand Spring / Tom Lowe trail loop worth the visit? An unqualified “yes”. The volcano-like white bubbling sand spring gets points for both peculiarity and beauty. The sand spring is easy to find being clearly marked by signage. The trail itself offers variety of scenery and invigorating, but not strenuous, elevation up and down the southern slope of the Blue Mountain. Aside from the sand springs, my favorite part was following the stream up through the ravine, which you can see on the northeastern section of the topo map above. To top it off, there is a small waterfall and several scenic cascades.
There are more sand springs in the area, so stay tuned to explore them in future adventures.
Also, be sure to check out our other adventures.
