Conoy Canal Trail
The Conoy Canal Trail is the third Lancaster County trail I’ve visited. The main reason I chose this one was because so little info is available about it. The last attempt to find more on the Conoy Township Web site failed when the site did not respond.
The closest access point is in Bainbridge, at the end of Race Street. There is an American Legion Post Park where I parked. Supposedly there are other access points.
Right before the entrance to the park, once you’ve gone over the railroad tracks, is a sign that points to the trail. Almost immediately there is a split in the trail and no indication as to which way to go. The path to the left ends in a chained area, so take the right path. The trail runs along a narrow strip between the railroad tracks and the river, and at times it’s so close to the river you can throw a stone in the Susquehanna. I know, because I tried it and succeeded.
It soon becomes apparent that this trail is “unmanaged” in that it is simply a path, not a stone-covered walking surface, much like the “old” Schuylkill River trail between the river and the new one, or the path that extends from the Schuylkill Canal lock 60 area to the Black Rock Park. About the only signs of maintenance are a few chain-saw cleared trees. In addition, if there has been recent rain it’s easy to step in a puddle or get muddy shoes and pants. And unlike the stone-covered trails it takes a bit of concentration to get around the fallen branches and tree roots waiting to cause a twisted ankle. This is not a relaxing walk; when I was done my legs and back were stiff from repeated tensing of the muscles to avoid twisting an ankle.
Being unmanaged means there are no mile markers, so it’s hard to tell how far of the 3.75 miles you’ve gone. After walking for a while I came to a clearing at what appears to be a cabin and boat launch area. This is private property but the trail appears to wind around the property. At this point my pedometer said I walked 1.1 miles, so I decided to take my wet and muddy feet back. Since the pedometer is calibrated for normal walking, I doubt the number is very accurate. I couldn’t find my GPS, but I’ll try to run it if I go back.
Unlike many other rail or canal related trails, there are no signs of the area’s history, which is something I really look forward to. There are many trails where unidentified remnants of the past are easily visible, such as the buildings found along the Ironton Rail Trail or the two Schuylkill River trails mentioned above.
Unlike some trails (Perkiomen Trail, Lancaster Junction Trail, etc.) the area is relatively quiet, although most of the time there is machine noise from some type of plant across the river in York County. In fact at times I heard talking, as if announcements were being made over speakers at that plant. Several times I heard a train’s horn, but unfortunately nothing ever came by the tracks that parallel the trail. I’d guess there are probably also railroad tracks on the York County side of the river.
I did finally notice something that might be of a historical nature at the start. There is a large black marker of some sort just up from the parking area. When I went by it the first time I didn’t notice anything marked on it, but when I looked closer on the way back, I noticed some letters and numbers along with what appears to be the date “2 1889″. If I get back there, I’ll try to photograph or write down the entire inscription.
While not a good match for the type of walking I like to do, I would like to try the other access areas and do the rest of the trail just to see if there are any remains of the canal days gone by. While I’m not sure, I think the trail runs along the former towpath, since it’s relatively flat. There is also a depressed area between the trail and the tracks, just like at lock 60, which looks like it might have been the actual canal. I’ll try to find out more.
October 16th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
You are correct about the misleading canal trail names. The Conewago Canal was a short canal on the York side of the river. It was made to bypass Conewago Falls. If you look on a map and find the York Haven Dam, that is built on the location of the falls. On the Lancaster side of the river is where the Conewago Creek (Lancaster Co.) empties into the river. (There are Conewago Creeks in both York and Lancaster counties. Both end pretty much across ther river from each other) The Lancaster County trail follows the old Pennsylvania Canal which terminated at Columbia. Some of the trail I believe is on the old tow path
October 16th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Thanks for the comments, Eric…yours is the first non-spam since I started this blogging. I was doing this as more of a personal record and didn’t really expect any readers.
Probably adding to the confusion is the Conewago Recreation Trail which follows the route of the Cornwall-Lebanon Railroad from Elizabethtown into Lebanon County. This name is probably justified since it follows the Conewago Creek. I don’t think I knew there were Conewago Creeks in both counties.