Season Visited: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
Trail Length: Estimated 2.5-mile loop
Time to Hike: Approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes
Difficulty Level: Valley Forge does not have difficulty levels listed on its trail map. I rate trails on a 5-point scale. 1 = easiest, 2 = easy, 3 = moderate, 4 = difficult, 5 = most difficult. Difficulty levels are of course subjective given the fitness level and experience of the hiker. The Mount Joy section of this loop for me is a 2, though it can be a 3 on some uphill portions (I am moderately winded after some of them). The Valley Creek portion is an undisputed 1.
If you haven't been, Valley Forge National Historical Park is a lovely place to visit. I've been there countless times since I went to college only 15 minutes from the park. I've walked around many of its trails, but my favorite is actually two trails that I have combined into a loop, even though they're not really meant to be. You do have to take a slight detour to connect them - they don't just lead into each other - but taken together they make a very nice walk when you've got an hour or two to spare. This is not the trail to take to see many of the historical sights, but it's the one to take if you want to get into the woods for a little while. It's more shaded than most of the trails at the park and you have an opportunity to see a bit more wildlife. I've seen deer and countless chipmunks on the Mount Joy section and a belted kingfisher and great blue heron on the Valley Creek section.
Here's a link to Valley Forge's trail map: http://www.nps.gov/vafo/planyourvisit/upload/2011-VAFO-Trail-Map.pdf
I begin this trail with the Mount Joy trail. To ensure that your car is parked in a convenient location for when you end with Valley Creek Trail, I suggest parking at the trailhead for the Joseph Plumb Martin Trail that is closest to the covered bridge and walking to the Mount Joy trail from there. I actually access the Mount Joy trail at a location other than its trailhead. If you want to do this, cross the street at the parking lot and make your way up the hill with the two log cabins on it. You'll see a small path that is mostly used for horses, and you can take that up to the tree line and make a left onto the trail. You don't have to do it that way, but I enjoy that first uphill climb and seeing the historic cabins along the way. Just make sure you make the first left onto the trail, or you'll end up on the wrong one.
The trail itself is pretty in all seasons. You'll have a bird's-eye-view of some of the park since you are ascending a "mountain" (it's a hill, but whatever). You'll come to a few forks in the trail here and there. You can take a right on some of them and still be on the Mount Joy Trail, but I prefer to go left the entire time. You're closer to the edge of the mountain and never have to worry about getting lost if you always just stay to the left. Here's a picture of my dog Cleo heading down the Mount Joy trail a few years ago, which reminds me - Valley Forge is pet-friendly!
Along the Mount Joy trail you'll see some interesting rock formations and a lot of rhododendrons, and usually you'll see a bit of bird activity as well. The trail alternates gently from uphill to downhill, ending on a downhill section.
When you come to the end of the trail you'll be at the road in front of Washington's Headquarters. It gets a little tricky here if you want to get back around to the parking lot via the Valley Creek trail. If you make a left at the intersection and keep walking you'll cross a small bridge. You'll be on a road at this point. In front of you you'll see a stone wall and buildings. Make a left and start up the little hill with the private residences on it, and you'll come to the trailhead/kiosk map listed on the trail map at the Valley Creek Trail. Go up the hill a little more and you'll be started on it.
This trail is much different than the Mount Joy Trail. It is wider and has more gravel. Along the way you'll come to a little creek (where you'll want to make a left), see a dam, and should see some waterfowl. You'll be following the creek until you come to the covered bridge. Here are a few of the sights:
Trees along the creek.
Sean and Cleo looking at the water.
The covered bridge.
Cross the covered bridge at this point to get back. Follow the road until you come to the Valley Forge Farm and make a slight right onto the farm road. This will lead you straight back to the parking lot.
All in all, Mount Joy and Valley Creek make for a pleasant walk. There are always lots of people at Valley Forge, but the Mount Joy section tends to have less people in any season. In the winter you may only pass one or two other people, and even in summer it's doubtful that you'll exceed ten. Valley Forge isn't really the place to go for extreme solitude, but as much as I like hiking alone I've always found it pleasant to see everyone enjoying themselves on a beautiful day in the Great Outdoors.
Enjoy your hike, and keep wandering.
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ReplyDeleteNice piece, I liked it. We used to run here on Sundays during cross country season. There's a trail up Mt. Misery as well, the "mountain" across the stream from Mt. Joy. From the photographs, I think the Valley Creek trail leads to it, but I'm not certain (we used to joke it was the only extended stretch of flat trail in the whole park). In any case, the climb can be challenging, going up and down. There is a ruin of an old forge along the way, however, which I found both interesting and mysterious. Want to be careful coming down in particular, as it involves traversing a series of "stairs" which range in drop from a few inches to a few feet, depending on erosion. It's a good trail, just need to be careful hiking it.
ReplyDeleteAgain, nice work. Good luck in the future :)
I think you're right that the Valley Creek trail leads to Mt. Misery. I'll have to check it out! It sounds intriguing. Thanks so much for the feedback.
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