Join Adam Zurn from Uncharted Lancaster at 8:30 am on Saturday, November 2, 2024, for the adventure of a lifetime on a guided history hike through the Tunnels of Enola.
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
Participants should be prepared for a strenuous yet rewarding experience. This moderate to challenging hike spans roughly 4 miles round trip, taking approximately 3 to 3.5 hours to complete.
Dress for the weather and wear closed-toe shoes. Wet feet and dirty butts are a high possibility as we cross streams and traverse dark culverts, so be sure to bring a flashlight or headlamp. Packing something to drink and a snack is a good idea, too!
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
You are headed to Shenks Ferry Wildflower Preserve. Here are the GPS coordinates: 39.905861, -76.368222. Here’s a Google link with the GPS coordinates: https://goo.gl/maps/Q5s4fsjVT3z2BLn27
Park and check-in at the Shenks Ferry Wildflower Preserve parking lot located at the bottom of Green Hill Road off Shenks Ferry Road off of River Road. As you approach, you will drive through a large tunnel on your way to the bottom of the hill near the Susquehanna River.
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 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, while 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.
Safe Harbor Trestle
Our adventure will take us across the 1,560-foot-long, 150-foot-high Safe Harbor Trestle bridge. It is the third-highest trestle bridge in the U.S. and the second-longest trestle bridge in Pennsylvania. The trestle offers unique vistas of Safe Harbor Dam and the Susquehanna River.
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.”
Learn more on the Uncharted Lancaster website.