Well paved, nice for walk or run or picnic and fishing. Dog friendly. Well maintained. Lots of…read moreshades and don't need to worry to loft from the track

Beautiful clean and well maintained large park. Great family environment. Picnic tables with Grills…read moreare scatter throughout the park. Designated fishing areas. Boat rental available, prices are honestly steep. Prepare to pay close to $100 for 3 hours depending what you chose to rent. There is NO swimming area. Paragliding is allowed with proper registration. Dog friendly park. With trash receptacles and even doggy bag dispensers which I saw at the far end of the Dam Dam is walkable and a nice place to cool off and feel the breeze coming over the lakes surface.

This is one of my new favorite hiking spots. Private parking spot (small) but your car is safe away…read morefrom the road. They have four trails, blue, yellow, white and orange (which is the Conestoga Trail). We hiked the yellow and blue. Each is on either side of the creek. The trails follow the creek out to the Susquehanna. When you are nonspot hiking takes between 1-2 hours to finish the whole thing. It is so beautiful here. The path directly follows the river and it varies in difficulty from flat ground to stepping over rocks to boulder climbing. It is fantastic! You can cross various fallen trees to get to the other side of the creek (it is safe the trees are stable and huge). So peaceful and quiet, until you hear the many waterfalls and rapids! Definitely going back to cheek out more trails. Only downside is limited parking. Went on a cloudy day.

This is an amazing place! So very peaceful the trail is challenging enough not like you are…read moreshuffling down a mountain. Beautiful birds and the sound of rushing water early in the morning was awesome! I cant say enough about this place only downside is lack of parking but it's worth getting up bright and early to catch a spot I will definitely be back

While scrolling social media, I saw someone casually mention Sweet Arrow Lake as a place to find a…read morewaterfall in Central PA. A waterfall? Within 45 minutes of my house? Excuse me?! That was all I needed. Immediately added to the Sunday adventure list. I planned my visit for a mid-March Sunday, right after a hearty pre-St. Patrick's Day brunch (and cocktail), because if I was going to go chasing waterfalls, I might as well do it properly fueled and slightly festive. Getting there was super easy with Google Maps, and parking was plentiful all around the lake. Since it was my first visit, I parked near the clubhouse and set out to explore. Bathrooms were locked for the season, but there were portajohns available...which I respectfully chose to ignore and simply hoped for the best. It was about 50°, cloudy, and windy, but that didn't stop people from being out and about. There were families, walkers, and a surprisingly intense group of disc golfers launching discs through the air like they had something to prove. I heard multiple rounds of "HEAD'S UP!" and just accepted that at any moment I could become part of the game. Even with the number of people there, it never felt crowded. The park is big enough that you can easily find your own little peaceful corner and pretend you're out in nature alone...minus the occasional flying disc. This is definitely more of a walk than a hike, which honestly matched my post-brunch energy level perfectly. The paths are a mix of paved trails and well-worn walking routes, with plenty of options to wander depending on how far you feel like going. The lake itself was gorgeous in that moody, dramatic way that makes you feel like you're in a very calm, slightly emotional movie scene. There was someone fishing from a kayak, a few people along the shoreline, and just enough quiet to make it feel relaxing despite the wind. I came for the waterfall, though. And I heard it before I saw it. "I can hear water!" I announced (again, to no one in particular) as I followed the Waterfall Trail like I was on some sort of mission. And when I finally got there...totally worth it. The waterfall was beautiful. It might be partially man-made, but honestly, I do not care. It's water. It's falling. It's peaceful. It's a win! As I walked around, I kept thinking how perfect this place would be for a picnic once the weather warms up. There are so many great spots to throw down a blanket, snack, and pretend you're the kind of person who has their life together enough to plan outdoor picnics. Sweet Arrow Lake is easy to get to, easy to park, easy to walk, and very family-friendly. There's nothing wildly over-the-top here beyond the waterfall, but that's kind of the point. It's a solid, peaceful place to get outside, get some steps in, and enjoy a view that you don't come across every day in Central PA. And honestly? For a spontaneous "there's a waterfall 45 minutes away" adventure...I'd say that's a pretty great return on investment!

A wonderful place to go walking hiking trails are for beginners the small damn was cool must come…read moreearly parking are limited so get your parking spot early boat rental fun for the little one

Went to Swatara State Park today for the first time and was really impressed!…read more We went looking for the Aygriggs waterfall but went in with no planning so initially had a hard time finding where to park. (I wonder if the other reviewers with lower ratings for the park also struggled to find where exactly to go, because once you actually find it, it's actually so gorgeous). The place Apple Maps led us to had no parking and was just the park entrance with a bunch of roadway (there is no visitor center). We then incorrectly turned into the parking lot for the Trout Run trail at one point-- which has the rugged trout run path and Appalachian path (hard hikes, no waterfall) but did have two outhouse style bathrooms. On our third or fourth try (we tried mapping it to the cabin unsuccessfully) we finally found the scenic trail. If you're like us, and want to see a scenic hike, I would highly recommend the Bordner's Cabin Trail -- it's about 3.1 miles (1.5h walk) roundtrip-- it has an easy gravel path to the gorgeous and elusive Aygriggs waterfall! To get there, I would recommend getting the AllTrails app which is helpful to tell you where to park exactly. If you want to get to Bordner's cabin parking lot you need to route your Apple or Google Maps to coordinates: 40.50403° N, 76.51133° W. From there you can find the trail head and walk to the waterfall. It took us about 30-45 min to walk there, and another 30-45 min to walk back to our car. The waterfall is gorgeous and the way there you cross over a bridge over Swatara creek. Right next to the waterfall there is Bordner's cabin (hence the trail name) which overlooks the waterfall. It has tables and benches inside so you could even bring a picnic and sit under the cabin roof if you wanted to stay for a bit. We came across many bikers on the path (there even were signs for horses to walk on the left side of the trail) so the terrain wasn't too rugged.

Fantastic trail for families. Nice smooth paved pathway for strollers. So bring the kids, dogs and…read moreanybody else that wants a nice 3 mile walking trail to go on. There is a more strenuous hiking trail for those looking to burn some calories. Lots of wildlife and a great opportunity to find some very rare American chestnut trees!! Both chestnut trees I found have been reported to PA/NJ Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation. Picnic tables located at Bordner Cabin if you wanna bring lunch and hang out. Highly recommend this trail for the entire family.

Quittie Park I have to say is a pretty cool park, even though I didn't get the opportunity to…read moreexplore the whole park. I can't speak for everything, but the place is very scenic with a couple of trails. One of the trails I took followed a stream for most of the journey and had hills to the opposite side of the stream. There are no views to be seen at this part - instead, the surroundings are pretty to look at. Another trail I checked out had a gravel path that lead uphill to an open field that appeared to be a school. Not much of any highlight in this part, but instead turned around seen there wasn't much to be seen. The map is hard to follow, so be sure to take a photo to make sure in you're in the right place. Another visit will indeed take a long time, but it killed time to check it out.

This preserve went far beyond my expectations. The creek was so clear and the bison roaming the…read morepreserve was spectacular. I recommend it and it's all free

This is a review for the nature preserve area (hiking trails and driving route over Jordan Creek) -…read morenot the zoo. We love it here and it's nice to see the Elk and Bison. Great to take the kids here, too.

Came here on Sat 10/25 to hike with a couple gf's and brought my doggo, Linc, since it's a dog…read morefriendly trail. I work out but I wasn't ready for this trail as a first time hiker lol! I wore sneakers but would have greatly benefited from hiking boots for more ankle support after slipping and tripping my way along the dense leaf covered dirt trail that continued to get more rocky on the ascent. Also, you will need to climb some legit large rocks/boulders to reach the Pulpit Rock overlook but the challenge was well worth it for the views! My gf's & I chose the easy way down which was to take the gravel road alongside the observatory that eventually transitions to pavement. Even the decline of this road was steep in itself. No easy way up or down haha! I saw people of all ages and fitness levels along my hike and plenty of cute dogs! Bring snacks and water to re-energize during a rest break. My one friend packed some TP and I thought it was a great idea cuz you just never know when you might have to go! Parking lot is a joke with ~20-25 spots but many ppl, including us, parked along Reservoir Rd so make sure to get here early in the morning or expect to walk a couple extra miles just to reach the start of the trail.

Great spot for a day hike, with beautiful views at the two main lookouts - Pulpit Rock and the…read morePinnacle. The hardest part of the hike is getting to Pulpit Rock, as it starts with a fairly steep road to get to the trail, and then some more elevation climb as you get up to the lookout. From there, it's probably another 2.5 miles or so to get to the Pinnacle, but the elevation gain is minimal. Both of these stops provide great views, with lots of raptors flying around if you're lucky! Bring snacks and water, especially on a hot day, and cameras to take pictures!

Grew up in the area and came back to visit family. It's been *years* since I've seen the lights at…read moreRocky Ridge, but the stars aligned and we were able to take our kids this year. I have to say, it's just as magical as I remember. I love that there is a bit of a drive through portion in addition to the lights you walk through. Everything seemed well organized, to include parking. There were several people directing traffic-- it was easy to get in and out. Tickets were to be purchased beforehand online-- adults are $12, age 6 to 14 are $7, and kids under 6 are free. There were different sections of lights where you could stop and take pictures, drink hot chocolate, and see the model trains. The only bummer is there was no Santa to take pictures with, which is something I specifically remember doing as a child. I'm not sure if this is the first year or not though. All in all, if you're in or near the York area and want to check out the lights, do it! It's well worth the money and memories

$15 for my daughter and I and we were done in 15 minutes for the Christmas Magic lights. $1 a…read moreminute is way too high. The website says a 30-60 minutes walking trail, but only if you stop and stare at every light. Now don't get me wrong the lights are beautiful and there are thousands of them to look at but they are bunched together. Little kids will love it

This is a nice well maintained trail partially crushed limestone and some areas are paved along the…read moreway. We rode an out and back (20 miles total) from the trailhead at Colebrook to the City of Lebanon. For the most part the trail winds along roads, and feels "seperated" from housing and traffic. There are a few portions (especially closer to Lebanon) where you encounter more walkers [seniors from the elder communities]. The trail is wide enough in those areas that you can announce and pass safely. The overall profile of this portion of the ride is a bit like a bowl, you climb out of parking area, descend (just 2-3%) level for some miles, then climb out towards city. It is overall an easy ride. We were on our Cannondale Topstone Gravel bikes, but anything with 25mm+ tires would likely be comfortable.

This is quite a nice trail. It connects to the conewago trail in lancaster and its slightly wider…read moreand a little quieter. With fewer intersections and parking lots, there are fewer people in the longer in between sections. It does have mile markers, but sometimes they can be hard to spot as they are wood colored and short. But thats my only real complaint with this trail. Like the conewago trail, there is no real address for this so I used the closest interesction from mile marker 1 which is the end of conewago and beginning of LVR.

We decided swimming would be fun, and we werent wrong. Blue marsh has a lot of stuff to do and a…read moremassive area to do it in. You can hike, bike, ride horses, swim, boat. I did find the water to be fairly clean and clear. We both even got nibbled on by some fish! The swim area does have a beach complete with sand, but we went around the corner to a small inlet at the end of a trail and swam where there were no people. Its a nice day trip. Check it out.

It's becoming increasingly harder to navigate around blue marsh, with the ever-growing numbers of…read morejet skis roaming the lake with abandoned. They have no common courtesy, nor do they have any sense for rules of boating. They seem to roam in packs and have no consideration for other than themselves! The other issue is the location of handicapped parking. The only parking place is designated for handicapped parking are located quite a distance from the docking area, and it makes it hard to get close without being dropped off and then going back to get the car later. There are however, handicap spaces marked for trucks or cars with trailers, which are located very close to the docking area, but none designated for just vehicles with handicapped placards.