Turkey Hill Nature Preserve - Lancaster Conservancy
Chestnut Grove Natural Area - Susquehanna Greenway
Enola Low Grade Trail - Susquehanna Greenway
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 39.96704, -76.45658
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| Huge parking lot for about 60 cars at Turkey Hill Nature Preserve. |
TRAIL MAP:
Turkey Hill Nature Preserve Trail Map - Lancaster Conservancy
Enola Low Grade Trail Map - Susquehanna Greenway
HIKE DISTANCE: 7.2 miles
THE HIKE:
After having biked 45.5 miles on the Enola Low Grade Trail and hiked 2 miles at the Shenks Ferry Wildflower Preserve I wanted to get this hike in while I was there before heading home. It was getting late, 4:40 PM when I started. Would I make it before dark?
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| The trail starts at the entrance of the parking lot on the left. |
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| Following the blue-blazed Turkey Hill Trail. |
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| At this clearing there are two signs on the fence up ahead. |
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| Heading to the overlook. |
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| But wait, there is more ... |
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| At the bench ... |
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| ... a wide open view of the Susquehanna River. |
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| Back at the fence, continuing on the Turkey Hill Trail. |
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| I had to make a decision here. Either turn back by 6:00 PM or keep going to the end and take the Enola Rail Trail back. |
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| I decided to keep going to the end because the trail had been steep and rugged in placed up to this point and I felt it would be better to be on a rail trail with the sun setting than in the woods where it would be darker on a rugged trail. |
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| So onward it was. |
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| The trail veers right in the power cut and becomes more rugged again for a short distance. |
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| A rock hop over Manns Run. |
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| On to Chestnut Grove Natural Area. (But it was actually 1.7 miles to the Enola Trail) |
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| From this point on it was all smooth trail with nothing rugged to I could pick up the pace. |
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| Continuing to the right on the Turkey Hill Trail ... |
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| ... following the posts with blue blazes. |
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| It's a nice mowed path with an abundance of summer wildflowers. |
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| Ospreys |
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| Indigo Bunting |
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| Here we are at the end of the Turkey Hill Trail where it's .2 miles to the Enola Trail. But there is supposed to be another overlook in the area that is not on the Chestnut Grove map, the Star Rock Overlook. I consulted the Turkey Hill Preserve map and sure enough ... |
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| ... it's up this white trail to the left. |
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| A path leads into the woods behind this bench ... |
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| ... where it leads to one of those WOW overlooks that you don't expect to be as spectacular as it is. |
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| So glad I did not miss this. |
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| Back at that map continuing on the Turkey Hill Trail to the left. |
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| Coming out on the Enola Low Grade Trail and turning right. |
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| It's about 2.5 miles back to the parking lot. |
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| It turned out to be a really good choice to go this way. The sunset was gorgeous and I would not have seen it from the woods. |
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| Back at the parking lot at 8:10 PM. |
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