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THE PARK
A wilderness fort once stood
on the small stream flowing through these woods that was garrisoned
by the French during the French and Indian War and thus "French
Creek." The hillsides here were dotted with charcoal
hearths throughout the 1800s, fueling the nascent American iron
industry. The furnace was stoked for the last time in 1883.
French Creek State Park was originally developed by the federal
government during the Depression as a National Park Service Demonstration
Area. Civilian Conservation Corps members, organized by President
Franklin Roosevelt, built dams, roads and other recreational
trappings. These workers also began restoration of the Hopewell
Furnace, today a National Historic Site through which several
of the park's trails pass. In 1946, the area was transferred
to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
WALKS
Approximately 40 miles of trails
visit every corner of French Creek's 7,339 acres. There are nine
featured hikes of between one and four hours' duration. The marquee
walk is the Boone Trail, a six-mile loop connecting all the major
attractions of the park. The Mill Creek Trail is a back-country
hike that visits Millers Point, a pile of large boulders where
you and your dog can easily scramble to the to the top.
All the walks are heavily forested with hardwoods - keep an
eye out for the ruins of the area's charcoal-burning past. Repeatedly
timbered, there is little understory and the trails are almost
universally wide and easy to walk. The park is hilly with the
steepest - and rockiest - slopes blanketing the eastern section
of French Creek.
There is easy access to two lakes, the 21-acre cold water Scotts
Run Lake and the 63-acre Hopewell Lake.
DIRECTIONS
French Creek State Park is north of Elverson. From Route 23,
take Route 345 North to the south entrance of the park.From the
PennsylvaniaTurnpike the park is 7 miles northeast of the Morgantown
Interchange (Exit 22).
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