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French
Creek State Park, Pennsylvania |
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French
Creek State Park, Pennsylvania, Introduction |
At 7,474 acres,
French Creek State Park is internationally known. Considered the
orienteering capital of North America, every year thousands of visitors
come to French Creek State Park to visit it's hiking trails, lakes,
campgrounds and enjoy a wide variety of activities. Located about one
hour west of Philadelphia, French Creek State Park's facilities
include hiking, hunting, canoeing, fishing, swimming, orienteering, and
practically surrounds Hopewell Furnace National Historical
Site. |
French Creek State Park, Pennsylvania, Summary |
Address:
843 Park Road, Elverson, Pennsylvania 19520-9523
Phone: 610-582-9680, for general information (800) 637-2757
E-Mail: frenchcreek@dcnr.state.pa.us
Size: 7,474 acres
Season: Year round, reduced services from mid-December to
mid-April
Camping: Yes, 201 sites, 60 with electrical hookups, modern
facilities
Hiking: Nine trails, none are easy and require some prior
experience, range from one mile to eight miles
Access Fee: No, general access and use is free
Special Activities: Considered the best place in the
country to learn orienteering, disc golf course, fishing, mountain
biking, canoeing
(rentals available), backcountry style hiking, surrounds Hopewell
Furnace National Historic Site, mature eastern forest, some sections in
the eastern part of the park are almost fully recovered old growth
forest |
French Creek State Park, Hiking & Orienteering |
People come from
all over North America to the Dutch Country of Pennsylvania to hone
their orienteering skills in the relative safety of French Creek State
Park. These are not your average hiking trails. None of the
trails within the park are considered easy and after exploring the park
we have to agree. An ability to read a map and find your location
by dead reckoning or compass is required here.
 The
trails are very well marked in the sense of being able to stay on the
trail, but most trails are unmarked as far as their names and there are
no trail junction markers that spell out trail names. If you have
never hiked in your life, this is probably not the best park to explore
taking up the hobby, although the rustic trails are quiet and beautiful,
and we hope the picture tempts you to sharpen your skills to enjoy French
Creek.
When
hiking in French Creek State Park you will notice that almost everyone
on the trails has a daypack and a light jacket. In the case of the
six mile Mill Creek Trail, it is strongly recommended to go in boots
with full hiking gear, it is a rugged experience to be savored in the
eastern part of the park.
The trails are
marked by blazes or colored markers. The free park
map refers to the nine hiking trails that span about 40 miles by their
colors, and although they have names, don't expect to see them out on
the trail. A single line indicates that the trail continues to
advance straight ahead. A double line pointing in a different (see
below) direction indicates a trailhead, with the double mark
indicating where the new trail or trail fork is headed.
 The picture to
the left is the trail marker for the junction in the picture
above. The yellow trail goes to the left, while the white trail
goes straight, or in the above example actually goes right. If
this all seems confusing it can be. Although there are numerous
blazes and markers, this is not the place to be if a thick fog or sudden
snow squall descended upon the area.
At first glance
7,339 acres covered by only 40 miles of trails may create the impression
that most of the park is not accessible. This is not the
case. French Creek State Park hiking trails are wonderfully laid
out. The western half of the park is very well covered with a
spider web network of trails that stretch out to the park boundaries to
the north and south. The eastern part of the park is well covered
but more remote. The trails have been strategically laid out not
to be so close to each other that you could see or even hear another
hiking party, unless you approach a junction or trailhead. Only
the northern most section of the park is not covered and for the
relative remoteness of the area, the trails are very well maintained.
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