Neversink

Points of interest in Berks County

Neversink Mountain

"Neversink Mountain is one of two mountains flanking the city of

Reading PA, and forms the city’s eastern boundary. It’s highest peak, on the eastern end, is 920 feet above sea level. Despite its slightly smaller stature compared to Mount Penn, Neversink actually outshines its larger sister in many ways. The mountain occupies land falling under the jurisdiction of six different municipalities.

An outstanding natural resource for hikers and bicyclists, Neversink

was also a very good food resource for the Lenni Lenape clan of the Delaware, the first inhabitants of the mountain. The shad which they caught in the Schuylkill River below are now gone, but deer are still plentiful, and

the wild turkey is making a splendid comeback. The name Neversink is an English corruption of the Lenni Lenape word “navasink”, which means “on the promontory”.

Though quiet and relatively undisturbed now, Neversink was a bustling resort in the 1890’s, and boasted five hotels,

a sprawling entertainment complex called Klapperthal Pavilion (which featured the largest dance floor in Pennsylvania), and it’s own water-powered electric railroad, the first attempted anywhere in the world. The largest of the hotels, the Neversink Mountain Hotel on the eastern peak, was 350 feet long, three stories high, and offered 150 rooms.

The railroad ceased operation in 1917. The last of the resort hotels fell victim to fire in 1930. Since then, the

mountain has remained relatively quiet, and so far at least, free of large-scale development. This is due, to a large degree, to the efforts of the Berks County Conservancy, which since 1974 has been acquiring land on Neversink for the purpose of creating a County park on the mountain, consisting mainly of hiking and biking trails, a recreation area, and a visitor’s center.

Currently, Neversink is a patchwork of public and private land, including more than half its acreage under public

ownership, shared between the Conservancy, the City of Reading, and the County of Berks. The rest is privately owned, and efforts continue to expand the public share of the mountain for the enjoyment of future generations."

-courtesy of, and used with permission from Paul A. Druzba, author of “Neversink: Reading’s ‘Other’ Mountain”. 192 pp. 2003 Exeter House Books (to purchase this book please click here)

The Pagoda and Mount Penn

From Neversink Mountain you have a spectacular view over the city of Reading and of neighboring mountain, Mount Penn. Mount Penn is home to the Fire Tower and the Pagoda, the symbol of Reading.