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

Apshawa Preserve, NJ

ABOUT THE PARK:
Apshawa Preserve - New Jersey Conservation Foundation

DIRECTIONS:

GSP Coordinates 41.025230, -74.373941

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TRAIL MAP:
Apshawa Preserve Trail Map - New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Note that at this time (Dec 2012) the yellow trail is closed due to flooding of the pond by beavers.  Additionally, trails had not yet been cleared after Hurricane Sandy so there were areas with heavy trail obstruction due to blow downs but it was possible to get through/around them, just a lot more time-consuming.

HIKE DISTANCE:  4.85 miles

THE HIKE:

The white trail leaves the parking lot through the gate of a deer exclosure.  (NJ Urban Forest Blog has some nice background and details on the deer fencing.)

The green trail connects from the white trail and descends into a pretty valley with a rock hop over a creek.

Old dam at historic Mixing Pond on Apshawa Brook.

Looking back at the dam after a short but very steep descent.

Building ruins and tanks, from what I understand these are from an old water purification system of the early 1900's.

More old tanks in the woods.

The green trail crosses over Apshawa Brook at the ruins and tanks then follows along some pretty cascades...

... before it climbs out of the gorge to views of...

... the New York City skyline - but you have to remember to turn around at the top to see it.

Confused by the tangle of blow downs at the top.

More views to the west farther along the green trail.

Exit through another gate of the deer exclosure and turn left on the red trail to Butler Reservoir at the dam.

A female and male Bufflehead couple enjoying a nice December day on Butler Reservoir,

The red trail loops around Butler Reservoir for almost one mile.

Dark-eyed Junco 'Slate-Colored' (I believe)

Looking back at the dam from the opposite side of Butler Reservoir.

The red trail veers away from Butler Reservoir and is supposed to cross the creek on a bridge but in this heavy area of blow downs, there was no bridge to be found.  The blazes suddenly stopped but continued on the other side.  Fortunately there are plenty of rock hopping opportunities to cross over.

The red trail ends at the white trail which leads to the yellow loop trail around the pond which is now closed.  The white trail continues across a spillway/beaver dam (?) to bypass the yellow trail.

The residence of the culprits?  Can't help but wonder if they are making use of some of that storm debris.  Kind of looks like a new roof, doesn't it?

Passing by the other side of the Butler Reservoir dam on the white trail.

Climbing up to ...

... a view of Butler Reservoir from up above on the white trail.

Back down into the valley and the parking lot.

HIKE SUMMARY:
[  0.00]  White trail from parking lot through gate at deer exclosure
[  0.20]  Left on green when white goes straight
[  1.00]  Pass exclosure gate and High Crest Lake on left
[  1.20]  Descend steeply at dam, keep to left of creek over boulders
[  1.35]  Ruins and old tanks from early 1900 water purification system
[  1.75]  Turn around at top for view of New York City skyline
[  2.10]  Cross over woods road
[  2.30]  Exit exclosure through gate; turn left on red (gravel road) past dam
[  3.25]  Rock hop over creek (used to be a bridge but did not see it – lots of blowdowns so you lose the red markers and have to watch for them to continue on the other side of the creek)
[  3.30]  Turn right on white when red ends
[  3.55]  Turn right on white when yellow begins (yellow closed due to flooding of trail by beavers)
[  3.65]  Right on white when the other end of yellow goes left
[  3.95]  Left through gate on white when red goes right
[  4.35]  Straight on white when green goes right
[  4.65]  Straight on white when green goes right
[  4.85]  Back at parking