March 26 & 27: Tunnels of Enola Group Hikes

Join Adam Zurn from Uncharted Lancaster at 1 pm on March 26, 2022, or March 27, 2022, for the adventure of a lifetime on a guided history hike through the Tunnels of Enola.

🥾 Click here to register for this March 26 event. 🥾

🥾 Click here to register for this March 27 event. 🥾

This is hands down my favorite Uncharted Lancaster adventure. This epic expedition has you crisscrossing through five different tunnels and culverts as we journey from Shenks Ferry to Safe Harbor and back again.

What to expect

Anyone who participates should be prepared for a strenuous but gratifying experience. This moderate to challenging hike is approximately 4 miles round trip.

Dress for the weather and wear closed-toe shoes. There’s a high possibility of wet feet as we cross streams and traverse through dark culverts (so be sure to bring a flashlight or headlamp). Packing something to drink and a snack isn’t a bad idea either.

Will run rain or shine. Severe weather cancellations will be made on site.

I will have some Uncharted Lancaster swag such as stickers, magnets, lapel pins, and 3″ patches for participants to choose from as a souvenir.

Parking

Park and check-in at the Shenks Ferry parking lot located at the bottom of Green Hill Road (off of Shenks Ferry Road) near the Susquehanna River. Google Maps wants you to park closer to the tunnel. Be sure to drive to the bottom of the hill near the railroad tracks.

Questions

Contact adam@unchartedlancaster.com if you have questions.

Here are some highlights of locations you will visit and things you will learn:

Dark Culverts

Together, we will traverse through five different tunnels and culverts of various sizes and designs. What’s the difference between the two, you ask? A culvert has water flowing through it. A tunnel does not.

Safe Harbor Christmas Train Accident

We will answer the eternal question of what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force when we visit the site of the December 23, 1981, Conrail train accident. On that day, an 82-car freight train collided with a massive boulder just below Safe Harbor dam.

While on location, you can explore some of the wreckage from the horrible accident.

Forgotten Cold Cellar

Our trek will take us past a nearly hidden cold cellar which old-timers called a “working spring house.” Those who are brave enough can venture inside to take some incredible photographs.

Unique View of Safe Harbor Dam and Big Indian Rock

Our adventure will take us to seldom visited locations that offer you unique vistas of Safe Harbor Dam and Big Indian Rock.

Big Indian Rock is home to one of the most significant archaeological sites in the entire northeastern United States. Along with Little Indian Rock, the two islands have 1,000-year-old petroglyphs carved on them. They are accessible only by water and depict animal tracks, human figures, and mystical thunderbirds.

Haunted Tunnel

We will finish our journey by walking through the haunted tunnel of Shenks Ferry that is home to the ghost of a woman known as the “White Angel.”

🥾 Click here to register for this March 26 event. 🥾

🥾 Click here to register for this March 27 event. 🥾

🥾 Click here to register for this March 26 event. 🥾

🥾 Click here to register for this March 27 event. 🥾

Here are some great photos by Pat Dougherty from the January 22, 2022 Tunnels of Enola hike. I promise you it won’t be icy in March when we trek through these architectural gems.

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