The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

  • A Plethora of New Parks

    Pennsylvania recently announced the designation of three new state parks. As facilities at these parks are still under development, we will take a brief look at two of them here.

    The 1,700-acre Big Elk Creek State Park in southern Chester County. The majority of the park consists of lovely farmlands and forest. The park acts as a wildlife corridor and provides refuge for an array of threatened and endangered species. The park’s namesake, Big Elk Creek, traverses the park and is a high-quality stream. Visitors currently may access passive recreational activities, including trail hiking, bird watching, horseback riding, fishing, and hunting.

    The 1,044-acres of Susquehanna Riverlands State Park lie in York County, along the confluence of Codorus Creek with the beautiful Susquehanna River. It is nearly six miles northwest of Wrightsville, Pennsylvania. The park features multiple rock outcrop vistas over the river and nearly a mile of riverfront along the Susquehanna with 1.5 miles along Codorus Creek. An approximately 2.75-mile-long portion of the Mason-Dixon Trail traverses the park. This 200-mile-long trail connects the Appalachian Trail at Whiskey Springs in Cumberland County with Chadds Ford along the Brandywine River. The cliffs overlooking the river are also popular for rock climbing.

    Codorus Furnace is a reconstructed iron furnace that is very close to Susquehanna Riverlands State Park and makes a nice stop if you are visiting the park. Erected in 1765, the Codorus Furnace was once owned by James Smith of York, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Cannon balls were cast in the original furnace during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. In 1837, iron was floated downstream to Philadelphia and Baltimore to service early manufacturing. The furnace ceased operations in 1850. The Codorus Furnace is currently owned and maintained by the Conservation Society of York County.

  • Knee High by the Fourth of July: Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full?

    I had promised my cousin that we would take a camping trip to Codorus State Park in Hanover, Pennsylvania over the July Fourth holiday. I decided to stick with the plans despite a weather forecast calling for high heat and humidity with the added bonus of regular thunderstorms popping up. I went back and forth between calling this post “The Camping Trip from Hell” and “Silver Linings.” Ultimately, I couldn’t decide if it was good or bad.

    I’m more of a fair weather camping kind of girl, I don’t mind a little rain, as long as I can set up when it ‘s not raining and everything has a chance to dry before I pack up. I was frustrated because all my trips last year were affected by rain, despite being out only 1-2 nights each time. I didn’t get my wish for fair weather on this trip. Everything was wet and/or dirty prior to departure. Pennsylvania is getting record rain, and it kind of stinks. At least the corn is high.

    The park itself did not disappoint. I went primarily to see if I could get a glimpse of the newly fledged bald eagles that hatched in an oak tree above Lake Marburg this Spring. They are quite the web cam stars. I did not see the fledglings, but I did get my first look at the parents in flight, having only previously seen them in the nest or resting in a nearby tree. The weather prevented much else in the way of activity.

    Nonetheless, it was not a complete loss. On the way to Hanover, I stopped briefly at Samuel S. Lewis State Park. It looks like a great place for a picnic and has a nice scenic view of the Susquehanna valley. The website also recommends kite flying and sledding, and it seems really well suited for those activities.

    The flag was still trying to fly proudly on the 4th despite the hot and damp weather.
    Here’s the view toward the river.

    I arrived at Codorus and immediately started to set up camp.

    Here is a look at lovely Lake Marburg,

    From the band shell area.

    On the way home, via Lake Redman, I made a few stops. The first was to photograph this hay field that was harvested just the day before.

    Newly harvested hay.

    I also took a few pictures of some of the lovely farms of southern York County.

    Farm, Yoirk County
    Red Barn, York County

  • Ski Areas in Summer

    Pennsylvania has many great ski areas for winter time fun. Here are a couple in the off season.

    Roundtop Mountain Resort in York County has water attractions, zip lines, and paintball in the warmer months. It is also close to Gifford Pinchot State Park.

    Big Boulder in Carbon County has its own beautiful lake and is near the Lake Harmony resort communities and many other Poconos attractions.

     

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