Discovering Blue Marsh NRA

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Hi Blog!

A day doesn't go by where we don't think about Covid-19 and how it is affects us, our family, our friends, our country and the rest of the world. We are doing our part to be socially distant and take the necessary precautions when we get groceries and gas. After spending 8 years traveling every week or two weeks, it seems surreal that we could end up staying in this campground for several months. With all this time on our hands, we needed a plan to make the most of it. We hope to balance chore days with activity days. As to the chores, we created a two page list of things to do, repair, clean and organize. As to fun activities, next on the list was exploring the Blue Marsh National Recreation Area.

Blue Marsh Lake is located northwest of Reading in Berks County, Pennsylvania. This is a multi-purpose project built and maintained by the Philadelphia District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The dam was authorized by Congress for flood control, water supply, water quality and recreation. Construction began in 1974 and was completed in 1979. The dam is located on the Tulpehocken Creek and the project's water control practices benefit downstream communities. We started our exploration at the Peacock Road trailhead.

While the main purpose of Blue Marsh was to provide flood control to part of the Schuylkill River Valley, over the years the lake has become a recreational hotspot. With over 36 miles of trails, 6200 acres of land, 1148 acres of water, picnic areas, a small beach and boat launches the lake, can accommodate all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts like us.

We started our hike along an abandoned portion of the old Peacock Road:

We soon left the asphalt behind and headed across a small stream toward the Lake Border Trail:

We stopped to admire this small cascade as it burbled its way toward the lake.

The recent rains have brought out a number of fun guys:

We stopped for lunch at an old boat launch at the end of Lake Road. As we munched our lunch, we watched the bass fisherman troll on by.

Blue Marsh was the name of the village that was located where the lake now is. It was the first settlement in Lower Heidelberg Township. The land was very fertile. It was also a heavily forested area with abundance of wildlife. There were many farms and 18th and 19th century homes. The village also had a church, schoolhouse, post office, and General Store. Residents were put under eminent domain and had no choice but to move out. All that's left are a few foundations.

When we hike a trail for the first time, we never know what we'll see. This stand of old Christmas trees was different. Turns out, Blue Marsh Lake accepts old Christmas trees for use to enhance the underwater habitat for the fish.

We also came across an old fashioned drinking fountain:

However, our greatest discovery was the Triceratops hanging out along the lake shore.

Underneath the watery expanse of Blue Marsh Lake , the land was once fertile and flowering, alive with farm life. We noticed these stairs in the side of the hill. We couldn't resist the urge to climb them. However, there was nothing left of the homestead it once led to:

We left the Lake Border Trail to follow Skinner's Loop out a long peninsula in the lake. The first part of the loop took us near the lakeshore. The return trip took us across the height of land giving us great views of the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.

By the time we returned to the Jeep, we had hiked over five miles. When we come back and explore further, there are 31 more miles of trails to explore. On our drive back, we stopped to explore a picnic area with a kayak boat launch. As the weather warms, we hope to come back with our kayaks.

It may be a couple days before we blog again. Rainy weather is coming and there are chores to be done. Until then, stay safe.