The Mill Creek Trail in York County, PA provides easy access to abundant waterfalls and copious cascades tumbling through the Susquehanna woodlands.
You can find some of the most easily accessible and noteworthy waterfalls along the lower Susquehanna River on the Mill Creek Trail. In this part 2 of our 3-part adventure on the York County side of the Susquehanna near Holtwood, PA we will show you how to get to the waterfalls and set you up with all you need to know before you go.
The Mill Creek Trail is part of the Mason-Dixon Trail and there are multiple starting points from which to choose. You can park at the spacious multi-lot Lock 12 Historic Area located at 39.81249, -76.32896 and trek in about 0.8 miles via the Mason-Dixon Trail or the gravel McCall’s Ferry Rd. (River Rd.). There are also multiple parking pull-offs along McCall’s Ferry Rd. (River Rd.), both before and after Mill Creek. If there is room, you can park right at the trailhead, located at 39.81922, -76.33613. Alternatively, you could come in via the rural E. Telegraph Rd. and park at the Lancaster County Conservancy lot located at 39.81922, -76.33613. Because we wanted to explore Lock 12 and associated ruins, we parked at the Lot 12 Historic Area (39.81249, -76.3289). Above is a teaser view from the bridge over Mill Creek.
Because we explored the ruins along the Mason-Dixon Trail we approached Mill Creek from underneath the River Rd. bridge and discovered this unusual cascade (above), with a tabletop-like schist slab resting on top of top of vertical slabs. Just a few minutes’ walk from the trailhead, we reached the largest waterfall on Mill Creek, shown below. This is the waterfall we saw from the bridge.
There are paths down the bank so you can get close to the waterfall. Be careful of slippery surfaces.
You can walk right up to the tallest drop of Mill Creek Falls. As you can see, the flow is voluminous and muddy from the rain.
The lower Susquehanna River flows through a deep gorge on its journey to the Chesapeake Bay, so it is common for the tributaries in this region to form waterfalls and cascades. Although the waterfalls here are typically not as tall as in other areas, they are often accompanied by numerous cascades over the rocky streambed as they descend the piedmont to the river below.
Mill Creek showcases this effect with cascade after cascade, all of which are visible from the relatively easy trail.
After several soothing cascades sliding over rock slabs amid the rhododendron and ferns, the trail begins to curve where a tributary flows into Mill Creek. At this point, the light blue-blazed Mason Dixon Trail departs from the stream to ascend the ravine. But if you listen, you can hear the sound of rushing water from the tributary. If the foliage is not thick, you may even be able to see the waterfall. Cross the stream at approximately 39.81684, -76.33818 and fallow the path along the tributary to the rocky waterfall shown below.
From here you have a choice: you can stay on this side (south) of Mill Creek and explore the red-blazed trail to the Lancaster County Conservancy Mill Creek Falls Nature Preserve. Or you can cross back over to the north side of Mill Creek and follow the Mason-Dixon Trail. We did both, first following the red trail. The red trail follows an old grade and is relatively easy, although it is uphill. You will get to experience a few more cascades like the one below.
And there is a small waterfall about halfway up the red trail.
At the top of the trail the red trail leads to the Lancaster County Conservancy Mill Creek Nature Preserve parking lot located at 39.81922, -76.33613. The parking area looks new and is in very good condition. This trailhead includes a kiosk with trail map. From here, we chose to investigate the trail that runs along the ridge toward the Susquehanna, hoping for a scenic view. The trail is named the “Universal Access Trail” on the Lancaster County Conservancy Map. The trail very easy being level and with a fine gravel surface. However, it is just a walk through the woods with no scenic view. At the far end of the Universal Access Trail, there is an unmarked yellow-blazed trail at 39.81561, -76.34074 that connects the gravel trail with the red trail at 39.81768, -76.34021. Please note that the yellow trail is more of a path and is steep in spots.
Admittedly, not the best picture, but we encountered a stunningly bright red male scarlet tanager.
We looped back to the red trail via the yellow trail mentioned above and crossed back over to the north side of Mill Creek at 39.81684, -76.33818. In the process we encountered yet another waterfall, shown below. Unfortunately, there is no good way to get close to the waterfall from the trail, since the Mason-Dixon Trail is about 20 feet up the steep ravine at this point. If you don’t mind wet feet, the best way to experience this waterfall is by walking through Mill Creek upstream from the crossing at 39.81684, -76.33818.
After visiting that final somewhat hidden waterfall, we returned to the Mason-Dixon trail and ascended the ravine to the top of a hill. There were a number of rock outcroppings, but none afforded a good view on account of the foliage. The best view, from which you can see the Holtwood Dam and the Norman Wood Bridge, is from the power line cut at 39.82189, -76.34144.
There are multiple parking areas:
Lock 12 Historic Area: 39.81249, -76.32896
Mill Creek trailhead: 39.81922, -76.33613.
Lancaster County Conservancy Mill Creek Falls Nature Preserve: 39.81922, -76.33613.
Multiple pull-offs along McCall’s Ferry Rd. (River Rd.)
In the map below we took the light blue Mason-Dixon Trail from Lock 12 to the red trail Mill Creek Trail. We followed the red trail upstream to the Universal Access Trail shown in brown, then the yellow path back down to the red Mill Creek Trail. From the red Mill Creek Trail, we backtracked slightly and resumed the Mason-Dixon Trail, heading north to Holtwood Dam and part 3 of our adventure at McCalls Ferry.
The Maxon-Dixon Trail along Mill Creek and the Red Trail are both relatively easy, making the waterfalls and cascades highly accessible. In fact, you can see Mill Creek Falls from the bridge on McCall’s Ferry Rd. (River Rd.). This is a great place for families and waterfall lovers who may not be avid hikers. For the hikers, though, the Mason-Dixon Trail more than delivers. And we’ll be exploring more of that on part 3 of our adventure, McCall’s Ferry Nature Preserve.
Join us on parts one and three of our adventure along this historic and beautiful region of the lower Susquehanna:
Be sure to check out our other adventures.
