Best Natural Spring Water Near Carlisle, PA | Complete Guide to the Public Spring Near Pole Steeple in Pine Grove Furnace State Park
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About
Whethere you’re looking for a spot near Carlisle, PA to collect some spring water, or you’re an Appalachian Trail hiker passing through the area in need of a water refill, the natural public roadside access spring near Pole Steeple in Pine Grove Fuirnace State Park is THE place to be. Many are die hards for this water and drink and cook with nothing else. And some come from hours and states away to get it.
It tastes waaay better (in my opinion) than the other nearby spring/well on Centerville Rd (which has somewhat similar test results) and is definitely better than the next closest spring in Mechanicsburg (“Artesian Spring“, which is completely terrible and contaminated and I would never drink that water – yuck).
Location, Directions, and Parking
If you’ve been to the Pole Steeple Trail before, you already know where you’re going. This spring is located just a little ways down Old Railroad Bed Rd past the Pole Steeple Trail Parking Lot (0.3 miles).
It will be on your left with a couple of parking spaces on the spring side of the road on either side of the spring. It’s not an actual official constructed parking lot or area, but it’s where people have worn out an area on the side of the road near the spring. I guess it’s really more of a “pull-off” than a “parking area”.
There is room there for about 4 cars (2-3 if you ask me 🙂 ), so if you pull up and the pull-off is full, you’ll need to go occupy yourself for a little and come back. Luckily, there is plenty to do there :-).
If you prefer the water and a flat easy hike, just continue up Old Raildroad Bed Rd a little (1.1 miles) and you’ll come to a small parking area at the creek with a small walking bridge that takes you over Mountain Creek to the yellow blaze trail.
If you want something a little more difficult and with a great view from rock cliffs at the top, then Pole Steeple Trail might be right for you to kill some time while you wait for others to fill their water containers (which can be a while sometimes if you get there at the wrong time – no way to know prior though).
Safety, Quality, and Testing
Tons of people have been drinking and cooking with this spring water for a long time. People come from hours away and other states and bypass other springs to come to this one. It is highly regarded by those who frequent it, and I’ve never heard of anyone getting sick or having issue because of prolonged consumption.
Having said that, drinking natural spring water is always at your own risk. And unless you test it regularly yourself, there is no way to know the exact quality of the water. There is only one entity (Penn State University) and one test (in 2024) that I could find that tests natural spring water in Pennsylvania and shares the results publicly. If you know of any others, or have tested the water yourself, let me know!
Here are the results of that 2024 test:
Possible issues in red. Even with the minor possible issues, it was one of the cleanest samples that was tested. There were a few that were perfect with zero issues, but not many. And most have waaay more contaminents. You can look for yourself on Penn State’s interactive map…
Date Tested
April 9, 2024
Contaminants with Primary (Health-Based) Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs)
- Total coliform bacteria results were: 8, the MCL is 0 MPN/100 mL
- E. coli results were: None detected, the MCL is 0 MPN/100 mL
- Arsenic results were: <0.003, the MCL is 0.01 mg/L
- Barium results were: 0.02, the MCL is 2 mg/L
- Copper results were: <0.005, the MCL is 1 mg/L
- Lead results were: <0.003, the MCL is 0.01 mg/L (There is no safe level of lead in drinking water.)
- Nitrate results were: <0.2, the MCL is 10 mg/L
Contaminants with Secondary (Aesthetic-Based) Maximum Contaminant Levels (SMCLs)
- Aluminum: <0.013, the SMCL is 0.2 mg/L
- Chloride: 1.05, the SMCL is 250 mg/L
- Iron: <0.05, the SMCL is 0.3 mg/L
- Manganese: <0.005, the SMCL is 0.05 mg/L
- Sulfate: 6.92, the SMCL is 250 mg/L
- Total dissolved solids results were: 19.01, the SMCL is 500 mg/L
- The pH was: 5.82, the SMCL is between 6.5-8.5
Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs)
- All tested CECs were below method detection limits.
Penn State’s 2024 Roadside Spring Water Testing Map and Test Results
Videos
Starting at the Pole Steeple Trail parking lot and driving to the spring. Shows the spring parking area and the spring itself.
More Pictures
