Ecotourism Bridging the Gaps

Lancaster County is becoming a prime destination for those who love the great outdoors. Thanks to rail trails, nature preserves, waterways and the Susquehanna National Heritage Area, ecotourism is impacting the region.

The latest addition to Lancaster County’s growing reputation as a top-notch outdoor destination can be found along the Enola Low Grade Trail, which follows the Susquehanna River from Turkey Hill south to the Safe Harbor area and then travels eastward to Atglen. After more than eight years of planning and construction, the rehabilitated Safe Harbor Trestle Bridge that once carried rail traffic over the intersection of the Conestoga and Susquehanna rivers and connected Manor and Conestoga townships, is now conveying hikers, dog walkers and bicyclists, as they travel along the continuous 30-mile stretch of trail.

Originally constructed in 1905, the steel bridge, which was built to carry rail traffic for the Atglen and Susquehanna Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, was considered a marvel of engineering. Measuring 140-feet high and 1,560-feet long, it was the second-longest bridge of its kind in the state and the third highest in the country. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it last saw service in 1989.

When the upper 5-mile section of the Enola Low Grade Trail opened in 2013, restoring and readapting the bridge became a priority. Thanks to municipal, state and federal funding, as well as private donations, the goal became reality last June, when the $9 million project, which features concrete and glass decking, officially opened to trail traffic. Users marvel at the views the bridge offers, including the rivers, woodland, the Safe Harbor Dam, York County, railroad traffic and the famous petroglyph-covered rocks that dot the Susquehanna.

TRAIL USERS WERE also excited by the announcement that work had been completed on the restoration of the Martic Forge Trestle Bridge, which was also built in 1905 and spans the Pequea Creek. The restored bridge, which is nearly as high as Safe Harbor’s and is 634-feet long, was compromised in 2018, when an arsonist set it ablaze. Funding issues and Covid created setbacks, but the $3 million funding issue was resolved through the acquisition of state grants, enabling work to progress on creating a concrete and galvanized-metal deck for the bridge. It reopened in late October 2022.

For details, visit enolalowgradetrail.com and unchartedlancaster.com.

Photographed October 22, 2022