Hopewell Furnace National Historic Park - Elverson, PA.

Wake up & smell the charcoal! That's exactly what would have happened back in the late 1700's if you lived in the small coal-production village of Hopewell, PA. What lies there now is known as Hopewell Furnace National Historic Park. It is adjacent to French Creek State Park and makes for both an educational and adventurous day trip.

Hopewell Furnace NHP is rich in history. The furnace first went into production in 1771. Its main product was iron and the ironmaster's name was Mark Bird. The furnace provided much of the iron weaponry used in the American Revolution. Without Hopewell & other furnaces scattered throughout the colonies, the Revolutionary War would have been a hopeless cause! These furnaces literally fueled the birth of our country.

Hopewell, like other furnaces, also made their own charcoal. It was a very time consuming process not only to burn the charcoal, but to cut all the wood needed to create the fuel. The charcoal making process required 6000-7000 cords of wood, or 200 acres of woodland, to keep the furnace in full operation for one year. The owner tried to convert Hopewell over to using anthracite coal; however, this proved to be too costly and was abandoned. The cost of iron production combined with the post-Revolutionary war debt accrued by the government eventually forced Hopewell and many other furnaces to be shut down permanently.

Fast forward to the present day and you are in a very different setting. There is no more iron smelting, and except for a few visitors and period re-enacters, the place is virtually deserted. However, this situation provides a great setting to visit each of the buildings and take in the history. My top 4 building recommendations are the Water Wheel building, the Office & General Store, the Iron Master's Mansion, & the Spring House. One of the tenant houses has replicas of dishes, butter churns, books, card decks, and dominos that you can pick up and examine more closely. Upon arriving in the General Store we spoke with a park volunteer dressed in period clothing that told us more about the park's history than the audio recordings or information placards could have possibly given to us! She also informed us that just three times a year they have the charcoal pit going, and what luck, we just happened to be there for it.

The park is open from 9am-5pm Wednesday-Sunday from Memorial Day through late October. In the off season the buildings are open on weekends, weather permitting. There is no admission to the park. There are many events both historical and not hosted by the park throughout the year, and there is an apple orchard open to the public in the fall months. Most of the buildings in the park can be seen in under 1 hour; however, if you take the time to really examine everything, you should allot yourself at least 2 hours.

Other nearby attractions include: French Creek State Park, St. Peter's Village, and the Horseshoe Trail.

For more information:
* Hopewell Furnace National Historic Park.
* Friends of Hopwell Furnace NHS.
* French Creek State Park.

The view of Hopewell Furnace village from the French Creek State Park east entrance.

 

The water wheel, in operation.

The Ironmaster's Mansion.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary - Kempton, PA.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is the world's first refuge for raptors and other birds of prey. This is an important step in the world of conservation. The sanctuary offers a variety of activities for any bird-watching or outdoor enthusiast.

HMS is located just outside of Kempton, along the border of Berks & Schuylkill counties & only 5 miles from Lehigh county. To give you an idea of where it is, the 2 closest large towns are Hamburg & Pottsville. It is located about 10 minutes from the Cabela's off of I-78.

Trail admission is only $5 ($7 on weekends in the fall -- discounts are available for seniors & children). The money goes towards maintenance & conservation programs. To access the trails, just go to the visitor's center to pay your trail fee & receive your ticket before proceeding to the trails. The visitor's center is very informative and has souvenirs throughout. The sanctuary also provides free trail maps which can be put in a drop box to be reused on your way out. Below is also a .pdf version of the map from HMS's website.

There are 3 main trails in HMS. There is the North Lookout trail which is the most popular. It has roughly 10 lookouts, depending on whether or not you take the Express, Escarpment, or Regular trails. The first lookout, South Lookout, is handicap accessible and provides a view east and south of the mountain ridge. The view overlooks farmland in Berks county and the rest of Blue Mountain in the Kittatinny Ridge. You can also see the River of Rocks to the southeast. Many lookouts along the trail provide a different angle of the same view. At the top of the mountain you can hangout on North Lookout, which is where many people watch for raptors. To the northwest you can see windmills, to the north you can see the ridge continue forward, & to the southeast you can see the rolling farmlands of Berks county. The climb has about a 200-250 ft gain over 1 mile, but the view at the top is worth it.

From the North Lookout you can take the Skyline Trail, which connects to the Appalachian Trail but involves climbing over & around boulders. The Skyline Trail also connects to the Golden Eagle Trails which lead to the River of Rocks Trail. You can also access the River of Rocks Trail from the North Lookout Trail.

HMS also allows people to buy a yearly membership, which gets members free admission to the hiking trails & helps to fund research and the protection of raptors. HMS welcomes all people to volunteer their time. Without volunteers, HMS would not be accessible to the public.

Even though the fall colors have already passed, the views are still amazing & worth being checked out. Maybe if you're lucky you'll see part of the hawk migration.

For more information:
* Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
* Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Hiking Trails Map [note: .pdf file]
* Appalachian Trail Conservancy




The view from South Lookout, 1280 ft.

The view from North Lookout, 1490 ft.

Susquehannock State Park - Drumore, PA.

Nestled along the Susquehanna River in western Lancaster County is a small park with enormous beauty by the name of Susquehannock State Park. This small park is loaded with wildlife observation & geological opportunities. From bird watching to wild flower identification to hiking to picnicking, this park has something for everyone.

I will begin with a little bit of park history which can be found more extensively on the DCNR page listed below. As the name implies, the park was named after the Susquehannock Indians meaning "people at the falls" (they were also called Conestogas). They controlled the trade routes along the Sasquesahanough, or Susquehanna, River but were eventually driven out of existence by English settlers. The history between the settlers and the Indians is a brutal one. In 1850 the property was under the ownership of James Buchanan Long who built the Landis House (note: this building is UNSAFE and CLOSED to ALL visitors). This house was a stop on the Underground Railroad. The Landis House currently resides next to the park office.

If you are into birdwatching, this is an excellent park for you! You can see Mount Johnson Island Bald Eagle Sanctuary from the Hawk Point Overlook. It was the first eagle sanctuary in the world. Because of this close proximity, it is not uncommon to see bald eagles soaring through the air along the river. Other birds of prey that can be seen are turkey vultures and osprey. Song birds can also be seen in the park, but most birdwatchers come to see the birds of prey.

If you are into geology, you will find all sorts of minerals at the park, the most notable being olivine. Olivine is green in color so these rocks will stick out like a sore thumb on the paths, especially after it rains. I personally have picked up several olivine rocks because they are so interesting. If you are interested in geology, you will also like studying the mountains around & along the Susquehanna River. The park is approximately 250-300 feet above the river. That alone should be enough to tell you there are amazing views...

If you are into hiking for amazing views of nature, you're in for a double whammy. This park has two overlooks: Hawk Point & Wisslers Run. Hawk Point provides an excellent view south and west of the park. To the southwest you can see Peach Bottom Power Plant. To the south is Mount Johnson Island Bald Eagle Sanctuary & the Pennsylvania-Maryland border, also known as the Mason-Dixon Line. To the west you can see several islands housing cabins & York County, a mile across the river. To the northwest you can see more islands & the Holtwood Dam on a clear day. Follow the Overlook Trail to Wisslers Run and you will have excellent views to the west & north of the park. West provides the same views as Hawk Point but from a different perspective. North provides you with a closer look at the Holtwood Dam and the Muddy Run Storage Plant and railroad tracks.

If you are into hiking for the sake of hiking, there are several trails in the park:
- Overlook Trail (easy) 0.55 miles - connects the overlooks
- Rhododendron Trail (hard) 1.2 miles - goes down into the Wisslers Run valley
- Pine Tree Trail (hard) - goes down into the Wisslers Run valley
- Five Points Trail (moderate) 0.7 miles
- Holly Trail (easy) 0.5 miles
- Fire Trail (easy) - short logging road
- Spring Trail (easy) 0.4 miles - has pawpaw trees
- Nature Trail (easy) 0.3 miles
- Phites Eddy Trail - leads out of the park
- Landis Trail (easy) 0.6 miles - connects the Overlook trail & Landis House.

Susquehannock State Park has pavilions which can be rented for the day by calling the office or used by day users for picnicking. The park is open to horses. There is no individual camping allowed at the park (pre-approved groups only). Park information & maps can usually be found in the kiosk board by the parking lot. There are currently 2 geocaches in this park.

With fall foliage just around the corner schedule a visit to this park ASAP! Although it is beautiful in all seasons...


For more information:
* Susquehannock State Park - Drumore, PA. [DCNR official webpage]
* Drumore Township, Lancaster County, PA.
* Mount Johnson Island, Bald Eagle Sanctuary, PA. [note: .pdf file from PA Audubon Society]


View of the Susquehanna River from Hawk Point Overlook in summer.


View of the Susquehanna River from Hawk Point Overlook in winter.

Green Lane Park, PA.

Green Lane Park is an area surrounding the Green Lane Reservoir in northern Montgomery County. It is a local jewel, known mostly to only the residents in the surrounding area. There are several activities to chose from within the park including: boating, bicycling, camping, fishing, geocaching, hiking, & horseback riding.

There are many miles of trails throughout the park which are shared by hikers, bikers, & horses alike. So hikers, watch out for horse poo while walking. The park also contains the northern end of the Perkiomen Trail. The Perkiomen Trail starts in Green Lane & continues 20 miles to Valley Forge National Historical Park. Currently there are 9 geocaches hidden throughout the park (at the time of publication) to find while hiking the numerous trails.

Fishing can be done at Deep Creek Lake or Knight Lake. There are fishing piers (a designated couple of spots on the bridge) at the northern part of the lake or you can fish from the shore at either of the two day use areas.

There are 2 campgrounds, one is equestrian equipped.

There is also a Nature Center in addition to the 2 day use areas in the park. Occasionally the Nature Center gives family friendly guided tours and is a popular place for school & scout field trips.

At Green Lane Park this past weekend was the annual Scottish-Irish Festival. It is $5 per car for parking. They have demonstrations such as Highland Games, Sheep Dog Demonstrations, Dance Group performance, as well as the usual children's activities found at most festivals.


For more information on the places mentioned in this post:
* Green Lane Park (Montgomery County Parks)
* Annual Scottish-Irish Festival
* Perkiomen Trail
* Valley Forge National Historical Park


The reservoir at Green Lane Park as the area is approaching drought conditions.

Pine Grove Furnace State Park - Gardners, PA.

Nestled in Cumberland County is Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Like all state parks it has trails, trees, and lakes. But it also has some more unique features to it as well. We started off our day by eating lunch next to Fuller Lake. The water was kind of on the green side but it is late in summer so that is to be expected. There is also an area roped off for swimming, which is nice, considering you can't swim in the lakes at many state parks! There was also a nice (read as "new") facilities building with bathrooms & changing rooms.

After our lunch we set out to climb Pole Steeple Trail. It leads about half a mile up a 400 ft incline to... well, Pole Steeple. Pole Steeple is a set of rocks (for the geologists, it is made of dolomite, rhyolite, & quartzite) which offers incredible views of the surrounding Michaux State Forest. There are 2 overlook areas adjacent to each other that each offer their own unique view. Beware that if you set out to try this hike, the trail is relatively difficult. It is also very rocky & steep so strollers are not feasible. Also, for those of you who geocache, Pole Steeple is an Earthcache! [EDIT: 3/31/12: This earthcache has been archived, but you should still visit anyways. Life is about the journey!] ... Why is it called Pole Steeple? Well, I had to do some research to find out! After reading Falcon Guide's Hiking Pennsylvania, I now know why it is called Pole Steeple! Way back, Boy Scouts hiked up to the steeple (definition: a pile of rocks) to mount a flag pole on the cliffs. The flag is long gone but the name stuck & the view is still great!

After climbing we went down to check out Laurel Lake which also has a swim area sectioned off for day use. Both Fuller & Laurel Lakes were used in earlier times as iron ore quarry which have now filled up with spring (cold) fed water. It's a welcome site on a hot day.

Other local attractions include the Appalachian Trail. The park actually marks the midpoint of the AT for those attempting to thru-hike it. Rumor has it that it is tradition for thru-hikers to eat an entire half-gallon of ice cream when they reach the halfway mark. The AT can be accessed from several places throughout the park. Maps can be found at the park information center. There is also an A.Y.H. Hostel in the park which is mainly used by AT hikers.

Another local attraction is the Appalachian Trail Museum. It is the only one of its kind! It opened June 5, 2010 and is seeking to preserve the AT Heritage. They are looking for item donations from people who have hiked the trail & laypeople who just want to help out. They are closed Nov. 1 to Mar. 31 so now is the time to go if you don't want to wait until Spring! The museum is located near the AT midpoint.

So if you ever find yourself in Cumberland County, PA needing a peaceful retreat (although most of the county is pretty peaceful to begin with) head on over to Pine Grove Furnace State Park for a picnic, a swim, a hike, or a history lesson.


For more information on the places mentioned in this post:
* Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Gardners, PA.
* Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
* Appalachian Trail Museum.
* Appalachian Trail Conservancy.



The view of Laurel Lake from Pole Steeple (~400 ft higher).