Quittapahilla Creek & Nature Park

Annville, PA - The Quittie Creek Nature Park has become a point of interest in Annville and an attraction for Lebanon County and beyond. Its central walking path meanders beside the spring-fed… see below

THE QUITTIE

Nicknamed the “Quittie,” this 16.8-mile-long waterway rises east of Lebanon City and flows westward through Lebanon and Annville until joining the Swatara Creek northeast of Palmyra. Its central walking path meanders beside the spring-fed Quittapahilla Creek, a restored trout stream. As you walk along the streamside path, at times your only company is the solitary great blue heron who fishes in the stream. Woodland trails take you past the century-old oak and sycamore trees, through blue hyacinths, jack-in–the-pulpits, and white bloodroot flowers in the spring, up a steep serpentine staircase made of railroad ties, and down into the deep quarry with a vernal pond filled with tadpoles. Download a map of the park to print here: FOOA – Quittie Park.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the creek’s status as an “impaired watershed,” it is not suitable for swimming. For more information on efforts to improve the water quality of the creek, visit QuittieCreek.org.

History of the Quittie

History is evident in five existing lime kilns that once produced lime from quarry limestone, the site of a water-powered mill on the Quittapahilla Creek that ground the lime for use in fertilizer and cement, and in the remains of a weir dam on the Quitapahilla that was used to provide deep water for pumping to elevated water tanks north of Annville.

Fishing on the Quittie

Type of fish: well known for holdover Brown Trout
Body of water: Creek
Fishing Conditions: Deep holes and lots of submerged logs give trout a great environment and a challenge for fishermen. The hard work of several groups has brought life back into the “Quitty” to where it now is a great trout stream nestled in the heart of Lebanon County. A 1972 Report stated that the Quittapahilla was an open sewer. Today it is a county treasure.
Additional information: The Quittapahilla Creek runs 17 miles through Lebanon County and directly passes through the Town of Annville PA. It empties into the Swatara Creek near Bindnagles Church along Gravel Hill Road. It is a limestone-fed creek and runs cold through the summer.