Total Distance: 9.78 Miles
Avg Speed: 2.15MPH
Avg Moving Speed: 2.34MPH
Moving Time: 4:11:18
Total Time: 4:33:33
Conditions: Mostly Sunny, 85 degrees
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
After contemplating where to go, I finally decided to stay local and headed to Tyler State Park for the day. I've been there a number of times to go hiking as well as fishing but I rarely took my camera with me. As usual, I'm glad to bring it along since there's always something interesting to take pictures of. The summer has been good to us this year with mostly sunny weather on the weekends and it hasn't been too hot even though we're now headed into July.
I parked in the fisherman's parking lot just off Newtown Richboro Road (Route 332) and from there, crossed the bridge and headed north alongside the eastern side of Neshaminy Creek. For the most part, the terrain at Tyler State Park has some nice rolling hills but nothing real steep unless you're alongside the creeks. There are a lot of paved trails for those who would like to bring their mountain bikes for a leisure cruise through the park. Dogs are also permitted.
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| View of Neshaminy Creek from bridge on Newtown Richboro Road |
I went hiking on April 30th in the rain to test out my waterproof gear. On May 2nd, I returned to take a few more pictures and the river was still well above normal.
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| Neshaminy Creek from bridge on May 2nd, two days after heavy rainfall |
If you're a Frisbee golf fan, there's a course at the park. This bridge that crosses over a small creek is part of the course.
There are a few clearings alongside the Neshaminy Creek where you can get to the water. Watch your step as some of the areas are steep.
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| View of Neshaminy Creek and Newtown Richboro Road bridge |
As you walk a little further upstream, you begin to approach the dam.
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| Dam at Neshaminy Creek just upstream from the bridge |
Below pictures are from May 2nd when I hiked the park, two days after a heavy rainfall.
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| Neshaminy Creek dam on May 2 |
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| Trail heading upstream to the boat launch and main part of the park |
Walking alongside the creek, there was a log in the middle where there were some turtles and birds basking in the sun.
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| Hard to tell from this distance but these look like they could be Midland Painted Turtles |
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| Double-Crested Cormorants basking in the sun |
As you approach the main part of the park, there's a pedestrian bridge that crosses over the Neshaminy Creek. This is also where you can rent a boat and paddle upstream.
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| Pedestrian bridge over Neshaminy Creek on May 2 |
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| Just upstream from the bridge is another dam and a launch area if you want to rent a boat |
When you get to the bridge, there's a pavilion with a small concession stand and the boat rental office as well as the restrooms. There are also some barn swallows who have made their homes under the pavilion roof.
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| Barn Swallow |
I took the main park road and circled back to the bridge on Newtown Richboro Road. There wasn't much to take pictures of in this stretch but I did snap a few.
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| Tree Swallow |
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| Bindweed or Morning Glory |
I crossed back over the Newtown Richboro Road bridge and headed north on the western side of the Neshaminy Creek
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| View of dam from the western side of Neshaminy Creek |
I took the equestrian trail alongside the creek and discovered the hard way that it's similar to the trails on the eastern side of Lake Nockamixon. Safe to say, I'm beginning to have a slight dislike for trails that are meant for horseback riding. There were several areas throughout the trail where the mud and water were above ankle deep. At the beginning of my hike, I decided to take the sleeves off my pants which was ok on the eastern side of the creek but I should have put them back on before I did. As I approached one of several parts of the trail that were wet and muddy, I attempted to skirt along the side of them which for the most part I was able to, but I also ended up walking through thorn bushes, some poison ivy (thankfully didn't get any), and stinging nettle. I ended up with a few scratches from the thorn bushes and the stinging nettle reminded me what long pants were for.
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| One of several spots on the trail that were wet and muddy |
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| Stream bed leading down to Neshaminy Creek |
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| Pedestrian bridge from the western side of Neshaminy Creek |
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| Dam from western side of Neshaminy Creek |
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| Dam from western side of Neshaminy Creek on May 2nd |
Not all of the equestrian trails were bad...once I got north of the Dairy Hill Trail and stayed alongside the creek, there was less mud. I also ran into some woodland creatures as well.
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| Eastern American Toad |
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| One of the nicer sections of the equestrian trail |
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| Cabbage White Butterfly |
As I followed the equestrian trail north, I approached the covered bridge.
When you walk over the covered bridge, there are windows you can look out of on both sides. On April 30th, we had about 5 inches of rain in Southeast Pennsylvania which was the same day I decided to test out my waterproof gear. I wish I had been able to take more pictures during the rainstorm but I didn't want to ruin my phone and for obvious reasons, I didn't bring my camera that day.
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| View looking upstream from covered bridge |
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| View looking upstream on April 30th |
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| View looking downstream from covered bridge |
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| Trail leading down to the covered bridge on April 30th |
I stopped on the other side of the covered bridge for a while to take a break and grab a quick snack, and also to find some shallow water to clean my muddy boots off. While I was there, I snapped a few more pictures.
Once I finished eating and cleaning my boots, I continued north on the equestrian trail. While this wasn't as bad as the trail closer to the dam with the deep mud, it's not well maintained and is overgrown with weeds and tall grass depending on what part of the trail you're on.
When you get to a point where you can no longer go north (you'll see a fence and several private property signs), you end up walking through what looks like a trail alongside a field of tall grass. The only way I could tell this was part of the trail in some parts was because it was matted down from previous horseback riders or hikers.
I snapped a few more pictures during this section of the hike.
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| Japanese Wineberry |
As you walk through Tyler State Park, you'll see some places where there are residents living. How cool would it be to live inside a state park? I can imagine how peaceful it is to wake up in the morning to nothing but the sound of birds chirping.
After getting the picture of the farm front, I didn't take any more pictures. I continued south on White Pine Trail, then headed west on the Dairy Hill Trail. My intention was to head west to the College Park Trail, then head back to the fisherman's parking lot from there. Instead, I chose to take the Hay Barn Grass Trail since I was beginning to get tired. When I got to the Lane Trail (Number 1 Lane Trail), I ran into a couple who had a child with them that was maybe 3-4 years old and were lost so I guided them alongside the stream (Porter Run) back to the boat launch area then went back to the parking lot from there. The trail I took them on is not marked on the map of Tyler State Park but it is there.
What confuses me is that on two separate occasions (once before on a previous hike), I attempted to shoot straight across Porter Run to a trail on the opposite side that also runs parallel with the creek but each time, I ended up being turned around. In my attempt to assist the couple with the child, I tried to guide them across this same trail but we ended up walking alongside Porter Run back to the boat launch area. While it worked out in their favor, I'm beginning to have my doubts on if this trail exists even though it's on the map. I'll have to double check the next time I go there. If and when I do, I'll update accordingly.
Update - August 24, 2014: I finally returned to Tyler State Park and this time was able to locate the trail. I had actually walked past it a few times in previous adventures!
My objective has been to reach 10 miles in a single hike and on Saturday, I fell less than a quarter mile short. Had I taken my intended route, I likely would have reached that objective but I got tired and the couple with the young child needed assistance. While the equestrian trails are a bit of a nuisance, in all it was a good hike as usual.
Until next time, happy hiking and happy exploring!
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