The latest in the lost and overlooked ski area series.During a recent family trip back east, my cousin Carolyn and I visited the remnants of Apple Hill Ski Area near Allentown, Pennsylvania. Apple Hill operated from 1962-1978 with 200+ vertical feet of skiing, a few surface lifts, night skiing, snowmaking, and an A-frame base lodge.
This modest hill developed a loyal following in the 16 years its lifts spun, and what it lacked in extensive terrain it made up for with community magic. Online commenters recalled learning to ski on its icy, moguled slopes, with many going on to make skiing a lifelong passion.
This ghost ski area, like anything that has sat abandoned in the northeastern woods for almost half a century, is being reclaimed by nature. Curious skiers and explorers taking time to thrash through the overgrowth will find rusting lift towers, old light poles, fragments of a rope tow, and remnants of snowmaking equipment. The exurban chateaus at the top of the hill offer a stark but familiar commentary on the tensions between development, affordability, and disappearing third spaces.
Over Memorial Day weekend, Carolyn and I set out to see what remained.
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