With all of its vibrant colors, fall is the perfect season for a hike through the woods with some friends. There are many parks and trails throughout Lancaster and the surrounding counties, one of which is Chickies Rock County Park.
Chickies Rock is located beside East Donegal Township and West Hempfield Township, about a 15 minute drive from Elizabethtown College.
Chickies Rock County Park is a little more than 300 acres in its entirety. It boasts four different hiking trails as well as a bike trail and a horse trail. Each trail features its own unique view of the surrounding landscape, including the Susquehanna River.
There are a variety of parking lots scattered around the perimeter of the park, with each corresponding to different segments of the hiking trails, so be sure to choose accordingly. The closest lot to the Chickies Rock Overlook Trail is quite small, so on weekends with nicer weather it may fill up. It’s best to anticipate hiking a bit farther than intended.
The Overlook Trail is a reasonably short hike. It took my friends and I about 20 minutes from our car to the top of the rock, which then loops back around. There are three paths indicated on the map of the trail, and depending on which you choose, you may have to travel up or down a very steep incline. At this time of the year, the loose dry dirt and fallen leaves can make the incline rather slippery, so plan to bring shoes with effective traction and approach the trail with caution.
Aside from the inclines, the remainder of the trail is beautifully peaceful. When there aren’t many other hikers about, it’s very quiet, with only the sounds of some birds and squirrels here and there. There are a wide variety of tree species along the path, each with their own variants of fall colors to create a vibrant canopy overhead.
The trail ends at the top of Chickies Rock, facing out over the Susquehanna River. There’s a safety fence along the edge of the rocks to make sure you can’t get too close to the edge, but even from a few feet away, the scene is absolutely stunning.
The view features a wide expanse of the river, the Wrights Ferry Bridge and some farmland way out in the distance. My friends and I went during the late afternoon, so we were able to watch the sunset from the Overlook. The changing colors of the sky were beautiful, and the contrast of the blue water and dark rock outcroppings made for some excellent photos.
The Overlook is made up of several chunks of quartzite rock that look pretty jagged from afar, but each rock is smooth and provides a surprisingly comfortable place to sit and enjoy the scenery. Not to mention, the rocks themselves have countless colorful layers that only add to the view, though unfortunately a few of them have been spray painted with some graffiti.
If you intend to visit, check out the official Lancaster County website first. It provides a printable map of each of the trails as well as some interesting information about the geology and history of the park in case you’re curious.
