Location	Palmyra	Trail Type	Out-and-Back
Distance	6.3 miles	Foot Traffic	Light
Difficulty	Easy	Elevation Gain	449 feet
Recommended for	Beginners, Family Fun

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Mount Gretna has dinosaurs! Well, one dinosaur, at least.

Grown-ups and kids alike will enjoy this unique rock formation, but be warned: because it’s situated near a road, it’s frequently covered in inappropriate graffiti and surrounded by glass debris. There are groups that come through and try to keep the area clean and clear, but if you have kiddos — especially little ones of reading age — you might just want to check it out yourself first. Or be prepared to answer questions about … human anatomy.

The Trail

The path is located in State Games Lands #145, between Pinch Road and Mt. Wilson Road. If you’re starting out from the Clarence Schock Environmental Center parking lot, walk back to the entrance, cross the street, and turn left down Pinch Road. A smaller, dirt parking area is available on the right just passed the State Game Lands welcome sign and will lead you to the trailhead. 

A wide, relatively straight logging path leads into the woods. The trail is easy to navigate and is marked by yellow blazes for the first couple of miles. After that, the blazes sort of disappear, but the trail doesn’t. The path is wide enough for cars, but it’s not paved. Easy walking for the first 2 miles, even for little legs and four legs.

Just passed the 2 mile mark, you’ll start seeing serious signs of logging — a large clearing, lots of downed trees, and unattractive machinery. The activity hasn’t scared off the wildlife completely, though — we saw a few deer and variety of birds the first time we visited, last fall. And this past spring, we found some beautiful deer antler sheds as well as a few full deer carcasses. 

Take the trail on the left, cutting through the clearing and down a gradual hill. This area can get boggy after a lot of rain, but the downed trees provided us with plenty of make-shift “bridges” over the super wet spots.

In about a mile, you’ll come to a large parking area (where more equipment is likely parked) and dirt path that leads to Mt. Wilson Road. Cross the street — carefully and quickly because cars don’t always slow down here — and head left to pick up the trail again. (There’s a large metal gate, making it easy to spot where the trail continues.)  

From here, you’re less than 0.1 miles from Dinosaur Rock, which you’ll be able to spot over the trees as you approach.

The road proximity has its pros and cons — if the weather is bad, or if you are with someone who’s not able to do the full out-and-back, you can always park at Mt. Wilson Road and do the easy walk to the structure. And so can disrespectful visitors who have taken to tagging the structure with inappropriate words and images and leaving all manor of litter in their wake. 

Despite that, it’s still a sight worth checking out at least once.

Directions & Parking

Both the Clarence Schock Environmental Center and Dinosaur Rock are within 4 miles of Mount Gretna. The Environmental Center has free maps and brochures, restrooms, and occasionally host events in a small indoor meeting hall. Parking is free, but be mindful of the park’s “open hours” (dusk to dawn).

Address (plus code) for Dinosaur Rock — 6FHV+J5 Colebrook, South Londonderry Township, PA (40.22868, -76.50588)

• Parking at Clarence Schock Environmental Center (for full trail) — 3283 Pinch Rd, Manheim, PA 17545
• Parking at Mount Wilson Road (for brief walk) — 40.235134, -76.508373

Nearby Attractions & Places to Eat

Even though Mount Gretna and Clarence Schock Memorial Park at Governor Dick are relatively close to home for my family, we typically plan a whole day around our trip. In the summer time, that usually includes a stop at Mount Gretna Lake & Beach , where we rent canoes and kayaks for some fun in the water. They have a reduced price “Twilight Admission” if you stop by after 4:30 pm.

We haven’t explored many eateries, mostly because every chance we get, we stop at Porch & Pantry — it’s my family’s favorite restaurant in the area and easily one of the best breakfast/brunch spots I’ve found in the entire state of Pennsylvania. Fresh-made breads, delicious soups, and a comfortable, homey atmosphere… don’t miss out!

Nearby Trails

• Too many to list here! Check out the official trail map Clarence Schock Memoiral Park at Governor Dick