|
French Creek State Park, which sprawls across 7,339 acres, is one of the premier destinations for hikers in southeastern Pennsylvania. Approximately 40 miles on eight featured hikes visit every corner of the heavily park which is blanketed with large oak, poplar, hickory, maple and beech trees.
A wilderness fort once stood on the small stream flowing through these woods which was garrisoned by the French during the French and Indian War and thus "French Creek." The hillsides here were dotted with charcoal hearths throughout the 1800s, fueling the nascent American iron industry. So many trees were harvested for charcoal that today's heavily forested hills at French Creek were once barren.
French Creek State Park was originally developed by the federal government during the Depression as a National Park Service Demonstration Area. Civilian Conservation Corps members, organized by President Franklin Roosevelt, built dams, roads and other recreational trappings. In 1946, the area was transferred to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The marquis hike on these well-maintained trails is the blue-blazed Boone Trail. This six-mile loop touches on all the major attractions at French Creek State Park. The trail starts at Hopewell Lake, the larger of the two lakes at French Creek. Scotts Run lake, a 21-acre cold water lake, is the other. The Boone Trail also offers an introduction to the steep and rocky stretches of French Creek State Park.
Another rugged six-mile hike is the back-country Mill Creek Trail. The Mill Creek Trail scarcely touches on civilization at all and offers four hours of solitude in French Creek's east end. Other trails in this section of the park include Raccoon Trail and Lenape Trail. The western section of French Creek State Park is covered by the Turtle Trail, a hike of almost four miles.
A special hiking trail at French Creek is the permanent orienteering course. This self-guided course can be used by beginners at the sport of orienteering, the art of using a map and compass to locate markers placed in the park. While skilled practitioners of the sport navigate while at a full run, the orienteering course can be conquered while walking as well. French Creek State Park is often considered the "Orienteering Capital of North America" as it was one of the first places the Scandinavian sport was introduced in this country.
Another special hiking trail at French Creek State Park is an eight-mile segment of the Horse-Shoe Trail. The pathway, which stretches for 133 miles from Valley Forge to Hershey, has been in use since the mid- 1700s, beginning as a trail linking the numerous iron ore forges and furnaces along its route. Established in 1935, the Horse-Shoe Trail ("Horse" for riders, "Shoe" for hikers) is unique in that it was built for equestrian and pedestrian travel. In French Creek, the yellow-blazed linear path touches both Hopewell Lake and Scotts Run Lake.
French Creek State Park is located north of Elverson. From Route 23, take Route 345 North to the south entrance of the park on the left. From the Pennsylvania Turnpike the park is 7 miles northeast of the Morgantown Interchange (Exit 22).
| 
