LANCASTER
HIKING CLUB
OUR MISSION
To provide a program of outdoor recreation and to maintain the
Conestoga Trail System.
JOIN THE CLUB
Please click the button below for a membership form to the Lancaster Hiking Club you can print and send us.
SUPPORT THE CLUB
The Club welcomes financial gifts to help cover the cost of tools, paint, and signs for maintaining the Conestoga Trail.
Donations are tax-deductible.
ABOUT OUR HIKES
The Lancaster Hiking Club offers hikes of 5-7 miles on Sundays, most carpools leaving at 1:15 pm.
See our SCHEDULE.
At the same time and place, folks wanting an easier walk or a more challenging hike can come with ideas of where they want to go and see if others will join them. Both groups of hikers meet about 1 p.m. at Buchanan Park on the corner of Race and Buchanan Aves. in Lancaster PA (Google Maps: 401 Race Ave Lancaster PA 17603). You might like to join other hikers to eat out after the hikes.
We also have walks of 4-6 miles in or near town on Thursday evenings at 6:30 p.m., meeting wherever we will walk. Sometimes hikers are ready for supper or dessert out after the walk.
Additionally, the Club offers 12 mile hikes twice per month on Sundays with a meeting time of 8 a.m. at the corner of Buchanan and Race Aves. These hikes often are on parts of the Appalachian Trail. The meeting time may vary due to the driving distance to the hike location.
SPECIAL OUTINGS
During the summer months, we offer Saturday ice cream hikes usually with a start time of 6 p.m. These hikes have a stop at a local ice cream vendor, either at the halfway point of the hike or at the end.
Occasionally we go off for a weekend outing to hike. We'll stay at a campground or cabin or, once in a while, a motel if that's close to the chosen trail. Some of these outings are for members only.
TRAIL CARE
Then, too, we have trail care which requires a bit of hiking. Spring through fall, we go on some Saturday mornings at 8 or 9 a.m., carpooling from whatever place is named. We always seem to need more help keeping up with this 63 mile project…so come on along. Painting blazes along roads or in woods is easy enough for most folks to do, and wrestling chain saws to House Rock or Cold Cave is challenging enough for others.
THE CONESTOGA TRAIL SYSTEM
The Club maintains the Conestoga Trail, open to hikers only. It is over 60 miles long and runs from the north end of the county where it links with The Horseshoe Trail to the southwest where it crosses the Susquehanna River to link with The Mason Dixon Trail. We are always looking for more volunteers to help with maintenance.
JOIN THE LANCASTER HIKING CLUB
Members receive newsletters with a complete schedule of events, including more information about the hikes than appears on the web, plus information about events for members only. Membership is $10.00 per calendar year. Any payment made after October 1, covers dues through the end of the following year. Feel free to add a financial gift for the Conestoga Trail too! CLICK HERE FOR A MEMBERSHIP FORM.
STATE ASSOCIATION FOR HIKING TRAILS
The Keystone Trails Association is a state-wide organization of hiking clubs and people who love hiking, and can help you find hikes, trails, and clubs all over Pennsylvania. They are at www.kta-hike.org
A FILM FROM THE EARLY DAYS
The Lancaster Hiking Club was organized in 1927. Watch a film from the 1930's. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChSX5D1gtM8