The Turkey Hill Trail loop features cliff top scenic views of the mile-wide Susquehanna River and historic relics on Lancaster County’s finest rail trail.
The Turkey Hill Trail loop in Lancaster County, PA offers scenic cliff-side views of the Susquehanna River at one of its widest points. We parked near the trailhead at 39.96685, -76.45657. The enormous parking lot is a trailhead for the Enola Low Grade Trail, Lancaster County’s finest rail trails. From the lot, the Turkey Hill Trail ascended about 300 feet in a little less than a mile. We enjoyed broken views of the river and York County hills beyond while traversing the generally narrow but maintained trail.
The trail opened to a clearing near the plateau of the hill. Unfortunately, Turkey Hill is crowned by a conspicuous landfill. We followed the along the fence to the observation deck underneath two wind turbines at 39.95811, -76.45817. Although the area is blemished by the landfill, the view of the Susquehanna was excellent. In the distance, we could make out the Columbia-Wrightsville bridge. Beyond, the Susquehanna passes between Hellam Hills on the York side and Chickies Rock on the Lancaster Side. We also enjoyed watching a number of birds, including four bald eagles!
Turkey Hill was significant as a survey station, as attested by the survey National Geodetic Survey monument. A sign explainn Banjamin Henry Latrobe’s pioneering survey of the lower Susquehanna in 1801-1802. There is a second scenic overlook about 600 feet farther down the trail, but it is not better than the view from the observation deck.
From the observation deck, we backtracked to where we entered the clearing at the plateau then continued south on the Turkey Hill Trail. Eventually the trail re-entered the woods, and we were glad to be out of sight of the landfill. The trail dipped then re-ascended at Manns Run, a tributary of the Susquehanna. On the plateau south of Manns Run, we passed through the Chestnut Grove Natural Area where the landscape changed from woods to grassland. The tall grasses on both sides of the broad trail extended several feet overhead during our late autumn visit.
From the Chestnut Grove Natural Area, the trail returned to the cliff edge of the lower Susquehanna gorge. A spur leads to the scenic view from Star Rock at 39.93912, -76.43359. Star Rock is a precipice where you can see all the way to the Safe Harbor dam to the south, and beyond. In the photo below, you can see the Cuffs Run Gorge across the river on the York side.
After enjoying the scenic views, we took the Turkey Hill Trail Spur back northwest (upstream). It traversed the gorge slope at a strategic spot down to the Enola Low Grade Trail at 39.94174, -76.43701. Much of the side of the gorge is sheer cliff with some of the best publicly available cliff climbing routes in southeastern Pennsylvania.
This portion of the Enola Low Grade Trail parallels the Susquehanna part way up the gorge, offering many scenic views of the Lake Clark portion of the river. The photo above is a view across the river at the base of Turkey Hill. The dip in the hills is the Fishing Creek Ravine. The slope to the left is an outstanding hike among jagged rock formations on a narrow land bridge. You can see that on our Cuffs Run adventure.
The rail trail runs on Pennsylvania Railroad’s Enola Low Grade. This line opened in 1906 and is full of history. We found the concrete structure and the caboose on the rail trail between Turkey Hill and the trailhead. While you are here, be sure to read the displays for fascinating history of the railroad and its construction.
Overall, the loop we took was 6.6 miles.
The route we took is given in lime green in the map below.
Parking is at 39.96685, -76.45657
Portions of the trail that run on the side of the gorge can be narrow and there are rocky spots. Overall, though, this was a moderately easy hike. The manageable incline makes this a good trail for casual hikers looking for a little workout and for families. The main attraction are the views from Turkey Hill, Star Rock, and along the Enola Low Grade Trail. The changes in terrain and scenery keep the journey interesting, if you can ignore the landfill. The rich history of the area, including the rail line are an added bonus, and worthy of future exploration.
Be sure to check out our other adventures.
