City: Hanover, PA

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (717) 637-2816

Address: 1066 Blooming Grove Road

Description: The 3,452 acres of Codorus State Park sit 20 miles southeast of Gettysburg in York County, about 3 miles southeast of Hanover. The park’s main claim to fame is Lake Marburg, which totals 1,275 acres and has 26 miles of shoreline. But there’s more than just boating and fishing on the lake to enjoy: You can also mountain bike, hike, camp, hunt, picnic, swim, ride horses, and play disc golf. In winter you can snowmobile, cross-country ski, sled, and ice-skate. Parkland here was bought by the commonwealth between 1965 and 1966 under Project 70, a land-acquisition program that resulted in the purchase of many state parks. The design and construction of the park facilities were funded by Project 500, which raised money to improve the lands purchased by Project 70. The main boat-launching area, off Sinsheim Road, was the first project in Pennsylvania completed for public use under the Project 500 Program. The impoundment of Codorus Creek is the result of a cooperative project between the commonwealth and the P. H. Glatfelter Paper Company, a private company located in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania. The project is the first of its kind in the state, and it’s designed not only to provide a public recreation area but also to satisfy the water supply needs of the company as well as the town of Spring Grove. Lake Marburg has seven boat-launch ramps around the lake, and all but the campground launch are open to the public; the campground launch is for the use of registered campers only. Motorboats up to 20 horsepower are allowed, and they must display a current boat registration. Nonpowered boats must have either a launching or mooring permit from Pennsylvania State Parks (available at most park offices) or a boat registration or launching permit from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Mooring spaces for canoes, sailboats, and boats up to 24 feet long are available for rent if you want to bring your own boat, or you can rent pontoon boats, rowboats, canoes, paddleboats, and motorboats at the marina. The lake is also a warm-water fishery, and popular species are yellow perch, bluegill, northern pike, crappie, largemouth bass, catfish, and muskellunge. Bow fishing is permitted in the lake’s shallow cove areas. Codorus Creek is in the Selective Harvest Program, and East Branch Codorus Creek is an approved trout stream. For visitors who prefer to recreate on ground rather than water, a wide selection of activities is available. Two hiking trails are within the park. Mary Ann Furnace Trail is three interconnected loops totaling 4.5 miles, winding through hardwood forests, pine plantations, and wetlands. The 1.5-mile LaHo Trail follows the lakeshore through hardwoods and wetlands. A 6.5-mile network of bridle trails winds through the west side of the park, and the northern shore is the site of the 195-acre Cross-country Skiing and Snowmobile Area. This northern area also contains 6.5 miles of trails for mountain biking. Hunting, trapping, and the training of hunting dogs take place on about 2,800 acres during established seasons. Hunting is limited to the use of shotguns, muzzleloaders, and bows during the appropriate seasons. Deer, pheasant, rabbit, squirrel, and waterfowl are available, but the hunting of woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Waterfowl hunting is especially popular, and the park’s 25 duck blinds are awarded by lottery each year. The park has a swimming pool that can be enjoyed from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day for an additional fee, and picnic tables are scattered throughout the park. There’s also a 54-hole disc-golf course along Marina Road that is open year-round. Scorecards are at the first hole, which is by the first parking lot on the right side of Marina Road. The park also provides programs on environmental education from May to October, and birders will enjoy the park’s bird-viewing station. Winter activities also abound in this park. Registered snowmobiles are allowed on 6.5 miles of the designated Cross-country Skiing and Snowmobile Area after the end of deer season in late December. Cross-country skiing is also allowed on these trails; skiers should wear fluorescent orange during hunting season. Sledding takes place on a 2.5-acre slope near the Cross-country Skiing and Snowmobile Area, at the west end of Chapel Cove. There’s another sledding area with gentle slopes in the marina area. When Lake Marburg freezes over sufficiently, you can ice-skate on a 25-acre section of the lake in Chapel Cove, and ice fishing and iceboating are permitted on the rest of the lake. (A state park launch permit is required for iceboats.) Codorus State Park has a 190-site campground that’s suitable for tents or RVs up to 50 feet long. Sites are available from the second Friday in April to the third Sunday in October. Hot showers, flush toilets, and a sanitary dump station are available, and many sites have electric hookups. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, you cannot stay longer than 14 consecutive nights. Pets are allowed in some designated campsites. To reach the park from Gettysburg, take Route 116 east through Hanover, turn right onto Route 216 East, and travel 3 miles to the park.

City: Hanover, PA

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (717) 637-2816

Address: 1066 Blooming Grove Road

Description: Most area boaters travel the 20 miles to Codorus State Park to run their boats on Lake Marburg, which covers 1,275 acres and has 26 miles of shoreline. Motorboats up to 20 horsepower and nonpowered boats are both welcome, and there are six public boat-launch ramps around the lake and one ramp at the campground reserved for registered campers. If you don’t have your own boat, there’s a boat rental at the marina run by Appalachian Outdoor School and Adventure Sports (717-632-7484). You can rent pontoon boats, canoes, kayaks, double kayaks, paddleboats, and V-bottom motorboats. The boating season at the lake runs daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day and weekends only during April, May, September, and October. Reservations are recommended, and taxes and gas are extra.

City: Hanover, PA

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (717) 359-4310

Address: 100 Speedway Lane

Description: Friday and Saturday nights during summer in Hanover are for dirt-track racing. At Trail-way Speedway, you can see 358 Super Sprints, Thunder Cars, Street Stocks, 270cc and 600cc Micro Sprints, Scramble Cars, and Figure 8s in action. Drivers compete for points, money, and fame within local racing circles. Friday-night races feature the 358 Super Sprints, Thunder Cars, and Street Stocks, while the Micro Sprints, Scramble Cars, and Figure 8s race on Saturday nights. To reach the track from Gettysburg, take Route 116 (Hanover Road) east about 10 miles, turn right onto Littlestown Road and then left onto Hostetter Road, and follow the arrow signs to the speedway. Admission is $12 on Friday night and $10 on Saturday night. Children younger than age 12 are admitted for free. Admission to the pit area is $20 on either night, and anyone younger than age 18 must have a parent or guardian sign a release to enter the pits. If there’s a special show going on, $2 is added to the general and pit admission prices. On Friday nights, gates open at 5:30 p.m. and race time is 7:30. Saturdays start earlier—gates open at 4:00 p.m. and race time is 6:30.