Susquehanna River Discovery Tours Aboard Historic Boat

The Susquehanna National Heritage Area is committed to supporting the collective river areas of York and Lancaster counties as a national destination for outdoor fun and cultural discovery. One way they're helping residents and visitors alike explore the mighty Susquehanna River is with River Discovery Tours. These hour-long boat tours began in 2019 as a way to share the river's rich natural and cultural history from the perspective of being on the water. Previously provided on a pontoon boat, the river tours are launching an exciting new vessel for the summer of 2022.

The Susquehanna National Heritage Area has secured a historic 55-foot mahogany electric boat, dubbed The Chief Uncas, for its tours this season. The vessel was built in 1912 for Adolphus Busch, co-founder of the famous American beer company, to use at his summer home on Otsego Lake near Cooperstown, New York, at the headwaters of the Susquehanna River. The fact that this vessel has always cruised the Susquehanna waters was one of the big attractions to bringing it downstream to Lancaster for her next chapter.

The name for the boat comes from a character in James Fenimore Cooper’s novel, “The Last of the Mohicans.” It runs on 16 batteries, weighing approximately 160 pounds each, that power two propellers under the back of the boat. The Chief Uncas has undergone major work to meet U.S. Coast Guard requirements to ensure safe and enjoyable tours on the Susquehanna, and is now undergoing final tests and preparations for her targeted launch in early August.

Once the Chief Uncas gets the green light, tours will be offered Thursday to Sunday through mid-October. Visitors will experience the joy of being on the water and hearing stories of the river's natural, geologic and human history. Along the 15-mile tour route of the Lake Clarke portion of the river, passengers will see landmarks like Safe Harbor Dam, Enola Low Grade Trail and Conejohela Flats. Bald eagle and other wildlife sightings are often highlights, but perhaps what people will find most awesome is the incredible landscape and immense scale of the river as viewed from the historic boat.

Stay tuned to Heritage Area's Facebook page for the latest updates on the Chief Uncas and details on reserving your ticket to ride.