Another Black Friday – another year I chose to  Opt Outside.  It has become a tradition to take my nephew and now that I have ANOTHER nephew I figured he could join the fun!  I wanted something fairly easy as I was going to be carrying my youngest nephew on my back in one of those packs plus walking JoJo who is always frisky this time of year due to the cold weather.  I also wanted to go somewhere I had never seen before.  I had read about the White Cliffs of Conoy awhile ago, but never got a chance to check them out so I decided that would be our destination! My dad, both nephews, JoJo and I headed out to the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail and parked at the trailhead in Bainbridge, PA.

From the Bainbridge trailhead it is about a 1.5 mile hike to the white cliffs on a paved path.  The trail was beautiful with glimpses of the Susquehanna River, old buildings and signs marking notable sights along the way.  We passed lots of other hikers and cyclists out enjoying the beautiful weather.

The cliffs are made up of the waste product from processing dolomite and limestone in a nearby quarry which was dumped many years ago along the edge of the river.  The area used to be off limits, but was tested by the Conoy Township.  When it was discovered that there were no hazardous substances, the area was opened to the public.

As we were reading the signage at the second ruin we came to, I happened to turn around and see a little path leading off the main trail.  “I think this might be it!” I exclaimed.  We headed down the little path and arrived at the White Cliffs of Conoy!

It’s sort of crazy/amazing how a waste area could be so beautiful, but it was.  We had the area all to ourselves and had a blast exploring.  There ended up being another entrance to the cliffs just a tiny bit further down the trail so we checked that out too!  Just an FYI there is a bike rack located at that entrance.  You are not allowed to bring bikes on the cliffs, so it’s nice to know there’s a place to stash your bike while you explore.

This trail was awesome – I can’t believe I never checked it out before today.  I can’t wait to go back with my bike and check out all 14 miles of the trail!  🙂