I read about this teeny tiny natural area (the smallest in the state) in one of my PA hiking books…read more It can be difficult to find as it is surrounded by private land and there is no parking lot nearby. But the box huckleberry colony here is estimated to be around 1300 years old and it's an amazing shrub to learn about and see for yourself. I don't know that I would drive hours to get here. I happened to be nearby on a road trip across Pennsylvania and wanted to take the detour to check it out after doing some research. It's not the easiest place to find but if you end up at the intersection of Huckleberry Road and Arbutus Lane in New Bloomfield, find a place to park along the road nearby. Parking is not readily available and the signs are not always clearly visible from the road (I drove by twice before I stopped and figured this had to be the spot). If you see what looks like a trail leading up the hillside along Huckleberry Road, you may see signs posted. These are the signs leading you to the Box Huckleberry Natural Area. While the box huckleberry is what this space is known for, the entire area is full of other examples of how the natural world works. There are many different wildflowers, plants and trees to be discovered. I saw birds, bees and even butterflies as I walked the nature trail. I found it a great place for reflection and to marvel at what surrounds us everyday. I wish I lived close enough to come back here more frequently to see how the seasons change the landscape. The nature trail is not very long (about a mile give or take). There are markers along the way that point out specific trees or plants. There are no brochures at the site but the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry has a wonderful brochure that can be found online that I would suggest printing beforehand: www.docs.dcnr.pa.gov/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20030861.pdf If there was a designated parking area at the trailhead or a bench or two along the nature trail to sit and enjoy the birds signing and the sun shining down, I'd easily give this place 5 stars.

To understand why I like the North Middleton Township Park so much, let's go back to a time when…read morelife was simpler. It was New Year's Day, 2013, and I was looking for a place to do my unofficial polar bear plunge. I had been doing an unofficial polar bear plunge for years and had yet to find a place that met my every need. Some were too shallow, some were to hard to get out of when your appendages stopped working and some were just too dirty (duck dodo). On a whim, I decided to make my way to North Middleton Park, a park I was extremely familiar with because of the time I staged my bride clan versus groom hands wedding kickball game and picnic there.The North Middleton Township Park was the perfect place for my unofficial plunge. There is a paved launch ramp with easy access to the Condoguinet Creek. This allows me to drive almost all the way down to the water and park (keeping the heat cranked up full blast). I can walk the ramp and gradually get myself accustomed to the water temperature. After submerging my body in the creek, the ramp provides a quick exit for my half frozen arms and legs. The North Middleton Township Park covers about 15-acres. Aside from picnicking, kickball and a boat ramp, the facility also provides people a place where they can fish, play baseball, basketball and volleyball, bird watch and jog. For the younger crowd there is a playground. North Middleton Township Park also has pavilions that are available for rent at a very reasonable price. The park provides plenty of parking (go figure) to accommodate visitors. I've never had trouble finding a place to store my car. If you're looking for a cheap-o wedding dinner, a place to play your favorite sport, a spot to launch your boat from or a watering hole for your "refreshing" New Year's Day swim, I suggest the North Middleton Township Park be on your very, very short list.

Darlington Trail is a linear trail, spanning 6 miles between Millers Gap Road and Tower Road on the…read moresouth side of Blue Mountain, rather secluded. On this outing I started from the Lambs Gap Road trailhead, roughly the midpoint. The parking lot is of decent enough size. The left hand side can accommodate about 6-8 cars and you can find the trail bulletin and the trailhead for the Darlington Trail. The opposite side accommodates about 4-5 cars and has access to the towpath. I hiked the (nature) trail first, following the orange markers. This is one of those trails that has no obvious foot path so hikers have to rely solely on the trail markers to a great degree. I had to find where the next marker is before I know which direction to proceed forward. By and large it's very well marked, but I did reach a point where I simply couldn't find the next marker and I had to make a U turn back toward the trail head. The trail has lots of the shales, roots and fallen trees. A pair of hiking boots is a must and hiking sticks are recommended. I was curious about the towpath on the other side of the parking lot so I hiked it as well after cutting my planned hike short. The towpath is about 2 lane wide and the surface is mostly crushed stones, much easier to walk than the nature path on the other side. The towpath ends soon after passing a large cluster of antenna towers, about .4 miles, and turns into a nature trail. I suspect it eventually merges with the Darlington Trail, but I don't know for sure.

[NOTE: For some reason Yelp decided to change the name from "Vicent DiFilippo Nature Preserve" to…read more"Silver Spring Township" as well as the original address, and has not changed back despite my repeated edit requests. This review is for Vicent DiFilippo Nature Preserve.] This 54 acre nature reserve is situated between a residential development and the Conodoguinet Creek. I found this place when I was looking for boat access points for the creek. The access point, by the way, is right by the parking lot, only good for non-motorized boats. There is a loop trail that starts and ends at the parking lot.  There is a sign for the trail entrance.  If you vear left at any T-intersection, then you can achieve the maximum 1.9 mile walk back to the parking lot.  There are 2 intersections for a shorter cut if you make a right turn.  The trail surface is gravel and it's hard to walk (or even bike), so hiking boots are recommended. The second half of the trail by the creek is more weathered and much of the gravels have turn into crushed stones and you can appreciate how much easier it is for your feet. Half way through at the far end of the loop trail is an eagle nesting area. I've seen many hardcore photographers staking out during my outings. The creek is generally not accessible for a closer look except by the concrete building and the small bridge.  In fact, there are signs everywhere to not go off trail.   There isn't much shade from the trees so avoid during a hot day.  There is one Porta John by the parking lot. Overall, it is a well maintained nature preserve. It's great for a short walk. It's just not my kind of trail due to the gravels and scope/length of trail.

What a great running/walking area. The path really takes you on some really nice scenic areas…read more Plenty of wildlife, farm animals and foliage to see along the way. I run here weekly and just love how nice the paths are kept. Highly recommend coming here for either a leisure walk or a nice little run. In total, I think the path is about 4 miles long which takes you into South Middleton Park and loops back around.

Spring Meadows Park in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania was the venue for a 12 hour ultra marathon…read morerunning event that I took part in 2023 May. It was that moment when upon a rash of excitement that you wanted to visit central Pennsylvania and do a race. And so, I arrived here on a Saturday morning around 7am via Uber with a friend of mine. The park itself had a walking trail that looped around the park and served as the course for the 12 hour ultra marathon running event. To be honest, I felt like the park was quite beautiful and mesmerizing. It was a very large open space that you could do prophetically anything and everything you wanted to At a moments notice, legally, of course. My time here at Spring meadows park in boiling Springs, Pennsylvania was about 13 hours in total. It was nice to get to know the park itself and doing multiple loops helps facilitate with that. The part boasts a large enough parking lot for about 20 or 25 vehicles and also has a small baseball field next to the parking lot. I'm sure the Spring Meadows Park is well maintained by the county that's local to this area. My favorite part about this part is the fact that there was an American flag that was flying that day and it helps keep my mood up-beat while I was doing my miles around the park. For the most part though, it was enjoyable for me to come here. I saw a few random people take their dogs out while I was here in May 2023. It was a nice place to be in Central Pennsylvania. The overall experience here at Spring Meadows Park in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania was quite lovely and scenic. I only know of the gravel track that loops around the main area of the park, bit I'm willing to bet that the park itself extends beyond that and into some wilderness area immediately south, west, and maybe east of the park itself bordering some trees and bushes. I loved the outdoors and having this opportunity to enjoy the park for what it's designed to be and do for the local community of Boiling Springs and possibly the city of Carlisle is immeasurably awesome and great. The main part of the park is basically a park. There is restroom facilities there, although thankfully I didn't have to use it while I was there. The entire loop around the park was just under 1.5 miles in length. There was that nice downhill section in the morning was cool and awesome, shielded by the trees, but as the day wore on, after 11am, that shade evaporated and you'd have a downhill stretch with the sun beating down on you. It was tolerable but totally annoying. There are limited amount of things you can and can't do here, that are legal in nature. If you are in the area, passing thru, and want to make a stop here to relax and enjoy, consider coming here to Spring Meadows Park and enjoy the beautiful serenity. It is a really nice area and grateful to be here on May 27, 2023. I'm sure you would be too. Spring Meadows Park in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania is located along W 1st Street in Boiling Springs. There is a large pavillion #4 with its own parking lot in the middle of the park itself. I wondered if the Uber could have made it there and I didn't have to walk back up to 1st street at the meet up point. Oh well. Like all public parks, there is no admission fee to access it, which is awesome! If you are like me, best bet would be a rental car or even just a car. I ended up here (and departed here) via Uber since my friend couldn't get a rental car with a debit card and had to improvise on the fly. It is what it is. Not sure if there is public transportation here in boiling springs or even in Carlisle / Harrisburg to get here. Might need to Google that and choose the best route to get to boiling springs. Regardless of how you get here, it's all amazing and scenic out here. Wish I took some photos but I was here for a 12 hr running event. If you're in the area, come on by. The trees will thank you. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Support local! A+

Having a great week at Hidden Valley with Troop 73 of Ephrata. Facilities are well kept and…read moreadequate for scouting activities. Program offers lots of merit badge opportunities for the boys, and staff is engaged, accomodating, and entertaining...meal-time songs and entertainment very lively! Food in the dining hall is warm, and geared towards 12 year-old palates, but the salad bar is there to rescue the health-conscious from carbs and nuggets. The camp is situated among the winding Sherman's Creek, and is a picturesque place for a scout camp. Thus far, it has been a good experience, and New Birth of of Freedom Council should be thrilled to have this as one of their camps!

I was here the other day and am not from the area. I golf a very good amount and play at all…read moredifferent kinds of courses. For being as early season as it was and after talking with the owner and finding out the shape that it had been in, this course was a nice find. The fairways and greens were in decent shape (again for being early season). The carts were really great. Even though it was cold (around 38) it was nice and warm around the course because the sun comes into the valley perfectly. My wife and I will be back to the are and I will make a point to come back here again.

Good bones. That's about it. The conditions of the landscaping were horrible. "Fairways" were what…read morethe first cut of rough should be. Greens are shoddy. Tee boxes are full of crab grass as well as the fairways. Fertilizer and proper grass seed would go a long way here. Very disappointing coming from State College to play here. And for $36 (with a cart) it was not worth the money on this public course. It it was $17-$20 for unlimited play... then that would be a fair price. I'll come back only when the conditions have improved.

Fowler's Hollow is a small state park in western Perry county, with a stream running through it…read more Located west of the town of Blain, but before New Germantown, it is in a small valley. There are several picnic pavilions here, and room for RVs, campers, and the like. It's small in size by acreage (less than 50) but is surrounded by the Tuscarora State Forest on the west, south and east. Great place to relax, friends of mine in Harrisburg first introduced me to it, they would go for a whole weekend and just relax, walk, and cookout. Great opportunities for wildlife: we saw deer, snakes, butterflies and all sorts of squirrels and chipmunks there.