Swatara State Park, spanning 3,520 acres across northern Lebanon County and Pine Grove Township in Schuylkill County, is showing off all the beauty of the fall season right now. Here’s what LebTown captured on a recent trip to the park.
All photographs by Will Trostel.
Swatara State Park is open year-round from dawn to dusk. Unveiled to the public in 1987 as part of an unfinished project that included plans for a major dam on the creek, the park contains miles of walking, cycling, and horse trails, alongside bridges crossing the creek and the ruins of seven locks and other waterway features.
One notable feature of the park is the Waterville Bridge, a lenticular truss bridge originally built by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company in Waterville, Lycoming County, in 1890. By 1985, it had become too narrow for modern vehicles to use. Instead of being demolished, it was transported to its new home in Lebanon County.
The park is also notable for intersecting with the Appalachian Trail, the multi-state mountain walking route stretching over 2,000 miles from Maine to Georgia. The trail crosses into the park at the Waterville Bridge, where numerous other trails also branch off, including the Swatara Rail Trail and the Bear Hole Trail, which together connect a loop 11 miles in length.
Read More: Outdoors lovers enjoying activities on Swatara Creek in record numbers
Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Free news isn’t cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, then help us make it sustainable by becoming a champion of local news. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a one-time contribution, or joining as a monthly or annual member. You can cancel anytime.
