#13 Spring Valley County Park
Property Manager: York County Parks (717) 840-7440
GPS address: 9777 Crest Road, Glen Rock, PA, 17327
Hours: Dawn until Dusk
Parking: “Crossroads” parking lot on Potosi Road along the creek
Crest Road parking lot by “animal activity area” up on hill
Restrooms: A portable toilet is available at animal activity area.
Safety Reminders: Horseback riders are common at Spring Valley. Use caution when birding quietly to avoid spooking them. Speak up or wave. Hunting permitted. Wear orange in season. Cell phones do not always work in this park. It is easy to get disoriented in this area. Always carry a map. Mountain biking is less common here but permitted.
Best Birding: All seasons, dawn until dusk.
Site Description: Spring Valley County Park is 868 acres that was at one time cleared for agriculture. The park’s main feature is the East Branch of the Codorus Creek. The trails and maintenance roads parallel and cross the creek at certain locations. The Crest Road animal activity area is set atop a hill, and a steep walk down to the creek by trail is required to visit the streamside habitats. Use the “crossroads” parking if you hope to view the creek and birds along the wooded hillsides. An open field with Eastern Bluebirds and a scrubby area for sparrows and towhees is a short hike away from the “animal activity area”. Great Horned Owl can be heard calling on quiet windless nights in this area from fall through early spring.
Breeding warblers on the hillsides include the difficult to find Kentucky Warbler and more common Northern Parula. Blue-winged Warblers and many others are viewed in migration as one walks the maintenance roads by the east branch of the Codorus creek. Green Heron and Wood Ducks are here, yet secretive through the warm months. Spring Valley is a large park and has many areas that are remote. In these woods many interesting woodland birds nest. The maintenance roads by the creek are the most heavily used, and therefore most sightings at the park come from these areas.
Property Manager: York County Parks (717) 840-7440
GPS address: 9777 Crest Road, Glen Rock, PA, 17327
Hours: Dawn until Dusk
Parking: “Crossroads” parking lot on Potosi Road along the creek
Crest Road parking lot by “animal activity area” up on hill
Restrooms: A portable toilet is available at animal activity area.
Safety Reminders: Horseback riders are common at Spring Valley. Use caution when birding quietly to avoid spooking them. Speak up or wave. Hunting permitted. Wear orange in season. Cell phones do not always work in this park. It is easy to get disoriented in this area. Always carry a map. Mountain biking is less common here but permitted.
Best Birding: All seasons, dawn until dusk.
Site Description: Spring Valley County Park is 868 acres that was at one time cleared for agriculture. The park’s main feature is the East Branch of the Codorus Creek. The trails and maintenance roads parallel and cross the creek at certain locations. The Crest Road animal activity area is set atop a hill, and a steep walk down to the creek by trail is required to visit the streamside habitats. Use the “crossroads” parking if you hope to view the creek and birds along the wooded hillsides. An open field with Eastern Bluebirds and a scrubby area for sparrows and towhees is a short hike away from the “animal activity area”. Great Horned Owl can be heard calling on quiet windless nights in this area from fall through early spring.
Breeding warblers on the hillsides include the difficult to find Kentucky Warbler and more common Northern Parula. Blue-winged Warblers and many others are viewed in migration as one walks the maintenance roads by the east branch of the Codorus creek. Green Heron and Wood Ducks are here, yet secretive through the warm months. Spring Valley is a large park and has many areas that are remote. In these woods many interesting woodland birds nest. The maintenance roads by the creek are the most heavily used, and therefore most sightings at the park come from these areas.