Philly and Countryside
NEW YORK/PHILADELPHIA METROPOLITAN AREA
OPEN SPACE RESOURCE LIBRARY
PHILADELPHIA AND SURROUNDING COUNTRYSIDE
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BUCKS COUNTY
Bowman's Hill Wildlflower Preserve
Managed by Bowmans Hill Wildlflower Preserve
Acreage: 134
Map: http://www.bhwp.org/cms/files/Preserve_Map_for_Web_2012_ID127341.pdf
Parking:
Driveway up from Rt 32: Lat 40°19'43.24"N Long 74°56'37.66"W
NOTE: There is a small fee to enter this preserve.
Trails:
Almost all of the trails in this preserve are very short and don't really need notation of distance. Hiking at Bowman's Hill is a different kind of experience, where mileage must take a back seat to admiring the work of talented horticulturists and the beauty of native plants.
The trails are not blazed because they are very obvious.
Meadow Path: This trail passes through open managed fields.
Pond Trail: Encircles a pond in the northern part of the preserve.
Penns Woods Trails: In 1944, this was Pennsylvania's first Memorial Reforestation Project. It is fifteen acres and has several paths.
Millrace Trail: This trail follows the mill race which once powered the mill located out on Rt 32. It follows close to the Pidcock Creek and is very scenic.
Parry Trail: Virginia Bluebells bloom along this trail in late April.
Bucks County Trail: More notation needed.
Azalea Trail: More notation needed.
Cabin Trail: This trail reaches a cabin built in the 1930s of American Chestnut logs.
Astor Trail: More notation needed.
Marshmarigold Trail: More notation needed.
Azaleas At the Bridge Trail: Aside from lovely flowers, this trail offers a beautiful view of a splendid stone arch bridge over Pidcock Creek.
Gentian Trail: This trail passes by a small pond.
Fern Trail: Pass through native ferns.
Wayside Trail: More notation needed
Evergreen Trail: Passes amongh needled trees.
Violet Trail: More notation needed.
Audobon Trail: More notation needed.
Medicinal Trail: More notation needed.
Pocono Laurel Trail: More notation needed.
Ecology Trail: This trail is an out and back route along the south edge of Pidcock Creek.
Bowman's Tower: There is no official trail leading to this site, but the road can probably be walked rather easily. The view from the tower is tremendous.
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Delaware Canal State Park
Managed by PA DCNR
See Long Distance Trails; D&L Trail.
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Lake Towhee Park
Managed by Bucks Co Parks and Recreation
Acreage: 549
Map: http://www.buckscounty.org/government/departments/parksandrec/Parks/LakeTowheePark.pdf
AMC Map: http://www.outdoors.org/pdf/upload/highlands-hike3-lake-towhee-county-park.pdf
Parking:
Off Old Bethlehem Road north: Lat 40°28'40.92"N Long 75°16'7.03"W
Off Old Bethlehem Road south: Lat 40°28'34.08"N Long 75°16'0.06"W
Saw Mill Road: Unlocated
Trails:
Lake Towhee Trail: Not marked to standard. This trail leads from the northernmost parking area on the west side of the lake, south along the lake shore. The route is not really evident because most of the area is clear, and it is in many cases not marked at all. At the south side of the lake, it reaches a trail to the camp grounds, and the Wildlife Trail which follows the other side of the lake.
North of the parking area a trail leads from the fields to Apple Road, the access road to the maintenance area. It turns right on the road, then continues past the buildings to the north, and comes to an obscure parking area. The trail can become overgrown and difficult to follow.
Wildlife Trail: non standard markings. This trail stretches from the camp ground connector tail at the southern edge of the lake north along the lake's east shore. It continues to become more obscure as it continues, but the trail does make a perimeter, and connects with an obscure parking area to the north.
Bird Blind Trail: unblazed. This short trail leads from the boat launch area a short distance to a bird blind overlooking the lake.
Campground Trail: This trail leads from the southern end of the lake through woods into the camp grounds off of Roudenbush Road
Other paths: Several other paths connect with the active use recreation areas near the two main parking lots.
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Nockamixon State Park
Managed by DCNR
Acreage: 5,286
Map: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/ucmprd1/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_003570.pdf
Parking:
Haycock Boat Launch: Lat 40°29'16.18"N Long 75°11'33.71"W
End of Tower Road: Lat 40°29'0.25"N Long 75°11'1.40"W
End of Indian Trail Road: Lat 40°28'10.28"N Long 75°11'21.69"W
End of Old Ridge Road: Lat 40°27'56.99"N Long 75°12'47.57"W
Kellers Church Road: Lat 40°27'20.03"N Long 75°13'37.36"W
Stover Mill Road: Lat 40°26'48.01"N Long 75°14'5.40"W
Elephant Road: Lat 40°25'41.45"N Long 75°15'7.80"W
Region 4 Park Office, 3 Mile Run Road: Lat 40°25'37.24"N Long 75°15'25.27"W
Three Mile Run Boat Launch: Lat 40°25'29.88"N Long 75°15'34.70"W
Sterners Mill Area: Lat 40°25'45.79"N Long 75°16'2.25"W
Old Bethlehem Road: Lat 40°25'59.68"N Long 75°15'21.69"W
Camp Trail Road: Lat 40°26'26.51"N Long 75°16'0.94"W
Kahagen Road: Lat 40°26'25.96"N Long 75°15'34.66"W
Deerwood Lane: Lat 40°27'25.58"N Long 75°14'13.91"W
Lot 1: Lat 40°27'41.90"N Long 75°14'5.46"W
Lot 2: Lat 40°27'46.73"N Long 75°14'4.95"W
Lot 3 and 4: Lat 40°27'55.57"N Long 75°14'10.92"W
Lot 5 and 6: Lat 40°27'57.27"N Long 75°14'19.10"W
Lots 7-10: Lat 40°28'4.66"N Long 75°14'9.75"W (11 just past 10)
Lot 12: Lat 40°28'2.75"N Long 75°13'51.64"W
Lot 13: Lat 40°28'17.93"N Long 75°13'35.26"W
Visitor Center: Lat 40°28'9.19"N Long 75°13'30.53"W
Tohickon Boat Launch: Lat 40°28'36.49"N Long 75°12'30.33"W
Trails:
Elephant Trail: This trail connects Stover Mill Road with Elephant Road on the south side of the park. It also provides access to Church Trail on it's east side. This trail has both a northern and southern route, mostly old woods roads that remain a bit back from the water.
Church Trail: 3.1 miles. This trail makes a figure eight loop between Old Ridge Road and Stover Mill Road, crossing Kellers Church Road mid way through. The northern route stays a bit closer to the water's edge than the south route, but doesn't really get that close. It connects Mink Trail on the east and Elephant Trail on the west.
Mink Trail: This trail makes a loop between Indian Trail Road and Old Ridge Road. One route remains closer to the edge of the lake, while the other stays further back.
Dam Trail: 0.7 mile, unblazed. This trail leads down hill from South Park Road to the fence where there are magnificent views of the main dam. It skirts the fence line and then crosses a small tributary before climbing to a parking area at the end of Indian Trail Road.
East Mountain Biking Trails: unblazed. This extensive system of trails is a relatively recent addition to those included on Nockamixon State Park maps. They make their way along the eastern shore of the lake, and are among the most beautiful the park has to offer. Parking is available at the end of Tower Road, or at the Haycock Boat Launch. To reach the northern end of the trails from Haycock, turn from the parking area to Rt 563 and cross the finger of the reservoir on the bridge. Look closely for the trail entering the woods on the right, about 0.35 miles from the parking lot. Trails lead south with access to Tower Road, then continue south to the main dam access road, Foellner Lane. Multiple loops are possible from this road before reaching the gated road over the dam. Do not trespass on the dam, it is off limits. The trails reach as far as South Park Road.
Sentinel Rock Trail: Part of the east area hiking trails, Sentinel Rock is an amazing standing stone on the cliffs above the Nockamixon Creek. From the trail, it and another rock are situated similar to a checker board to one another. The rock looks reminiscent of the standing stones seen in the deserts of the western states, only hidden under the dense canopy of forest.
Frisbee Golf Trail: This course follows a trail on the north side of the lake and runs close to Rt 563.
Fishing Pond Trail: 0.3 mile, unblazed. This short trail near the boat dock area leads around a small fishing pond.
Old Haycock Road: 1.5 miles, unblazed. This old road travels from the Haycock Boat Lauch southwest, to the waterfront, passing the spur trail and Tohickon Lane at about 0.8 mile. It passes through woods, and skirts old fields before reaching the water.
Old Haycock Road Spur: 0.54 mile, unblazed. This former road stretches from Old Haycock Road to the waterfront.
Tohickon Lane: 0.43 mile, unblazed. This abandoned road runs from Rt 563 to Old Haycock Road.
Sterners Mill Trails: 1.5 miles. At the time of scouting, this was the only part of Nockamixon State Park with standard trail blazes. Very nice hiking trails maintained by Appalachian Mountain Club loop through the area and make a connection to the High Bridge Trail to the northeast.
High Bridge Trail: 2.5 miles. This trail connects the Sterner's Mill Area trails with the Quarry Trail. From Sterner's Mill side, it continues under the high bridge that carries Rt 563 over a finger of Lake Nockamixon where the Tohickon Creek flows in. It continues north as the reservoir once again becomes a creek and crosses at the Weisel Hostel, then leads south on the other side of the creek back under the bridge. It is possible to skip this section, as stairs lead up and down to the road bridge above, but it is a lovely section to miss. On the other side of the bridge, the trail passes by a lovely rock that is perfect for a lunch break or just to admire the view.
Quarry Trail: 2.5 miles. This trail passes through a former day camp area and skirts a former quarried site where much of the building material for structures came from in the past. This trail is more difficult, not only because of elevation, but because it is so badly torn apart by horses. We at Metrotrails have no problem with multi-use trails and users, but hikers and mountain bikers should be cautious of the uneven terrain in these sections. The upper section of Quarry Trail, which forms a loop, was much worse than lower when scouted.
Old Mill Trail: 2.5 miles. Like the Quarry Trail, the Old Mill Trail has sections that are badly uneven due to equestrian use. The trail passes mostly through woods, but has some open areas mid way. It can be somewhat difficult to determine location while on the route. The north and south sections of this trail connect a couple of times. Near the eastern end, it is quite beautiful, and passes by the site of a Stover Mill. The trail comes out at a berm that was once an earthen dam serving the mills. The east end of the trail is at the paved bike path, where there is a mill wheel and an interpretive sign.
Day Use Area Bike Path: Several sections of bike paths run through the park. There are often alternative routes, and many of them come right back together. It is 0.56 mile from Stover Mill to the first fork in the trail. The southern fork connects from this point to the boat storage and dock areas, ending at a viewing area in 1.4 miles from the intersection. The fork to the left leads in 0.65 mile to Harrisburg School Road with parking area connections along the way.
East Rock Road Connector: Park land reaches this road, and old maps show a trail looping around in it's vicinity. It is unfortunate that this trail is no longer maintained, because it would have made a perimeter hike around Lake Nockamixon more feasible. Nonetheless, Metrotrails attempted just that, and found that this trail has completely disappeared save for the fact that there is still a small foot bridge crossing a small stream in this section. The trail led to Sterners Mill Hiking Area. Even for those feeling intrepid enough to bushwhack through, it is 2.5 miles from Elephant Trail to the public land off of East Rock Road.
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Ringing Rock Park
Managed by Bucks County
Acreage: ?
Map: None found
Parking:
Ringing Rocks Road, unlocated
Trails:
A short trail leads from the parking area down hill and splits. To the left, it leads to a giant boulder field where rocks of diabase, mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock, can be struck to create a ringing tone. Very few such locations exist. The trail to the right leads a short distance to a scenic waterfall on High Falls Creek, a small Delaware tributary.
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State Game Lands 56
Managed by PA Game Commission
Acreage: ?
Map: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_126465_11363_0_43/maps/056.pdf
Parking:
Nature's Way off Lake Warren Road: Lat 40°32'26.01"N Long 75° 9'7.72"W
Off of Kintner Hill Road for Lake Warren: Lat 40°32'25.29"N Long 75° 9'26.30"W
Marienstein Road: Lat 40°30'57.04"N Long 75° 9'14.42"W
Roaring Rocks Road east: Unlocated
Roaring Rocks Road west: Unlocated
Wildcat Road: Unlocated
Stanley Road: Unlocated
Swamp Creek Road off Geigel Hill Road: Unlocated.
Trails:
While these game lands properties have no formal trails, many of them have woods roads that are quite nice for hiking. Lake Warren in particular is set up much like a community park with well trod trails meandering along it's shores and along the causeway at it's outlet.
Nature's Way: Unblazed. This road access at Lake Warren becomes an abandoned woods road which passes through SGL 56 to the north. The public land ends near Center Hill Road. The road can be reached by turning off of the road and onto the power line right of way.
Other old roads exist between Geigel Hill Road, Roaring Rock Road, and Perry Auger Road, as well as the abandoned north end of Wildcat Road.
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State Game Lands 157
Managed by PA Game Commission
Acreage: ?
Parking:
Saw Mill Road: Lat 40°29'17.20"N Long 75°14'43.90"W
Stony Garden Road: Unlocated
Top Rock Trail: Lat 40°29'32.98"N Long 75°12'24.87"W
Trails:
Top Rock Trail: unblazed. Beginning at the road of the same name, this trail, often sporadically blazed sloppily by climbers and day trippers, leads to Top Rock, a popular "bouldering" location with very interesting rock piles. Top Rock sits like a flat table on top of the giant boulders. The tops of these boulders offer a seasonal view toward Lake Nockamixon.
Haycock Mountain woods road: 2.2 miles, unblazed. From the parking area on Saw Mill Road, a woods road leads to a former shooting range in about a half mile. Then, it continues to the left into a saddle in Haycock Mountain. Haycock Mountain actually has a north and south peak with a good distance between.
At 1.4 miles, a side trail leaves to the right, but disappears. The woods road continues a bit further, meandering until it abruptly ends at a clearing.
Ringing Rocks: Haycock Mountain has two small boulder fields, which reportedly contain "ringing rocks" such as the ones in the nearby county park, but Metrotrails has yet to explore them.
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Stovers Mill Park/Traugers Park/Dark Hollow Road
Managed by Bucks County Parks Department
Acreage: ?
Map: None found
Parking:
Dark Hollow Road: Lat 40°26'13.63"N Long 75° 7'23.63"W
Trails:
There are no formal trails here, but a small trail leads along the edge of the mill race below the Stover Mill. There are lovely views of the Tohickon Creek at the site, as well as at the Traugers Park area on the other side of the Dark Hollow Bridge. Dark Hollow Road to Covered Bridge Road are lovely roads to walk, and lead in 0.7 mile to Cabin Run Covered Bridge.
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Washington's Crossing Historic Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Acreage:
Map: http://www.ushistory.org/washingtoncrossing/visit/index.htm
Parking:
Museum: Lat 40°17'42.45"N Long 74°52'20.44"W
Trails:
Delaware Canal Towpath: See Long Distance Trails
Riverside walking path: This path leads along the shore of the Delaware River and passes reproduction Durham Boats like the ones that carried the Continental Army across the river on Christmas 1776.
There are many other open field areas in the park from which connections can be made to the Delaware Canal towpath.
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