Outdoor Trails: Susquehanna River ravines: hidden pockets of wildness

AD CRABLE
Lancaster New Era
http://www.lancnews.com

08/21/98
(Copyright 1998 Lancaster Newspapers)

The coolness rushes up from the forest floor and spreads over you like an invisible salve. Overhead, towering hemlocks and poplars filter the sun into wisps of light. Following you like a whisper, the proverbial babbling brook.

Clyde McMillan-Gamber, knee-deep in ferns, brushes cobwebs from his face.

"There's not too many places left where you don't hear boom boxes, chainsaws or whines or rumbles. But it looks like this is one of them."

We are making our way on a sultry late-summer afternoon through Wissler Run ravine.

It's one of about 10 uncharacteristically wild and steep glens found in southern Lancaster and York counties in the River Hills that border the Susquehanna.

Gamber, a naturalist for the Lancaster County Parks Department, has been stealing away to these tucked-away spots for years. Found between the Maryland line north to about the Safe Harbor Dam are mini-gorges formed by streams cutting through the Wissahickon Schist of the River Hills in a last tumble to the river.

To qualify in McMillan-Gamber's book as a true Susquehanna ravine, the glens must be noticeably cooler than the landscape on top, deeply shaded, a mile or less in length, have a stream etched in their bottom and, especially, mighty shade-tolerant hemlocks and rhododendron thickets.

"They're one of the special places in Lancaster County, really almost like the Indians saw in this area several hundred years ago," McMillan-Gamber says.

"Many times I just visit them to get away."

Other times he goes to catch the rhododendron in bloom - reliably the first week in July.

There also are uncommon woodland birds here, such as Louisiana water thrushes and worm-eating warblers that may nest in overhangs and tree roots snaking under stream banks, or on the wooded slopes.

Susquehanna ravines are special places year-round, he notes. The waxy leaves of rhododendron stays green all winter. The thickets sometimes hold beds of deer, and water seeping from the layers of Schist freeze and form ornamental icicles.

Here are some of the wildest ravines that have public access:

Wissler Run. McMillan-Gamber's favorite, it has probably the largest rhododendron stand in Lancaster County.

Parts of this thick ravine may be found in Susquehanna State Park and the Lancaster County Conservancy's Wissler Run Nature Preserve.

From the state park, take the Rhododendron Trail that begins near the overlook. Go downhill. When you reach the creek, head upstream to reach the preserve section. A trail follows the stream for less than one mile.

Tucquan Glen. Along with Chickies Rock, probably Lancaster County's most popular wild spot, Tucquan features tunnels of rhododendron, rocky waterfalls, boulders and a trail that fords the stream seven times.

Some 272 acres are part of the conservancy's Tucquan Glen-Pyfer Nature Preserve in Martic Township. Parking and trailhead is from River Road.

Kelly's Run. Kelly's Run with its four-mile loop trail has been designated a National Recreational Trail. Some of the trail maintained by PP&L follows the bedrock of Kelly's Run through this steep gorge. There are lots of cliffs, hemlocks and reflecting pools for wading.

Allow 2 1/2 hours for the hike and be careful as the rocks are extremely slippery. Most popular starting point is at the pavilion off Street Road near Holtwood.

Ferncliff. Lancaster County's only National Natural Landmark, Ferncliff, also known as Benton Hollow, was opened to the public in 1996 when it became another conservancy preserve.

Features include old-growth trees - a 300-year-old red oak may be seen from a return trail on a ridge. The ravine also has rhododendron, hemlocks and mountain laurel.

An easy trail follows Barnes Run to the Susquehanna. Return trip can be on ridge trail through trees. Wildflowers are abundant.

Access is from Bald Eagle Road in Drumore Township.

Tobe Run. This is no longer a wild ravine, as Old Holtwood Road now goes down its middle to the Holtwood power plant. But for those unable to sample the ravines on foot, it's a glimpse at what we're talking about.

Pequea Gorge. Unlike the other ravines, Pequea Gorge is slightly inland from the Susquehanna. An old trolley bed makes for a gentle half-mile stroll along Pequea Creek where it tumbles though boulders, including the recently infamous Suzie's Hole, scene of several tubing accidents this summer.

Look for ruins of the old Colemanville Dam and powerhouse. Trailhead is off Fox Hollow Road in Martic Township near Colemanville covered bridge. Do not park at trailhead or you may be towed. Nearest parking is 1/4-mile away at nearby Pequea Campground.

Shenk's Ferry. Though fairly tame and not meeting McMillan-Gamber's definition of a true Susquehanna ravine, Shenk's Ferry is a pleasant glen full of scenic beauty and history.

Cooler in summer, warmer in winter than the surrounding countryside, this cozy hollow is particularly hospitable to wildflowers.

More than 73 species bloom in cascading stages throughout the spring, making Shenk's Ferry Wildflower Preserve one of the most popular wildflower stages on the East Coast.

Though less profuse than their springtime cousins, some 60 species of wildflowers may be found at Shenk's Ferry from June into the fall months.

The old trolley line that serves as a half-mile-long footpath follows Grubb Run.

Shenk's Ferry Indians who date back to 1250 lived here. In 1906, a nearby dynamite factory exploded, killing 11 young men. Do some exploring and find the old Pennsylvania German graveyard on a knoll northeast of the path.

To reach the entrance to Shenks' Ferry from Lancaster, take Route 324, then New Danville Pike, to Conestoga. In Conestoga, veer left onto River Corner Road. After 1.3 miles, go straight through the intersection onto Shenk's Ferry Road. Turn left on Green Hill Road. The road becomes dirt until the preserve entrance is reached after .7-mile.

Fishing Creek. This long valley also is not among the steep, deep ravines of its cousins, but it's a beautiful place that makes a great driving tour.

The dirt road follows the stream through the hollow for three miles, fording the creek three times. Both sides are wooded. Access is on Fishing Creek Road in Drumore Township.

Otter Creek, York County. Mountain-type stream with old groves of hemlocks and remains of York Furnace. Nature trail is two miles long and crosses Mason-Dixon Trail. Access is from Route 425 at Otter Creek Bridge at mouth of river.

Mill Run, York County. Deep, shady ravine with whole hillsides of rhododendron. Pretty stream. Stonework ruins of old dam 50 feet up trail. Half-mile trail intersects with Mason-Dixon Trail. Take it for half-mile uphill to nice river overlook.

To get to Mill Run trailhead, cross Norman Wood Bridge and take first right onto gravel River Road. Stream and trail is on left in about a half-mile.

Muddy Creek, York County. This gorge with its wild and woolly stream is among region's most popular with canoers. Mason-Dixon Trail follows ravine in Peach Bottom Township