TEMPORARY CLOSING – September 18th-November 15th at Letort Spring Garden Preserve parking lot and Melester Barn for ADA trail construction.
The Letort Spring Garden Preserve is a public nature preserve featuring trails through a variety of upland and wetland habitats, as well as the historic Melester Barn and Spring House. A parking area is located at 1110 S. Spring Garden Street, Carlisle, PA 17013. It is also accesible from the Letort Regional Authority (LRA Trail), 2 miles south of the trailhead at LeTort Park in Carlisle and 1 mile from the parking area at Heiser’s Lane in South Middleton Township.
Note: the ADA trail construction is pending. Expected completion is November 15, 2024
Enjoying the natural beauty of the Cumberland Valley is getting more accessible. Central Pennsylvania Conservancy is preparing to break ground on a new parking and ADA-compliant trail at their Letort Spring Garden Preserve in Carlisle.
Thanks to funding from Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Community Conservation Partnership Program, Cumberland County’s Land Partnerships program, and Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau’s Tourism Product Development grant, this access project includes a gravel parking lot, and an ADA-compliant trail to the historic Melester Barn.
Additional support from The Stabler Foundation, PPL Foundation, Partnership for Better Health, and private donors will enhance the access components with ADA-compliant benches, picnic tables, native plant landscaping, and interpretive signage.
Upon completion, the parking lot will provide an accessible route to the popular Letort Regional Authority’s Nature Trail which runs from Letort Park in Carlisle Borough, through the Letort Spring Garden Preserve to Heisers Lane in South Middleton Township.
Central Pennsylvania Conservancy is seeking volunteers to assist with the native plant landscaping along the ADA trail and parking lot. Go to the “Get Involved” tab to register as a volunteer. A public dedication at he Letort Spring Garden Preserve will be held the weekend of April 12th, 2025. Mark your calendars!
ADA Trail & Parking Lot Funders
Native Plant Landscaping, Visitor Amenities, and Interpretive Signage Funders
Observation Platforms at the Letort Spring Garden Preserve – completion in Fall 2024!
We are repurposing former farm infrastructure intop safe observation platforms. This project is made possible through support from a South Mountain Partnership Mini-Grant, the American Water Foundation, and PPL Foundation. The safety railings are up and we will add visitor amenities and educational signage this Fall. We’re grateful for
Volunteers from Pennsylvania American Water showing off their work!
History
The headwaters of the nationally-significant Letort Spring Run, a cradle of fly angling heritage, lies two miles south of Carlisle by way of the Letort Rail Trail. The Letort Spring Garden Preserve and surrounding land contain abundant limestone springs and seeps.
The consistently clean and cold water at this location has driven trade, commerce, and settlement for thousands of years. In the early 1700’s, James Le Tort, the first European settler, was drawn here to ‘Great Beaver Pond.’ Subsequent Scots-Irish settlers revered what they had deemed the ‘Bonny Brook’, the east branch of Letort Spring Run.
Early Carlisle residents came to the meadows surrounding the Letort to picnic, and enterprising locals developed the site as ‘Moore’s Grove’ and ‘Bonny Brook Trout Pond.’ Once the South Mountain Iron Company built a railroad through the site in 1868, it served as the leisure destination for Carlisle.
Beginning in 1892, the spring wetlands were converted to bogs for commerical watercress cultivation. Over 100 years, that process gradually intensified, transformed the landscape, excluded public use, and degrading the terrestrial and aquatic habitats. With the support of the community and partner organizations, Central Pennsylvania Conservancy is restoring natural habitats, returning the site to its former role as a public nature preserve.
Partnerships
Our work would not be complete without the support of our community, stewardship volunteers, and local organizations. Here are some helpful links to connect with our partners:
