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| Elevation: | 194 ft | 59 m |
| GPS: |
39.93461, -76.38523 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
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| Page Views: | 728,298 total · 4,128/month | |
| Shared By: | Justin Johnsen on Nov 17, 2011 · Updates | |
| Admins: | Justin Johnsen, SCPC, SWPACC, EPAC |
Access Issue: Cemetery Wall Seasonal Raptor Closure - IN EFFECT Feb 15-July 31
Details
Peregrine Falcons, a Threatened Species in Pennsylvania, are gradually making a comeback after being completely wiped out in eastern North America by DDT in decades past. There are only 50 nesting pairs of peregrines in the entire state, and only 9 of them nest on cliffs; the remainder nest on man-made structures. Further, only 3 of the nest cliffs are used by climbers, so those are the only sites where portions of the cliff need to be closed, and only for the nesting season, February 15 to July 31. Only the portion of the cliff within 250 yards of the nest needs to be closed; the rest can remain open, and the closed portion can be opened again once the young have fledged. During the nesting season, peregrines are very sensitive to disturbance: human disturbance during this time leads to nest failure or abandonment. Additionally, peregrines fiercely defend their nest sites from intruders, and can be quite dangerous to anyone disturbing them. Cliff nesting is crucially important to the recovery of peregrines; when they nest in unnatural, man-made locations (bridges and buildings), many of the young falcons die by falling into the river and drowning, getting hit by cars, colliding with glass windows or buildings, and other hazards of the urban environment. We ask your cooperation in allowing these magnificent birds, the fastest animals on earth, to nest at this cliff. This is a collaborative effort between climbers, wildlife biologists and conservationists to protect our outdoors and the wildlife we share it with. For more information and updates email: ctsnature@yahoo.com.
Description
--- Seth Derr has a new comprehensive guidebook to both North & South that is available for purchase (all profits to SCPC!) as of April 1, 2019. You can contact Seth HERE for any questions and/or guidebook purchase. The latest content is available as a digital guidebook in the Gunks+ app, with GPS navigation. ---
Safe Harbor, named after a small village near the cliffs, is a collection of crags spanning a 6.5 mile stretch of the Enola Low Grade Rail Trail in Pennsylvania's historic Lancaster County. Though originally established as a runout (R and X) trad crag and then bogged down with access issues for years after its discovery, it is now one of Pennsylvania's best sport climbing destinations. Most of the rock here is less than vertical with a few steeper lines mixed in, like the classic steep arete Wonderama (5.12a) at Safe Harbor South. The walls of Safe Harbor mostly face west-southwest, giving it plenty of daylight and making it very inviting in cool weather.
Ownership of the land that Safe Harbor is on is split between two neighboring townships. The crags north of the dam are owned by Manor Township, while Safe Harbor South is owned by Conestoga Township, and access to both is free and open as of November 2011. Driving out of the crag on a Saturday evening, the Conestoga Wagon Restaurant looked pretty hopping, but as a "family" restaurant I don't think they serve "adult" beverages. Making the ten minute drive to Lancaster or Columbia will open up plenty of options.
There is no camping allowed at the crag. The nearest campground is Pequea Creek right down the road. Unfortunately, they are currently only open from April to October. Tucquan Park a few miles to the south might be open in the cool season.
The Safe Harbor Climbing Facebook group is the best place to network with other SH climbers.
Getting There
The north and south areas have very different approaches. See those pages for driving and hiking directions.
Driving from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, take New Danville Pike south to Conestoga (5 miles from Central Park, Lancaster). Turn right on Main Street (3 1/2 miles). Main Street ends in a T-intersection with River Road.
You'll turn left on River Road to climb the south, or right to climb the north.
Access
Please reach out to SCPC in regards to the relationship between climbers and Manor/Conestoga townships. SCPC has worked hard to keep a positive relationship with them and knows about the most current access/crag conditions. Thank you!
The local climbing organization is South Central Pennsylvania Climbers.
Bat Conservation | How You Can Help
See a Bat on a Route, Give Us a Shout!
Hey climbers, one of our SCPC members is working with Rob Schorr at Colorado State to help him spread the word about his bat research. Here’s a message from him about this important work and how, we as climbers, can help.
"Climbers for Bat Conservation is working with climbers to understand bat ecology and why bats choose certain cracks and flakes. We’re a collaboration between climbers, bat biologists, and land managers to understand where bats roost and where large populations may reside. We are interested in finding bats because of a new disease called white-nose syndrome (whitenosesyndrome.org) which has killed millions of bats in North America. This collaboration has identified bat roosts throughout the U.S., and as far away as Norway and Bulgaria. CBC was developed by biologists who climb and they are advocates for climbing access and bat conservation.
So, if you see bats while climbing, please let us know by emailing us at climbersforbats@colostate.edu, or visiting our website to learn more. climbersforbats.colostate.edu."
Thank You!
Rob Schorr
Zoologist, Colorado Natural Heritage Program (warnercnr.colostate.edu/rschorr/)
Director, Climbers for Bat Conservation
Robert.schorr@colostate.edu
Classic Climbing Routes at Safe Harbor
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