Colonel Denning State Park — Attraction in Lower Mifflin Township

Traveled (day trip) from Lancaster, PA to see flat rock vista. Google Maps took me to a private drive, based on geo location. Pulled over and discovered the trail head is actually at Colonel Denning State Park. Very nice location. Ample parking. Clean. Nice bathrooms, with shower stalls. Well maintained all around. The trailhead was well marked. Blazes were easy to see/locate. The main way to get to flat rock is via a pretty strenuous hike, the majority of which is shaded (at least in mid Summer). Even if you somehow get up the available logging road (there are many trails to get to flat rock, but the main trailhead is near Colonel Denning's camping area), at the pinnacle, you still have to traverse a small boulder/stone field, with uneven terrain. The flat rock trailhead, a few yards in, starts off with some relatively new retaining wall steps. They're well built, but uneven... some steeper than others. If you have knee issues, this (and many portions of the trail) will likely be a problem. Further on the trail, there are two paths... "preferred route" and "challenging." "Preferred" meanders up the mountain side, moreso than "Challenging." There are still some minor boulders/steps on the "preferred" trail. Challenging, which I took at hike in, is more of a shortcut. At first the path doesn't seem hard. It starts out following a steep, but short, logging/access road (you feel misled, like, yeah this is steep, but it isn't challenging). And then you veer off the access road and go up some steep, but traversable boulder/stone steps. My out of shape self was huffing and puffing the whole way up. It isn't impossible by any stretch of the imagination, but those who are out of shape, and haven't hiked in a year, might struggle like I did. At no point was the trail not easily identifiable and not maintained. All trails converge on a flat area with a picnic table (and, eventually, a lean-to, with fire pit and picnic table). From there you hike further ( another mile in all) to get to flat rock), crossing a well-made plank pathway and then up a steeper portion, to eventually hit the boulder bed. Keep going until you reach flat rock. The hike up is hard if out of shape, but is not nearly as hard (for out of shape people, at least) as the portion of the "Challenging" route was. I saw people with big dogs on the trail, but felt bad for the pooches. Some areas can't be good for their paws. Re: bringing kiddos... I saw one family with an 13 year old, resting at the picnic table near the multi-trail convergence. The kiddo looked to be in decent shape but was struggling and didn't want to go further. But, what ~13 year old, short of using electronics, wants to do things willingly? That to say, you know your kiddos and what they can/can't handle. Some kids (and adults) will struggle with portions (some of which are unavoidable) of this trail.

Was it worth it? Absolutely. The view of the valley was breathtaking (after I caught my breath that is)... I can't even imagine what the view would be like in the Fall when there's less foliage to obstruct the full valley view. There are no guard rails on flat rock. So, use good judgement when on flat rock. But it is definitely worth the day trip and something to add to your hike...

CAMPING: The main loops of this campgrounds are in heavy use by campers. The lower loop looked like a parking lot. In the upper loop I encourage you to stay on the outside of the ring. Sites 20/21 looked good. We were at site 23 and very very close to our neighbors with no ground cover between. If you're in a tent, try to get a spot down the walk in area.

HIKING: We followed the path laid out by +Pan Bartek four years ago. It was a great hike. It was 7 miles from the campground and around the loop. My very fit 10 year old and I tackled it Memorial Day. We picked up the trail head just past the parking area. Cider Path (very steep up) to left on Warner Trail (We never saw a sign for Wildcat Run) to right on Tuscarora Trail (steep as you get close) to Flat rock vista. That's about 5 miles and we only passed one other couple hiking. We headed back to the campground via Flatrock Trail (very steep down) When we got to the vista my daughter said, "It was all worth it" One call out - As you head up Cider Path you'll come to a fenced in area with a pass through on the right side. The path continues IN the fenced area which is to control deer movement. Also...the blazes get a bit spotty at times. If you pass an old log cabin and lots of No Trespassing signs you've missed the turn :-). In the spring there were a few creeks to cross that may be dried up in the summer. Don't expect cell service as you get in...

A great little state park! The camp sites are all far from each other, the fire rings are well maintained, and the bathrooms are the cleanest I’ve ever seen in a state park. The showers have a button that you push and it only stays on for ~30 seconds, which is rather annoying, but not a huge deal.

The trails around the park and surrounding area are gorgeous. The nature trail near the lake is extremely easy and flat. Flat Rock trail is the thing to come for, however. A 2.5 mile hike up a mountain, leading to an overlook with a view of the entire valley. It’s absolutely gorgeous and worth the (difficult) climb.

The amphitheater at Colonel Denning might be the most used amphitheater I’ve ever seen, with kids programs and church programs getting put on during the weekend. There was also a “60s beach party” at the lake one afternoon.

The state park’s lake has fishing areas and a swimming beach. The swimming beach is pretty rough. When it rains, the beach holds onto all of that water and becomes pretty muddy and gross. It was impossible to lay a towel down and lay on the beach anywhere, as your towel would immediately become soaked through. It’s not the end of the world, I certainly didn’t come to the state park for a beach, but if you are planning on that maybe rethink. I wish they would excavate the beach and fill it in with a coarser sand, so this isn’t a problem...