LeTort Spring Run Nature Trail

The LeTort Spring Run is a limestone spring creek that flows through Carlisle before joining Conodoguinet Creek. A nature trail follows part of its length, passing through lush riparian vegetation in a pleasant contrast to the town around it. The water is exceptionally clear — you can see the bottom in most conditions — and the watercress and aquatic vegetation of a healthy limestone stream are on display.

The trail is easy walking and popular with birders; the dense streamside vegetation attracts warblers and other species during migration. The LeTort is a catch-and-release fly-fishing-only stream for most of its length, and you may well see anglers working the current for wild brown trout during the cooler months.

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A story
The LeTort Spring Run is legendary among fly fishers — it is one of the most carefully studied limestone spring creeks in the United States, and the fishing theories developed here in the mid-20th century by anglers like Vince Marinaro and Charlie Fox transformed how American fly-fishers think about matching insects. The stream's spring-fed clarity and its demanding wild trout made it a natural laboratory.