Skippack Creek Trail

Hi Blog! On Sunday, November 9, 2014, we returned to Evansburg State Park.  You see, on Friday, our daughter Katie, along with her puppy, Maggie, paid us a surprise visit. Well, it wasn't really a surprise, she called and told us she was coming. But it was not something we scheduled in advance. Katie happened to be in the Philly area for a seminar and decided to stick around for a few days to visit with family and friends. Maggie had been cooped up for a few days while Katie seminared and needed a good romp in the woods. We looked around for dog friendly trails and discovered Evansburg State Park. On Friday, we hiked a few of the trails with Katie and Maggie, but didn't have time to tackle the whole 5 miles of the Skippack Creek Trail. We made a promise to ourselves that we would return. Here is Kathy at the trailhead.

We got a late start.  It was 2:00 p.m. by the time we hit the trailhead. The sun was pretty low. Winter is coming John Snow. We can see the signs all around us. Most of the trees have lost their leaves, but there was still some color to be seen. This little dusty rose-colored specimen caught Dave's eye.

The land on which Evansburg State Park is located was originally part of a massive tract of land purchased from the Lenape (Delaware) Indians by William Penn in 1684. The land was quickly settled by German Mennonites. They fled religious persecution in Europe for the religious freedom, promised by William Penn in his colony. The Mennonites cleared the land of its old-growth forests and built farms, stores and mills that were powered by the waters of Skippack Creek. Here is Dave just before we crossed the newest bridge across the creek.

The Skippack Creek Trail is a loop that takes you down the north side of the creek, across a bridge and up the south side. You then have to cross another creek and hike down to your starting point. Here is a look up the creek from the first bridge.



As we hiked along the creek, we could see a number of places where old mill races were. Accordingly to one of the many historical markers we passed, there were seven mills along the creek in the area that is now Evansburg State Park.  There are also a number of mature trees in the area. We particularly like the stately sycamore trees with their white bark shining in the sun.

The creek runs pretty slow in the fall. In some sections it was so still you could see the reflection from the far side.

The area in and surrounding Evansburg State Park remained largely rural until World War II. The growth of suburbs and industry changed the landscape of the Skippack Valley. Evansburg State Park was established in 1979 to protect the rural qualities of the area and to provide outdoor recreational opportunities for the people of southeastern Pennsylvania. However, you can still find remnants of the old factories. Here Kathy climbs atop the "Skippack Pyramid."

The trail on the north side of the creek where the visitor center is located is wide and well marked. As we traveled along the south side of the creek, the trail narrowed and was hard to find in a couple places because of all the leaves on the ground. At one point, the trail hugs the side of a steep bank.

Here we came upon a section of trail that was still brightly colored.

We kept looking for wildlife, but all we encountered were fellow hikers.  Most of whom had never been on the trail before and weren't really sure how to get back to their cars.

Here's a little more color.

As we headed back down the north side of the creek, the Skippack Creek Trail follows an existing horse trail for about a half mile. Horse trails can be a little mucky and one must watch carefully where you step. At one point, we had to stand to the side as a large trail ride passed us. There must have been at least 20 riders. Here is the end of the "train." You gotta love the straw hats!



Here's one last look back at the creek before we head to the rental car. (Don't worry. Great White is fine, just in the shop for its annual inspection, tune up and bath!)

There's a crockpot waiting for us back at the rig. Tomorrow we hope to see the movie, "Interstellar." The Eagles are playing on Monday Night Football - E A G L E S!