Trout Run Nature Preserve

About This Preserve

Planning Your Hike

Difficult to moderate. Multiple loops. The total trail length is estimated at 2.2 miles.

Ecology and Management

Trout Run is managed for its passive recreation as being of highest and best use.

This beautiful and heavily wooded ravine is well-known to nature-lovers and biologists. Clear water tumbles along a fairly steep gradient forming riffles and pools, with a glade and boggy area near an old railroad tunnel at the north end. Outcrops of schist bedrock protrude from the landscape, making traversing the Preserve by hiking trail that much more strenuous. Hemlocks and towering tulip poplars dominate the riparian buffer while mixed-hardwoods, such as an array of oak and hickories, define the drier hilltops. The deep forest of this Preserve lends itself to an array of habitat types and, thus, diverse flora and fauna.

Watershed

Trout Run flows into Climbers Run before joining the Pequea Creek and ultimately emptying into the Susquehanna River at the village of Pequea.

Hunting Information

Trout Run is open to Mixed-Use Hunting with areas of Archery-Only. 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 first tract in Trout Run Nature Preserve was donated to the Conservancy by the Hauer family in 1976. The remaining lands were acquired from 2000-2016 with funding from the Natural Lands Preservation Fund of Lancaster County and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PA DCNR). Land donated by Talen Energy as part of a nationally recognized landscape protection project known as the PPL Project was used as a match to a 2016 PA DCNR grant to acquire the final tract in Trout Run Nature Preserve. Funds for the PPL Project were provided by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, The Conservation Fund, Lancaster County, York County, PPL, Talen Energy, and Brookfield Renewable.

Amenities

Parking (shared parking with Steinman Run). 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 – 12.3 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