Susquehannock State Park - Drumore, PA.

Nestled along the Susquehanna River in western Lancaster County is a small park with enormous beauty by the name of Susquehannock State Park. This small park is loaded with wildlife observation & geological opportunities. From bird watching to wild flower identification to hiking to picnicking, this park has something for everyone.

I will begin with a little bit of park history which can be found more extensively on the DCNR page listed below. As the name implies, the park was named after the Susquehannock Indians meaning "people at the falls" (they were also called Conestogas). They controlled the trade routes along the Sasquesahanough, or Susquehanna, River but were eventually driven out of existence by English settlers. The history between the settlers and the Indians is a brutal one. In 1850 the property was under the ownership of James Buchanan Long who built the Landis House (note: this building is UNSAFE and CLOSED to ALL visitors). This house was a stop on the Underground Railroad. The Landis House currently resides next to the park office.

If you are into birdwatching, this is an excellent park for you! You can see Mount Johnson Island Bald Eagle Sanctuary from the Hawk Point Overlook. It was the first eagle sanctuary in the world. Because of this close proximity, it is not uncommon to see bald eagles soaring through the air along the river. Other birds of prey that can be seen are turkey vultures and osprey. Song birds can also be seen in the park, but most birdwatchers come to see the birds of prey.

If you are into geology, you will find all sorts of minerals at the park, the most notable being olivine. Olivine is green in color so these rocks will stick out like a sore thumb on the paths, especially after it rains. I personally have picked up several olivine rocks because they are so interesting. If you are interested in geology, you will also like studying the mountains around & along the Susquehanna River. The park is approximately 250-300 feet above the river. That alone should be enough to tell you there are amazing views...

If you are into hiking for amazing views of nature, you're in for a double whammy. This park has two overlooks: Hawk Point & Wisslers Run. Hawk Point provides an excellent view south and west of the park. To the southwest you can see Peach Bottom Power Plant. To the south is Mount Johnson Island Bald Eagle Sanctuary & the Pennsylvania-Maryland border, also known as the Mason-Dixon Line. To the west you can see several islands housing cabins & York County, a mile across the river. To the northwest you can see more islands & the Holtwood Dam on a clear day. Follow the Overlook Trail to Wisslers Run and you will have excellent views to the west & north of the park. West provides the same views as Hawk Point but from a different perspective. North provides you with a closer look at the Holtwood Dam and the Muddy Run Storage Plant and railroad tracks.

If you are into hiking for the sake of hiking, there are several trails in the park:
- Overlook Trail (easy) 0.55 miles - connects the overlooks
- Rhododendron Trail (hard) 1.2 miles - goes down into the Wisslers Run valley
- Pine Tree Trail (hard) - goes down into the Wisslers Run valley
- Five Points Trail (moderate) 0.7 miles
- Holly Trail (easy) 0.5 miles
- Fire Trail (easy) - short logging road
- Spring Trail (easy) 0.4 miles - has pawpaw trees
- Nature Trail (easy) 0.3 miles
- Phites Eddy Trail - leads out of the park
- Landis Trail (easy) 0.6 miles - connects the Overlook trail & Landis House.

Susquehannock State Park has pavilions which can be rented for the day by calling the office or used by day users for picnicking. The park is open to horses. There is no individual camping allowed at the park (pre-approved groups only). Park information & maps can usually be found in the kiosk board by the parking lot. There are currently 2 geocaches in this park.

With fall foliage just around the corner schedule a visit to this park ASAP! Although it is beautiful in all seasons...


For more information:
* Susquehannock State Park - Drumore, PA. [DCNR official webpage]
* Drumore Township, Lancaster County, PA.
* Mount Johnson Island, Bald Eagle Sanctuary, PA. [note: .pdf file from PA Audubon Society]


View of the Susquehanna River from Hawk Point Overlook in summer.


View of the Susquehanna River from Hawk Point Overlook in winter.

Shikellamy State Park, Selinsgrove, PA.

On August 9, 2010, we headed west from the Delaware Valley towards Harrisburg. That in itself isn't very exciting. However there was an adventure awaiting us just north of Harrisburg.

First, anyone who has ever been on route 322 heading towards Penn State has seen the Statue of Liberty in the middle of the Susquehanna River. This replica statue is 25 feet tall & she is the second version of the statue to stand there (the first one was carried away by the river in the 1990's).

From there we crossed the river & headed north on 11/15. We went past the purple dragon & the Moccasin Trading Post. Perhaps the best part of our trip to Selinsgrove was being along the Susquehanna River while squeezed between mountains for an hour. The views were nice & the river was calm. The vegetation was green & the water was clean. There are many boat ramps & wildlife management areas along the river to promote environmental awareness & outdoor recreation.

Upon arriving in Selinsgrove we did a quick drive through of Susquehanna University. The old style buildings & trees on campus were a nice touch in what would otherwise be an urban cement prison in many other places (at least in the minds of college students). Heading still farther north we were surprised to see so many chain stores & restaurants along the highway after seeing none for over an hour.

We stopped for lunch at a place called Skeeter's Pit BBQ. It was the best BBQ food I have ever eaten in my life. In fact, I would make a special 2.5 hour trip out there just to eat the food again. I got the pulled chicken sandwich & it was absolutely delicious. The atmosphere of the restaurant was pretty mellow for a BBQ place. It had calming country music (not played so loudly you can't enjoy your company). It also provided both indoor & outdoor views of the Susquehanna River from atop the hill. The place also has strange but interesting looking bathrooms. Good strange, not bad.

After lunch we headed out to Shikellamy State Park. There are 2 portions to the park, the overlook & the island (Packer's Island). We went to the overlook first. The overlook part of the park has 3 overlooks at different elevations, ranging from about 700-800 ft, or approximately 100-200 ft above the local road & river. We started at the lowest one & worked our way up to the highest one. Although each overlook provided essentially the same view, each overlook provided it from a different perspective. It is probably important to note that the overlook area of the park is closed from late-October to early-May.

After spending some time with the overlooks, we went down to Packer's Island, which is between the towns of Northumberland & Sunbury. Being in the middle of the river, the island had a nice breeze. The island also has a marina, several boat launch ramps, a butterfly garden, picnic areas, & walking/jogging paths. We stopped at a cement platform called The Pinnacle to take pictures & enjoy the nice breeze. (Did I mention the nice breeze? On a day where the heat index was in the high 90's, the breeze was very welcoming).

For the ride home we decided to avoid the Harrisburg rush hour traffic & go through the coal region.

Overall we had a nice peaceful day along the river with a delicious lunch.

More information on the places we stopped at:
* Skeeter's Pit BBQ
* Shikellamy State Park




The view of the overlooks from Packer's Island.


The view of Packer's Island from the overlooks.