Paddling the Conowingo Islands on the Lower Susquehanna

A guest article shared by the National Park Service's Chesapeake Bay office; the writer's advice is paraphrased here.

Lancaster County's Natural Heritage Inventory calls the Conowingo Islands one of Pennsylvania's most unusual and picturesque river landscapes. Paddlers of every level can enjoy this stretch of the Susquehanna River — as long as they come prepared.

A long human history

• The first people here were hunters and gatherers who reached the Susquehanna Valley near the end of the last Ice Age, more than 12,000 years ago.
• The Susquehannocks, fur traders, took control of the area around 1575. By the 1690s, after ten years of war with the Iroquois, they had joined other refugee peoples to form the Conestoga.
• The Conestoga slowly dwindled until a group of frontiersmen killed the last of them in 1763.

The Indian Steps Museum, a little over three miles upstream of Holtwood Dam, tells more of this story. Across the road, the quarter-mile Ulmer-Root-Haines Trail winds through a 26-acre recreation area dedicated in 1961 to a small, unnamed waterfall — little more than a trickle unless it has rained. In spring the trail is lined with violets and trilliums, a plant once valued by American Indians as medicine.

Canal days

Next to the islands, Lock 15 Interpretive Park recalls a time when roads were poor and rivers were often the most practical way to move goods and people. A blue-blazed trail lined with mayapples follows a segment of the Mason-Dixon Trail past locks 12 through 15, where the canal bed, the towpath, two lift locks and some building foundations survive. There are toilets, picnic tables, grills and parking for about 15 vehicles — but a posted sign says boats may not be launched there.

Where to put in

• Just west of the islands: a launch with a paved ramp, a toilet and parking for more than 50 vehicles, but a fee is due before launching any boat, powered or not.
• Cold Cabin Park, 1.5 miles downstream: a paved ramp and a toilet, room for only about nine vehicles, and no fee — at the cost of a longer paddle.

Before you launch

Conditions on this stretch change a great deal, so check the water, the weather, obstructions and your route.

• Water level: the National Weather Service's gauge for the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg. The writer found that a reading of 5.6 feet meant lake-like water over much of the area, while 8 feet meant a very strong current.
• Dam releases: check when water is being released from Holtwood Dam.
• Hulls: boulders lie just under the surface, so avoid boats with a long fixed rudder or fin, and expect scratches from the rocks above and below the water.
• Wind: a northwest or southeast wind blows down the river unobstructed, so plan to avoid a hard headwind on the way back. From the northeast or southwest, the high river banks give some shelter.

Routes for different paddlers

• West of Peavine Island: almost always calm, good for beginners.
• The islands just south of Lower Bear Island: some of the most dramatic views, easy to reach — about a quarter mile from Muddy Creek Access and 1.2 miles from Cold Cabin Park — and suitable for less experienced paddlers when the flow is mild and the wind moderate.

Some islands have private homes on them; do not land unless you are sure the land is public.

Know your limits

Dam releases and turbulent, rocky water can make the Conowingo Islands much rougher than many places in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Choose a route that suits the conditions and your ability, and use good judgement.

Sources

• "Paddling the Beautiful Conowingo Islands", an abridged article by a writer named Saki, shared by the National Park Service's Chesapeake Bay office. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/paddling-the-beautiful-conowingo-islands.htm
• The source's photograph, credited to the writer, is not reproduced.
• Words on this page from people and organisations outside the federal government are paraphrased; rewritten in hubnx's own words.