Tucquan Glen & Pyfer Nature Preserves

About This Preserve

The parking areas on River Road for Tucquan Glen & Pyfer Nature Preserves are CLOSED indefinitely beginning Sunday, March 22, 2020.

Those found to violate this parking area closure or those illegally parked on River Road will be towed and prosecuted. 

The Conestoga Trail along the river remains open and a strenuous and steep hike into Tucquan Glen is still possible from Clark Nature Preserve (a 6 mile round trip) or Pinnacle Scenic Overlook (a 4 mile round trip).

While the parking areas remain indefinitely closed, we ask our community do the following:

  • Explore our other nature preserves such as Steinman or Trout Run, Clark, Welsh Mountain, Climbers Run, Shenks Ferry, or Kellys Run. (The Conservancy’s full list is at lancasterconservancy.org/preserves/)
  • If a parking area is full at any nature preserve, drive on.
  • Follow posted rules & regulations for your safety and that of our preserves. Do not take unnecessary risks.

Please help keep our nature preserves open. Respect the rules, be careful, and value these protected places.

For updates on restoration work of Tucquan Glenn & Pyfer Nature Preserves, which is currently underway to repair and heal this loved to death preserve, you can read our story from July 2021 “Stewardship at Work: Restoration in the River Hills“.

 

Planning Your Hike

Strenuous. Multiple loops.

If the parking lot is full then seek a hiking experience at another nearby Conservancy preserve. Parking is prohibited anywhere but the parking lot. Parking violations will be prosecuted to the fullest in collaboration between State Police, Martic Township, and the Lancaster Conservancy.

Be prepared with appropriate footwear and attire. Bring water, snacks, and a first aid kit. Do not leave any belongings behind! Tucquan Glen and Pyfer Nature Preserves are easily overwhelmed by crowds. Do not stray from blazed trails! Be on your best ‘Leave No Trace’ behavior. Maintenance and rescue efforts easily exhaust limited resources. These are nature preserves, please treat them as such and remind others to do the same.

Two differently-colored blazed trails provide a loop within the preserve. Both trails are strenuous with short sections of relief across floodplains. A lesser-used trail, blazed white, climbs into groves of large, mature canopy trees and connects with the Conestoga Trail which provides access back into the glen by hiking south. A section of the Conestoga Trail traverses the preserves and captures some of the best highlights of the preserves including waterfalls and rock outcrop vistas and provides seldom used access from Reed Run Nature Preserve (by hiking south) and Pinnacle Overlook Nature Preserve (by hiking north).

Ecology and Management

Tucquan Glen and Pyfer are managed for their passive recreation as being of highest and best use.

This is perhaps the most pristine and scenic of the seven ravines which open into the Susquehanna River in this area. A rhododendron and hemlock canopied trail follows Tucquan Creek from River Road to the Susquehanna River. The initial two-thirds of this glen is beautiful and peaceful; the lower glen is wild and rugged.

Watershed

Tucquan Creek, a state designated wild and scenic river, empties directly into the Susquehanna River.

Hunting Information

Tucquan Glen and Pyfer are open to Archery-Only with areas of No Hunting. Respect property boundaries and safety zones. All Pennsylvania Game Commission Rules and Regulations apply. See ‘Where to Hunt’ for more details.

Report Hunting Violations: PA Game Commission Centralized Dispatch Center at 1-833-PGC-HUNT (1-833-742-4868) or 1-833-PGC-WILD (1-833-742-9453)

Acquisition History

The Conservancy has been piecing together the puzzle that now makes up Tucquan Glen and Pyfer Nature Preserves since 1983. Made possible by donations of land from Rodney Harnish in 2003 and 2005, a partial donation of land by Arlene Saam in 2018, a donation from Michael Flanagan, and various grants from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Natural Lands Preservation Fund of Lancaster County, Tucquan Glen is now preserved as 413 acres.

Amenities

Preserve sign. Kiosk. Trails.

Prevent Tick Borne Illness!

  • Wear repellent
  • Check for ticks after your visit
  • Shower soon after being outdoors
  • Call your doctor if you get a fever or rash

For more information visit cdc.gov/lyme

Spotted Lanternfly Alert!

Lancaster County is a Spotted Lanternfly quarantine area. This highly invasive insect is a serious threat to the health of our forests.

What you can do to help:

  1. Report spotted lanternfly sightings to Penn State Extension or call 1-888-4BADFLY.
  2. Stop the Spread. Look before you leave! Check gear, vehicles, and trailers.
  3. Smash them, bash them, kill them dead.
  4. Scrap and smash egg masses.

Emergency Information

In case of emergency, call 911

Nearest Hospital – 15.3 miles away
Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital

555 N. Duke Street, Lancaster PA 17602

Additional Resources
Rawlinsville Fire Company
717-284-3023

PA State Police
717-299-7650

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