May 5 to May 7, 2023
Finally! Our first camping trip of the year without weather interference or family commitments keeping us tied to our home! The weather forecast for the weekend of May 5-7 was calling for mostly clear skies and warm temperatures. All we needed was to find somewhere to go on short notice. We had been watching for campsites but most of our favorite campgrounds were booked. So Jeff gave it one last try mid-week and we got lucky - very lucky! Not only did Codorus State Park have 2 openings, but one of them had full hookups. He wasted no time snagging a site and we were oh, so excited to finally go!
We left home after 3:00 p.m. and made good time getting to the campground. After dinner we went for a walk around the campground and down to the shore of the lake before heading back to our campsite to make smores on the campfire.
Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail
On Saturday morning we loaded our bikes on the truck and headed to New Freedom, Pennsylvania, where we planned to ride the last 1.5 miles of the York Heritage Rail Trail to the PA/MD state line and then continue on to the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail into Maryland. We had ridden on the Heritage Trail 3 or 4 times in the past and wanted to ride the Maryland end of the trail on this trip. The weather was perfect - sunny and a little cool to start out, and not overly warm by trail's end.
The trail is located on the old rail bed for the Northern Central Railroad which carried passengers and freight between Baltimore and the York/Harrisburg, PA area. Most of the rails still exist in the PA half of the trail, with an excursion train leaving from New Freedom and heading north to Seven Valleys. The first train of the day was getting ready to head north out of New Freedom as we headed south to the Mason-Dixon line and into Maryland.
The entire length of the Maryland portion of the trail lies within Gunpowder Falls State Park and follows alongside Gunpowder Falls River the entire distance. However there are few clear views of the river below due to a lot of trees and brush being in the way. We made good time to the end of the trail, 21.2 miles away in Cockeysville, Maryland. It only took us 2 hours. But of course, we were riding a slight downhill grade the entire way.
 | | View along the rail trail |
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 | | The start of the trail in Cockeysville |
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 | | Commemorative sign in Cockeysville |
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| The trail heading north |
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| Monkton Train Station |
And then it was time to ride back, uphill all the way. The trail only looks like a slight uphill grade on the way back, but when you're peddling uphill for 21.2 miles, you tend to take a few more breaks along the way. We stopped frequently to take photos, not to mention to rest our legs!
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 | | View of Gunpowder Falls River |
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 | | Geese in the river |
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 | | Gnome village along the trail |
 | | Snack stand along the trail |
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 | | Gnome village along the trail |
 | | End of the trail at the Mason Dixon Line |
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The trail south through Maryland is tree-shaded the entire way and an easy ride south. There isn't as much to look at as on the Pennsylvania (Heritage Rail Trail) end of the trail, but it was pleasant and peaceful. We each gave it a thumbs up.
After we returned to New Freedom and loaded up our bikes, we decided to see what Gunpowder Falls State Park had to offer since we were only a few minutes away from a trailhead. After all, why not go for a hike after a 42-mile bike ride? We only followed the trail a short distance since it was late in the day and we were hungry, not to mention tired. So we decided to take a couple of photos of the river and head back to the campground. We'll definitely put Gunpowder Falls State Park on the agenda the next time we camp in the area.
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 | | Gunpowder Falls River |
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 | | Gunpowder Falls River |
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Sunday morning was warm and sunny, and to our surprise we weren't sore at all from the previous day's long ride, so we decided to go for a hike in Codorus State Park before packing up and going home. We chose the 3.5-mile long Mary Ann Furnace Trail since there was a trailhead right in the campground. We had the trail to ourselves most of the way and enjoyed seeing all the wildflowers in bloom as well as the views of the lake on our way back to the campground.
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 | | Mary Ann Furnace Trail |
 | | Buttercup |
 | | Wild geranium |
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 | | Bridge at the Black Rock Road Trailhead |
 | | Fleabane |
 | | Garlic mustard |
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 | | Cirillo |
 | | Mayapple |
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 | | Rhododendron |
 | | Honeysuckle |
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 | | Lake Marburg |
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We had a wonderful weekend camping, biking and hiking. It was the perfect start to our 2023 camping adventures!
NOTE:
Codorus State Park is located in York County near Hanover, Pennsylvania. The park is 3,500 acres in size and includes the 1,275 acre Lake Marburg. The campground has 190 campsites within 3 loops as well as yurts and camping cottages. Some of the campsites were converted into full hook-up sites last year. The bath houses are clean and well maintained with one on each loop. Although swimming in the lake is prohibited, there is a public swimming pool in the park campers may use for an additional fee. We enjoy kayaking on Lake Marburg. There are 7 boat launch ramps and a marina. Motorized boats up to 20 hp are permitted. There is plenty of wildlife at Codorus and you can often spot bald eagles and osprey around the lake. And if you enjoy hiking and mountain biking, there are plenty of trails to be found within the park. Codorus State Park is one of our favorite parks to visit. We both give it 2 thumbs up.
* All Photos are the property of the authors except where otherwise noted. *
