Chickies Rock is an easily accessible, family-friendly adventure featuring superb scenic views of the Susquehanna River from a 100-foot sheer cliff.
Chickies Rock is a quartzite formation towering approximately 100 feet above the Susquehanna River that offers majestic scenic views. The name “Chickies” comes from the Lenape word “Chiquesalunga”, meaning “place of crayfish”. The main parking area is located at 40.05153, -76.51692. But we decided to extend the adventure by parking at the Clayton B. Shenk trailhead off of Old Chickies Hill Rd. at 40.05297, -76.51571.
The Clayton B. Shenk Trail is short, only about 1.4 miles. The most notable feature is a rock outcropping at the top of the hill. The view from the outcropping is shown above. Although a pleasant spot, the view is limited by the surrounding hills. You can see the main parking area for Chickies Rock in the bottom left of the photo. From the outcropping, we proceeded down the hill and crossed Rt. 441 to the Chickies Rock parking area proper. Note that Rt. 441 is busy with high speed traffic. Be careful crossing.
The trail to the Chickies Rock overlook is an easy 0.5 mile gravel trail. There is a little incline, gaining about 80 feet over the half mile. The trail splits at 40.05175, -76.51917. Turn left at the fork following the old rail grade to go directly to the overlook. Take the trail to the uphill to the right if you want to explore the woods and old trolley lines. If you take the trail to the right, you will find a small network of trails around a central plateau. If you turn right again at 40.05224, -76.51992 at the top of the plateau, you will find a trail that follows old grades paralleling Rt. 441 below. This trail curves around the hill to connect with the Northwest River Trail at the bottom of Chickies Rock. On the way there is an old dump area to explore at 40.05335, -76.52027.
From the 1890’s to the 1930’s trolley lines between Columbia and Marietta traversed Chickies Hill. Chickies Rock was a popular excursion, and you can find evidence of the once bustling trolley lines and park throughout the woods.
Whether you take the more challenging right fork or the easier left fork at the trail split, they reconnect at 40.05244, -76.52330. From here head west toward the river. There are several viewing rocky platforms from which to enjoy the view from different perspectives.
The Susquehanna River flows through a gap in the anticline ridge, curving around the prominent knob on the York side of the river.
You can see the town of Marietta upstream, to the right. Columbia and Wrightsville on visible on opposite sides of the river to the left.
Chickies Rock is a sheer precipice approximately 100 feet above the Susquehanna. The central viewing area preserves the rocky terrain. There are natural steps to walk down to the viewing area, but they are irregular shaped, so watch your footing. There are also numerous signs with warnings to stay behind the railing.
The Chickies Rock Overlook trail is approximately 1 mile out and back if you start at the main Chickies Rock trailhead at 40.05153, -76.51692.
If you start at the Clayton B. Shenk trailhead at 40.05295, -76.51568, across Rt. 441, that slightly increases the round trip by about 0.2 miles.
Note that there are numerous old grades and trolley lines throughout the park, some of which connect with the Northwest River Trail.
We loved the majestic views of the Susquehanna River curving through its course. And exploring the history of the area through the woods was a bonus. Chickies Rock is a great place to visit for families on account of the short, relatively easy walk on broad, well-maintained trails. Be aware that Chickies Rock is extremely popular, so you will likely have company. Although there is a large parking area, on nice weekends days and holidays, it can often be filled to capacity. We parked at the Clayton B. Shenk trailhead to explore the section across Rt. 441, but we do not recommend this if you bring children, as Rt. 441 is a busy main road. Although the trails are easy, you have to walk down some rocks to the main overlook viewing area. Be sure to watch the video above before you go.
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