Green Lane Park, PA - Hill Road Day Use to Knight Road

ABOUT THE PARK:
Green Lane Park - Montgomery County, PA

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.348672, -75.490844

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Parking Lot at the Hill Road Day Use Area Boat Launch

TRAIL MAP:
Green Lane Park Brochure - Montgomery County, PA (not all of the trails hiked are shown on the map)

HIKE DISTANCE:  10.2 miles

THE HIKE:

With your back to the reservoir, head to the far right corner of the parking lot to pick up the white-blazed trail.

The blue-blazed trail joins in, then...

... white leaves to the right just before a bridge and loops around to blue on the other side of the bridge.

The white loop crosses Helen's Ravine...

... and Hillside Ravine.

Back on the blue trail, a Great Blue Heron watches some mallards swim by on the other side of the reservoir.

Well, Sandy can't take full blame for this one.

Winter Wren

There are a lot of rock hops over creeks that flow into the reservoir.

I truly hate balloons mostly because I find so many of them in the woods.  I would have packed these out (popped, of course) but is was too steep to reach them.

The bridge crossing coming up later in the hike.

Not a very clear picture but maybe a red-tailed hawk?

Coming up on the bridge over the reservoir.

There is a dedicated multi use lane separated from the road by a fence.

Borneman Family Cemetery at end of the bridge.  This link has the information from the sign transcribed.

The red-blazed trail winds around the opposite side of the reservoir.

The red-tailed hawk from earlier?  Would be about the right place.

A crow.

At a the large white building (a park maintenance building) turn left...

... and follow paved Knight Road very briefly...

... then cross at the crosswalk by the parking lot at the end of the bridge for a whole network of trails on the other side that aren't on the map.

There is a named trail...

... and numbered intersections but no map.

The Dogwood Trail was very interesting.

Two Common Loons seen while crossing back over the bridge.

Back on the other side of the bridge, one flock after another of birds flying over.

Back on the blue trail along the reservoir.

What a find in mid-December!

Almost at the end in one of the coves, this little female Belted Kingfisher sat perfectly still while I circled the cove and got pictures from all sides.

 

Green Lane Reservoir

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  With your back to the lake, turn right and go to the far right corner of the parking lot at the information board to pick up the white trail (shown as blue on map but it is white leaving the parking lot)
[  0.05]  Blue joins in from the left - now on white/blue
[  0.10]  Keep straight on white/blue when unmarked goes left
[  0.20]  Cross small split rail bridge
[  0.30]  Turn left on white Whitetail Trail as it leaves blue just before the second split rail bridge
[  0.50]  Cross Helen's Ravine to the right when a blue trail (not on map) goes left; #15 on post
[  0.65]  Trail turns right at arrow then left to cross Hillside Ravine
[  0.80]  Turn left on blue when white ends at the other side of the split rail bridge
[  1.20]  Rock hop creek
[  1.30]  Blue turns left on woods road at posts with bolts briefly, watch for trail to leave to the right downhill (not marked) to rock hop creek
[  1.50]  Two rock hops over creeks close together in cove
[  1.55]  At 1.0 marker on right, turn left on unmarked trail when blue continues straight
[  1.60]  Possibly Rock Falls on left at T-intersection (mentioned in "60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Philadelphia" but not on map)?  Turn right following horse trail sign
[  1.75]  Trail veers right onto wider woods road briefly before narrowing and entering pine forest
[  1.90]  At Y-intersection, keep left
[  2.00]  Turn left back on original blue-blazed trail and rock hop creek
[  2.30]  Blue trail turns left on wider gravel road along cove; keep right on blue at fork
[  2.45]  Keep right on blue when unmarked goes left
[  3.20]  Turn right at parking lot to cross bridge; blue ends, red-blazed trail begins
[  3.60]  End of bridge, Borneman memorial, coming up on parking lot
[  3.70]  Continue through parking lot and turn right on red trail (note pedestrian crossing over Knight Road which is where the loop will return to for trails on other side of road)
[  4.75]  Turn left at white park maintenance building when red turns right and walk along paved Knight Road
[  4.85]  Turn right at crosswalk seen earlier from parking lot, cross road and continue uphill on unmarked trail
[  5.05]  Turn right at top of hill, then keep right at intersection with woods road
[  5.10]  Trail post with #25 on left
[  5.20]  Turn left on Dogwood Trail at post #41
[  5.30]  Stay on Dogwood Trail as it crosses one woods road then veers right on the second woods road
[  5.35]  Keep left at woods road intersection
[  5.45]  Right after horse hurdle the Dogwood Trail veers left leaving woods road and reentering woods
[  5.65]  Turn right at T-intersection
[  5.75]  Continue past double woods road
[  6.00]  Keep straight at post #28
[  6.10]  Keep straight at posts #29 and #30, turn right at post #38
[  6.30]  Keep straight at double woods roads
[  6.35]  Turn right on Dogwood Trail (more interesting to repeat than keeping straight on woods road)
[  6.45]  Stay on Dogwood Trail as it crosses one woods road then veers right on the second woods road
[  6.50]  Keep left at woods road intersection
[  6.55]  Right after horse hurdle the Dogwood Trail veers left leaving woods road and reentering woods
[  6.75]  Turn left at T-intersection (had turned right her previously); short distance ahead short side trail downhill to right to overlook of reservoir
[  6.80]  Keep right at fork
[  6.95]  Cross road at pedestrian crossing, turn right into parking lot, continue back across bridge
[  7.40]  Red ends, blue-blazed trail begins; sharp left turn in parking lot
[  8.15]  Keep left on blue at intersection when unmarked goes right
[  8.20]  Keep straight on blue when dark blue trail goes right
[  8.65]  At top of steep climb, keep left on blue when unmarked goes right
[  9.05]  Keep straight on blue when unmarked goes right
[  9.35]  Rock hop creek, trail joins woods road briefly at posts with bolts
[  9.90]  Continue across split rail bridge when white comes in from both sides of bridge; now on white/blue
[10.15]  Blue leaves to the right, keep straight on white
[10.20]  Back at parking lot

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