Friday, December 1, 2023

Northwest Lancaster County River Trail - Day Trip

 November 9, 2023


November 9th dawned bright and sunny, if a little cool, and since we both had the day off we decided to head to Columbia in Lancaster County for one of our favorite multi-use trails, the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail. The trail follows the route of the historic Pennsylvania Main Line Canal from Columbia to Falmouth alongside the Susquehanna River. We've ridden it 4 times since we first discovered it in 2020 during the pandemic. The trail is completely paved the 14 miles of its length and there are countless beautiful views and historical sites along the way - it never grows old!

We started out at the Columbia Crossing River Trails Center and within the first mile passed by the ruins of the St. Charles Hot Blast Anthracite Coal Furnace (1854-1897) before arriving at the Point Rock Tunnel. This 180-foot-long tunnel was blasted through solid rock for the Pennsylvania Railroad.

A large stone building raised on cement piers in a park-like setting.
Columbia Crossing River Trails Center (2020)

A large rectangular stone structure with walls tapering inward and a brick arch opening on the front.
St. Charles Furnace

Two bike riders on a paved path with a high rock wall on their right. They are heading into the opening of a tunnel through the rock wall ahead of them.
Point Rock Tunnel, looking north
The next mile along the trail includes ruins of many buildings that were once part of the Henry Clay Furnace (1845) complex. Then, just past the 2 mile marker, we arrived at Chickies Rock. Chickies Rock is a massive quartzite outcropping that towers 100 feet above the trail and Susquehanna River. The rock is part of the Chickies Rock County Park which includes trails and overlooks on the ridge above. Chickie's Rock is frequented by rock climbers and we always stop to watch them as they make their way up the rock wall.

A stone wall from an old building standing amid trees and shrubs growing up around it
Ruins of the casting house at Henry Clay Furnace

Bicyclist stopped along a paved trail, looking up at a massive rock wall.
Chickies Rock

Massive rock wall with 1 climber halfway up and two others at the top. Three other people are gathered at the bottom watching.
Three climbers on the wall at Chickies Rock
The trail continues across a bridge over Chiques Creek and passes through a meadow before arriving at the Mussleman-Vesta Iron Furnace Center in Marietta. Riding along the trail in Marietta there are plenty of signposts directing you to businesses and places to eat. We brought our lunch with us, so we passed quickly through the town and continued on our way.

A two story stucco building with a dormered mansard roof, with a line of trees behind it.
Musselman-Vesta Iron Furnace Center

 

A wooden post with a street sign and four signs below it directing toward various businesses. A park bench is next to it.
One of many directional signs in Marietta
Outside of Marietta the trail leaves the tree cover and follows along the edge of some farm fields before returning back under the trees and arriving at the Shocks Mill Railroad Bridge (1903). Winding along the trail through the trees we next made our way past the foundations from some of the homes in the long-gone town of Billmeyer, before arriving at the White Cliffs of Conoy. The cliffs were formed when excess lime and dolomite from the nearby quarry were piled up there, forming cliffs up to 30 feet tall. When you first approach the cliffs, they have an other-worldly appearance, seemingly out of a Star Wars movie. Ironically, during one of our rides on the trail in 2022, we saw a film crew taping some actors dressed as characters from none other than... Star Wars! I read recently that the filming takes place there every year, although no one is quite sure what it is for.

A paved pathway curving under a long multi-arched bridge over a wide river.
Shocks Mill Bridge

View of a wide river from the top of a cliff. There are trees lining the opposite shore and small forested islands in the river.
White Cliffs of Conoy, looking south

A man standing on a white cliff above a wide river.
White Cliffs of Conoy, looking north

Two bicycles parked at the base of a hill leading to cliffs
White Cliffs of Conoy

A view of a river between two sections of cliffs. There are people standing on the cliffs edge on the left side.
White Cliffs of Conoy (2020)

A view from below of people standing at the top of a high cliff
White Cliffs of Conoy (2020)

 

A line of people dressed in costumes to look like Stormtroopers, marching across a high hill while people below film them.
Star Wars!!! (2022)
Just across the trail and railroad tracks from the cliffs are ruins of the limestone factory that was responsible for the creation of the cliffs.

Railroad tracks running in front of the ruins of low cement building with trees growing up and in and behind the ruins.
Limestone Factory Ruins

Ruins of a long cement building with multiple arches overhung by overgrowth from the forest behind it.
Limestone Factory Ruins (2020)
Traveling further north along the trail heading toward Bainbridge, we passed by the Locust Grove Estate, know locally as the Haldeman Mansion. The estate, nationally recognized for its historical significance, was the birthplace of Samuel S. Haldeman, a noted 19th century scholar.
A large two-story stone mansion with four windows across the second story and three windows on the first story with a door on the right side. The house has a covered porch and a slate roof with a single brick chimney and sits on a hill above railroad tracks. There is a large tree towering over the mansion on the right side.
Haldeman Mansion/Locust Grove Estate (2020)

After passing through Koser Park in Bainbridge the trail runs along the Conewago Canal, the first canal built in Pennsylvania, which was built to bypass the Conewago Falls on the Susquehanna River. The trail also crosses through the Conoy Wetlands Nature Preserve before reaching trail's end at the Falmouth Boat Access. Across the river is the York Haven Hydro Station, York Haven Dam, and Conewago Falls. 

On left: Large sign on wooden pillar stating "Welcome to Koser Park." To the right of the sign is a man on a bicycle looking toward a covered picnic pavillion with a river on the other side of it.
Koser Park (2022)

View of a curved, paved trail over an arched bridge surrounded by forest.
View from the trail (2022)    

A view across a river of a large hydroelectric facility with a waterfall on the right of the building.
York Haven Hydro Station (2022)

A glimpse of a river on the left, a colorful fall tree at center with other trees behind it and an old wooden bridge on the right.
View heading north from Koser Park (2020)

Signboard showing a map of the Falmouth Boat Access area
Yellow highlighted area shows where we were.

View of a river at high level with water falling over a dam on the far side. There is a man on a bicycle in the foreground on the right at the base of a boat launch, looking across the river.
Falmouth Boat Launch - high river (2022)
View across a river of large stone formations in the water, and waterfalls on the far side of the river.
Conewago Falls with potholes on this side of the river.

When the water level is low enough to expose them, you can climb out on the rocks and explore the Conewago Potholes, interesting rock formations formed by the erosional power of water on hard rock. They're even more interesting to see when kayaking further out in the river among them. We had the chance to do that after our bike ride on the trail in October 2020.

Large multi-colored rock formations stretching across a river. The rocks are worn smooth by the water.
Conewago Potholes (2020)

Large multi-colored rock formations stretching across a river. The rocks are worn smooth by the water.
Conewago Potholes (2020)

On the way back south along the trail, we watched for remains of the canal. We saw some things of interest, but aren't sure if they were leftover from the canal.

Two stone walls on either side of a wide ditch in a clearing with trees stretching off into the background
View along the trail

View of what appears to be a small wooden bridge in the forest almost completely covered by vines and with bushes and vines growing all around it.
View along the trail

View of a narrow rocky stream emptying into a wide river in the distance. Trees from the forest overhand the stream on both sides.
View along the trail
We made our way back through Bainbridge, passing under Shocks Mill Bridge and stopping at East Donegal Township's Riverfront Park for some photos and a short break. Then we headed through Marietta and the Point Rock Tunnel before finishing up back in Columbia and rewarding ourselves with a sweet treat at Coffee and Cream before the drive back home.

Tree shaded view across a wide river with hills rising on the far shore.
View of the Susquehanna from the trail.

View of colorful fall leaves on the other side of a wide river
View across the Susquehanna
View of a tree shaded stream passing through a double-arched stone bridge and emptying into a river on the other side. There is a high hill rising on the other side of the river.
View from the trail
A leaf covered paved path winding under the high arch of a railroad bridge with the river flowing along the right side.
Shocks Mill Bridge

View of a paved path cutting through a tunnel in a rocky hillside.
Point Rock Tunnel, looking south


View of the inside of a tunnel blasted from solid rock.
Inside Point Rock Tunnel

 

A long cement multi-arched bridge across a river seen from the banks of the river
Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge

 

Two tropical flavored smoothies in plastic see through cups with red straws, sitting on a wooden ledge with a colorful flowerbox behind them.
Our tropical fruit flavored smoothie reward!
We highly recommend checking out this trail, whether you choose to do it walking, riding, in sections or all in one go, as we did. The views are always beautiful, even on cold, cloudy days, and there is so much to explore along the trail. Every time we go we discover something new!

* All Photos and videos are the property of the authors except where otherwise noted. *



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Location: Columbia, PA, USA

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Hugh Moore Park & Schuylkill River Trail - Day Trip

 October 28, 2023

As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was about to happen.

- Winnie the Pooh

Hugh Moore Park - Easton, Pennsylvania

Sign: Hugh Moore Park

On a beautiful fall day at the end of October we decided to go "adventuring" with our daughter and granddaughter to a park we had partially passed through on one of our bicycle rides back in early September. Hugh Moore Park is located between the Lehigh River and the Lehigh Canal just a short drive from Easton's Centre Square. The park offers a lot of recreational opportunities, such as kayaking and canoeing and hiking or biking along its many trails and paths. A 2.5 mile section of the D&L Trail runs through the park. In addition there is a bike skills course, a playground and a plenty of spaces for picnics.

A feature of the park is the National Canal Museum where you can rent bicycles and boats, and take a ride on a mule-drawn canal boat on a portion of the Lehigh Canal. We arrived just as the canal boat was leaving, so we walked up the towpath to the locks so we could get some photos of the canal boat as it made its way toward us.

A bridge crossing high over a stream just before it enters a canal. Trees surround the stream and canal on each side.
View from the canal

Trees on the left side of a canal with a towpath on the right side. There is a building in the distance at the end of the towpath and the river is visible through the trees on the right side of the towpath.
Lehigh Canal and Towpath

Large canal boat in a canal, tied down to a loading ramp next to the tow path on the right. Two mules are tied to a fence along the tow path.
Canal boat ready to depart

Canal on the left with lock gates and a bridge over the canal in the distance. On the right of the canal is the towpath and the back of a two and a half story dwelling with 8 windows.with
Lock Tender's House

An algae filled canal leading to open wooden lock gates with a wooden footbridge crossing over the gates. The left side of the lock entryway is lined with flower and the right side is lined with grass.
Canal Lock
A woman leads 2 mules towing a canal boat filled with people past a stable along a canal towpath. Trees line both sides of the canal and leaves float in the water.
Lehigh Canal Boat
A woman in a long dress and apron with a bonnet on her head. She is turning a crank to open the canal lock gates. Behind her is a stone wall topped by a picket fence with trees behind it.
Opening the lock gates

A man & woman guiding 2 mules on a tree-lined tow path on the left side of a canal. A tow rope stretches from the mules to a large canal boat on the canal, filled with people.
Lehigh Canal Boat
A large canal boat full of people on a canal surrounded by trees on both sides
Preparing to turn around
In the foreground is a picket fence with an open gate and two trees on the other side of it. The fence stretches back to a side view of a 2-1/2 story dwelling.
1928 Lock Tender's House

 
After the canal boat turned around at the locks and headed back to its starting point, we followed a trail along the Lehigh River that led first to the Chain Dam, and then back to the National Canal Museum. We could see across the river to the other end of the Chain Dam where we rode our bikes back in September. The Chain Dam has an interesting history which we didn't know about during our previous trip to the area. The Lehigh Canal runs along the other bank of the Lehigh until it reaches an area a short distance above the dam. At that point the canal boats were poled across the river and in order to prevent them from getting too close to the dam, a large chain was stretched across the river just above the it. The current dam was built in the 1970s to replace the original one, which was destroyed by ice in 1965.
Water falling over a low dam across the Lehigh River
The Chain Dam

Sign stating: The Lehigh Canal. This canal's 47 miles from Mauch Chunk to Easton were constructed 1827-1829. Here the Lehigh Canal connected with the Delaware Canal to Philadelphia, and with the Morris Canal to New York. Vital to the transport of anthracite coal and to the rise of the anthracite iron indurstry, the Lehigh Canal was in full operation until 1932, and in partial operation 10 years longer. This section was fully restored. 1976.
Lehigh Canal History
We had other places to go that day, so we decided to leave visiting the Canal museum for another time and headed to our next stop:

Karl Stirner Arts Trail - Easton, Pennsylvania

The Karl Stirner Arts Trail is a 1.75 mile path that winds along the Bushkill Creek. Stirner was a local sculptor who promoted Easton as a major arts destination. The trail combines art, history and health and wellness stations in an urban environment. We didn't follow the entire trail, but enjoyed our walk along most of it.

A stream winding into the distance with trees on each side and puffy clouds in blue sky above.
Bushkill Creek

A large gate in front of the passageway under an highway overpass. The gate is made of metal rods and resembles twohands raised in prayer in front of a face.
Grace Gate

Colorful fall trees surrounding a leaft strewn path winding past headstones in a cemetery.
View through Grace Gate
A set of large steel chimes on metal frames along a path being played by a young girl while her mother watches.
Musical Path

Three people walking a circular crushed stone path lined with white stones.
Labyrinth
A duck with brightly colored head and beak and light colored wings floating on a stream with leaves floating on the surface of the water behind it.
View from the trail
A large metal disk hanging between steel legs. The sun shines down from above creating the shadow of a bridge on the disk.
Free Bridge - see the shadow of a bridge?

Sculpture made of castings of a tree's root system.
Late Bronze Root

A paved path surrounded by trees on each side.
Along the trail
After we finished our walk along the trail we headed across the creek to the renovated Simon Silk Mill and its collection of shoppes where we enjoyed some delicious handcrafted ice cream at OWowCow before heading back home.

Schuylkill River Trail

Wanting to take advantage of the beautiful weather, we topped off the day with a 15.5 mile bike ride on the Schuylkill River Trail. We had to keep it shorter than our usual rides because we didn't have much time before the sun would set, but it satisfied our urge to get in a ride on one of our favorite trails and gave us the chance to take in some views of the colorful fall leaves.

A bicycle rider along a leaf-strewn trail surrounded by colorful fall trees.
Along the trail
 View of a river with the sun illuminating the brightly colored leaves on each bank. There is a bridge across the river in the distance.

View from a bridge of a river below with trees lining the banks and blue sky above.
View from the trail
View of a leaf-strewn trail with the sun illuminating the leaves on the trees along it.

 

Reflection of trees and bushes on a leaf strewn river.
View from the trail
* All Photos and videos are the property of the authors except where otherwise noted. *






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