P. Joseph Raab Park

Quiet. Rarely anyone here. Wear blaze orange and make sure your dog is wearing blaze orange during any hunting season because this place is surrounded by private farms and I see hunters fairly regularly. Sometimes my dog wears her hipster blaze orange scarf and then we go to a local coffee shop after our walk to sip cappuccinos and debate philosophy. Pee before you leave the house; there are no bathrooms. No water - although the there is a small creek in the back for dogs. Not a ton of parking (7 spaces maybe). There are two main trails that intersect. A little elevation. Nothing crazy but it isn’t flat. Cool bat caves.

A really cool park with interesting history. I would like to go back and explore more of the area. There looks like a lot of ground to cover over multiple visits

Nice trails, and bat caves and a stream. You can't go into the caves, the have a gate, but you can go right up to them and feel the cold air flowing out. Bring a flashlight and you can see all the calcium crystals that have started to form since mining operations stopped. The stream is perfect for my 5 year old to look under rocks in. A hidden York county gem.

It's a pretty cool place to walk on the trails. The caves were cool to see.

Nice little gem and a place to explore old mining operations. Just one picky comment. The lettered markers do not match the posted map.

Ian's and friend went o the York Iron Mines in the this park we had fun exploring

Wonderful quiet place to walk. Very small hard to find entrance with only 3-5 parking spaces...one big SUV and you might not be able to turn around. Bit of a walk, at least 1/4 mile to shady park area but lovely shady trails, lots of old trees and more open areas full of young trees. 78 acres...only walked on 1 trail. Trail is rocky, lots of tree roots, narrow at places. Make sure you wear insect repellant. Not a place for children to run around on their own unless you don't mind poison ivy and bug bites. Supervision needed because was mining area some wooded ravines with rail fencing...good nature walk not a playground area. Only mention kids because family with small children there when last visited...kids on their own on the trail. That was worrisome. No restroom...no dog waste receptacle. Will return as often as possible...hard to find such nature trails just for walking...no bikes.

Great easy walk. Nothing to difficult. Mad a great time my 4 year old and I.

A hidden gem! After entering the park next to farm fields, many of the trails offer shade. The trails sometimes have a rigorous grade, which made the walk a nice workout! The trails are very well kept, and they keep maps stocked at the entrance of the trails. The map offers information about the space, the area was mined for a few decades. There are five or so parking spots, and the entrance is well marked from the road. A great place for a walk... It was beautiful!

Beautiful and well maintained. We let our son (11months) walk on the trail with us. Nice and safe for younger kids

Great trails, fantastic scenery and unique local history make this abandoned mining operation a county jem.

Amazing hiking trail cool place to visit.

Nice, short hikes (not very stroller-friendly). Lots of history. Bat caves (old, gated mines) give you serious relief from the heat, and my kids always appreciate a shallow creek to explore.

This is a very cool little park. Those that say there isn’t much here have not well explored it. How many parks…period, not just of this size…have this diversity and variety of attractions?! As well, it’s typically noted as only having 1.5m of trails, but that doesn’t include trail 3, which is ~.75m. There are wide flat paths, rougher climbing paths with over 200’ elevation changes, great distance views, a trickling creek, unique geological features – some natural and some man made, rocky ravines and ridges, abandoned mines (some open to see inside – I’ve only found 4 of the 5 to date), ruins of a historic home (I loathe trash, but it’s sometimes cool to find ancient evidence of human life – like the old rusted stove), railroad paths, and yes there is even a bat sanctuary! Children and pets do well here, or you can adventure beyond their capability. Here’s are some excerpts from publicly available park information:

P. Joseph Raab County Park was donated INHABITANTS to the County of York in 1993 by Modern Landfill and named in honor of York County Parks’ “founding father,” P. Joseph Raab. The 73 acre park is located in North Codorus Township. The York Iron Co. mines located within P. Joseph Raab County Park are listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
From 1854 to the 1890’s, the 73 acres of land known as the York Iron Co. Mine site, was one of 170 iron ore mines operating in York County. The mines were part of an iron ore boom in the 1800's that produced some of the best iron ore (called "Codorus Ore") in the area. The mine was believed to have stopped operations in the 1890’s. The land was later used for agriculture. Today the mines are closed to the public. Due to the historical value and several hazardous areas, park visitors must stay on designated trails.
The former iron ore mines are home to four species of bats that hibernate in the same environment during the winter. Bat doors were constructed in cooperation with the Pa. Game Commission and Wildlife Conservation Fund to protect them during hibernation.

Initially, you'll drive up and wonder how this is considered a park. After a few minutes of walking, you'll know why. Trails, woods, fields, streams, caves ... It's all there! It doesn't have the amenities like other parks (playground, picnic area) but for a nice hike, walk in the woods, get back to nature session, this is the place.

Explore this park which preserves an important part of York County's Iron ore mining legacy. Trails as relatively easy and mostly well-shaded in diverse woodlands.

Cool little caves and some nice trails

Interesting look at an abandoned Iron Ore mining operation from 150 years ago. Much of the area is wooded, so it's best to visit on a dry, Fall day. Just watch out for leaves on the rocks.

Great escape. GOOGLE MAPS HAS PIN WRONG! Follow brown county park signs. Park take trail down the incline and turn left to bat cave and mine shaft.

My self and a friend went searching for the York Iron mine there and found them we did crawl inside and explored very fun place to hike as well