I learned about the Vincent DiFilippo Nature Preserve through social media and was genuinely…read moresurprised to discover it's less than 20 minutes from my house--yet I had never heard of it. This has been happening more and more lately, and I've been having a lot of fun discovering these close-to-home, beautiful outdoor spaces. Thankfully, this preserve did not disappoint. According to the preserve's website, this 54-acre nature preserve sits along the Conodoguinet Creek and serves as an important natural habitat featuring meadows, wetlands, and ponds. It offers creek access for kayaking and fishing, and the ponds are also open for fishing. Visitors can choose between an almost 2-mile outer loop trail or a shorter 1-mile inner loop trail, both clearly marked and suitable for walking, hiking, and biking. One section of the outer loop provides views of a bald eagle nesting area. The website notes that dogs are not permitted. I visited on a beautiful, though chilly, first Sunday in January. When I arrived around 9am, I found a large gravel parking lot with just a handful of cars. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of clearly marked handicap parking--always nice to see thoughtful accessibility. While the website states that dogs are not allowed, I encountered multiple leashed dogs during my walk (some even sporting sweaters), and several posted signs reminded owners to keep dogs leashed and clean up after them. It's possible the website is outdated, but based on what I observed, dogs definitely seem to be a common sight here. The crushed stone paths combined with the very flat terrain made this an incredibly relaxed and easy walk--perfect for a laid-back Sunday morning. After reviewing the trail map, I chose the Black Trail, which follows the Conodoguinet Creek and passes the designated eagle nesting area before looping back to the parking lot. I took my time, as usual, and the entire walk lasted about 45 minutes. The creek was especially beautiful that morning, with a thin layer of ice glistening in the sunlight. Homes perched high above the creek added to the scenery, and there was plenty of wildlife activity--birds flitting about and squirrels clearly enjoying the crisp morning air. While I didn't spot any eagles on this visit, the signage notes that they frequent the area between January and June, so I'm hopeful I'll catch a glimpse on a future visit. One thing to note: while the preserve is lovely, it does come with a fair amount of residential and roadway noise due to nearby homes and streets. This isn't a secluded, deep-woods experience. Expect to see other visitors, hear phones ringing, and encounter everyday neighborhood sounds. That said, the Vincent DiFilippo Nature Preserve is a solid community space for getting outside and stretching your legs. While I personally prefer quieter, more remote nature experiences, this is a safe, well-maintained, and accessible option for locals looking for a quick and easy nature walk close to home.

This trail is so well maintained with benches placed periodically throughout. It's mostly flat and…read morean easy, relaxing walk.

Along the water in Bainbridge is a small park with a covered area and a small lot where many hikers…read moreand bikers park to use the nearby trail. Personally, I parked to walk 1.5 miles to the White Cliffs of Conoy, an old quarry along the water with stunning views and photo opps.

The white cliffs of conoy is located here, which is roughly a 3 mile trek round trip (1.5 miles one…read moreway). Parking is limited in Koser Park. When heading towards the paved trail that is tree lined, take the paved path opposite of the side the picnic tables (on your right if your back is to the Susquehanna river). The trail can get quite busy, numerous people bike down the trails, others are just walking &/or walking their dogs. You eventually cross a small bridge, once you hit the 1.5 mile mark you will come up on a port a potty on your right. You can enter the first mound by walking through the overgrown brush/trees. The view from the first mound doesn't have as much impressive views as the second mound. When we arrived there were two kids biking on the first mound. The white cliffs of conoy was named after the resemblance of the white cliffs of Dover, however these mounds are actually industrial waste from crushed excess limestone & dolomite fused from an old limestone quarry that was once private land, but is now publicly owned. The second mound can be accessed if you walk a few feet past the port a potty, take caution as there are old metal rods etc poking out through the mound in various areas. There are also signs to take caution away from the ledge, as some of the areas can be unstable. The view of the Susquehanna River is beautiful. Are the white cliffs of conoy impressive? Not necessarily, but it's something unique, & quirky to see in person. It's also a popular spot for engagement/proposal photos for the locals. I wouldn't say it's a must see, but if you are out of state visiting, it's a nice short, paved easy hike that will probably last roughly an hour or so, dependent upon your speed & physical fitness level. You can combine this hike with the Chickies rock overlook trail, as it is only a 15 minute drive from one another. When leaving to head back to Hershey, we drove pass Three Mile Island, where the unit 2 reactor partial meltdown caused roughly 2 million people living nearby to be exposed to small amounts of radiation.

The park spans a little over a mile. Accessible by car from Whitehouse ln, or Ann st. Walking…read moreaccess is available from Hanover st. The trail is scenic, and fairly well maintained. The Whitehouse lane side has a sheltered picnic area. I believe there's a charcoal grill. I assuming you'd need to contact Highspire borough for reservation information. It would be nice if the trail extended around the whole reservoir. In my opinion the only negatives are the occasional bike, or dog without a leash.

Great park with a picnic area, walking trail and a rcently added boardwalk. We spotted a white…read moreheron, bluejay, frog and some squirrels on our visit. Kids enjoyed the bridges a nd marsh areas as well as just sitting down on the benches listening to birds. This area was completely unknown to me until recently. Worth a visit if you are a nature enthusiast.

The Conewago trail is 5 miles long and connects directly to the Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail. The…read moretrail is a crushed stone trail; however, it's apparently old enough that gravels beneath begin to be exposed, making it rough to ride on. Furthermore, not only is the trail narrower than a typical rail trail, sections of it have a surface which is rounded or convex with ditches on both sides. This may make beginning bikers uncomfortable. As well, it could cause a bit of a congestion on a crowded day like today, when a family with a stroller is in the way. Scenery-wise it's also ranked low in my book. It's mostly a wooded scene without much of anything else; making the ride very monotonous and boring.  The trail has to cross Rt. 743 (Hershey Rd) which has heavy traffic but without any light or sign, making it dangerous to cross.  I do appreciate all the trails created by volunteers, but I also want to provide relative ratings based on my experience.  Regretfully, this is one of the lower ranking trails for me.

Very nice trail, my wife and I rode Thursday morning (31 AUG). We did it out and back 10 miles…read moretotal. Was in town to ride some of the other rail trails as well. While nicely maintained and great environment overall, this trail is not absolutely perfect for bikes. The crown is rather high (smart for water management), so you have to stick to the lanes or disaster would await. There is a mixture of surface, small loose gravel, and some crushed limestone. But with a gravel bike, we were on our Cannondale Topstone's or a hybrid with wider tires (28mm +) it's just fine. There is very slight grade in either direction. It is indeed beautiful. Beware there is a crossing for a Mill road, very steep on both sides, blind curves for cars. Do honor the caution and walk across. Also there are a lot of older & middle aged walkers especially lady dog walkers. Honor the speed limits for you own safety, and don't ride like a jerk and give us all a bad name. We got some tolerant smiles, but we were the only cyclists (did see one woman the day before when we walked a couple miles to check it out.

I am a frequent bike-rider on this wonderful and wild trail. An extremely diverse trail that goes…read moreon for around 20 miles! Pines, hardwoods, mushrooms, river views, mosses, stones, animals galore! Terrific for a fair weather picnic or just a stroll. I have gone here in all seasons! It's just lovely when the snow starts falling too!

Nice and quiet short trail along the water with access to the water at the end, if you wish to…read moreutilize that. Trail is short (probably not even half a mile one way) but still a nice quick place to get out in nature and go for a walk. Parking is available and trail is easy to find. Pretty quite place.

I spent the afternoon at the beach area. There were a decent number of people but it wasn't too…read morecrowded. There are a bunch of Adirondack chairs and a small bathroom area. Overall it was a great place to spend a hot Sunday.

We were here for the Flat Rock Trail which is listed among the top 10 hikes in Cumberland County,…read moreand is featured on PABucketList.com blog. After a quick stop at the ranger's office for the map and information, we went straight to use the restrooms and at the same time check out the surroundings around Doubling Gap Lake. There is an easy 1 mile nature trail along the lake as well as the moderate 1.2 mile Rattlesnake Trail on the foothill of the Blue Mountains, but we're here for the kill. We're deadset for the 180 degree vista view at the summit of the Flat Rock Trail. We knew it would be strenuous, so we paced ourselves. Trails are easily recognized and sufficiently blazed. There is a fork where you can either take the "Preferred" or the "Challenging" route. We took the latter. More than half of the 2.4 mile trail to the summit are rugged with sizable rocks, so a good pair of hiking boots and poles are highly desirable. It took us about 1 hour and 40 minutes to get to the summit. The view was amazing. There were also more than half a dozen buzzards gliding back and forth near the summit. We spent 30 minutes enjoying the view, snacking, and taking lots of pictures before we headed back down. It actually felt even more punishing on the way down because of the rocks, especially punishing on the toes. We took the "Preferred" trail on the way back which is almost a quarter mile longer. It took about the same amount of time on the return trip. We felt it on the legs the next morning, but it was a rewarding hike.

Beautiful little park! Lots of trees and vegetation and little paths all around. Some benches to…read moresit on. Two main places where you can get in the creek and it is shallow. A little difficult when crowded because the creek entry points are narrow (single file). There is vegetation blocking access to the rest of the creek. There is a parking lot across Harrisburg Street, a 2 minute walk. There is a well marked crosswalk with a blinking yellow light to alert traffic to stop.

Nice little park along the Greenbelt in Harrisburg. A garden for each of the five senses, plenty of…read morebenches and a nice stream as well.