Schuylkill River Trail - Schuylkill River Greenways
Big Woods Trail - Pennsylvania Highlands
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 40.20094, -75.58419
 |
| Parker Ford Trailhead Parking |
TRAIL MAPS:
Schuylkill River Trail Map - Schuylkill River Greenways
Big Woods Trail and Highlands Trail - Pennsylvania Highlands
BIKE DISTANCE: 37 miles
THE BIKE:
 |
| Heading west on the Schuylkill River Trail. |
 |
| Those would be the cooling towers of the Limerick Nuclear Power Plant. On the drive in I saw a sign: "New Homes in the Upper $500's" being built smack next to that nuclear power plant. No thank you. |
 |
| I really like these road crossing barriers. They are far enough apart that you can easily maneuver around them without risking life and limb. |
 |
| Coming into Pottstown. |
 |
| There is about a half of a mile of on road riding ... |
 |
| ... on a low traffic, wide road. |
 |
| It gets busy at the intersection where it's a right on the road ... |
 |
| ... then a left on a dead end street that becomes the trail. I did not see a sign at that left turn. It was a bit confusing. |
 |
| Up to this point the entire trail was paved. At the Berks County line it becomes crushed stone. |
 |
| This is also the route of the Pennsylvania Highlands Trail. |
 |
| The archeological dig. |
 |
| Turning left to take the Big Woods Trail into French Creek State Park. The Highlands Trail goes this way also. |
 |
| This year Pennsylvania legalized hunting on Sundays. Not happy about that at all. Fortunately I did not witness any hunting and I never want to because that is an image that would stick in my head forever. |
 |
| It is very difficult to ride a bike on this trail. I had a terrible headwind along with the trail surface being loose and thick most of the time so it was like pedaling in quicksand. I was able to ride some of it, mostly off to the side in the grass, but walked at least half of it. |
 |
| At the top is a parking lot. |
 |
| I continued on to where the Big Woods Trail ends at a road. It continues on has a footpath into French Creek State Park on the other side. |
 |
| Heading back. |
 |
| I coasted down very slowly and carefully, mostly in the grass. Great views along the way. |
 |
| Back on the Schuylkill River Trail. |
 |
| At Union Meadows Park I turned right ... |
 |
| ... on a narrow path that led to ... |
 |
| ... the Union Loop Trail. |
 |
| At this intersection I turned right back on to the Schuylkill Trail. On the way back I would be taking the trail straight ahead. |
 |
| Up ahead on the left is the Birdsboro Trailhead parking lot. |
 |
| From the parking lot it's a short distance where cars can drive on the trail to get to that parking lot. From this point it's a 3.6 on road portion to meet up with where I left off in Gibraltar last weekend. I do not feel the need to do that part but I did continue left for a bit while it was a quiet road. |
 |
| Very quiet with no traffic going into Birdsboro. |
 |
| At the intersection up ahead is where there is lots of traffic so I turned back. |
 |
| Back where I had come from the left on the Union Loop Trail, now turning right to continue on the Schuylkill River Trail. |
 |
| Crossing into Montgomery County the trail is paved the rest of the way. |
 |
| Back at the parking lot. |
