Date of Hike: Friday, August 28, 2015
Total Distance: 2.98 Miles
Avg speed: 1.9 MPH
Avg moving speed: 2.61 MPH
Moving Time: 1:08:17
Total Time: 1:33:56
Conditions: Sunny, 80 Degrees
Difficulty: Easy
This is the first of two different places I went hiking on Friday, the 28th of August with my first adventure taking me to the Sanatoga County Preserve. I've had my eyes on this place for quite a while and quite honestly, I'm glad I waited. More on this is a bit.
Approximate address:
118 Sanatoga Road
Pottstown, PA 19465
GPS: 40.2304457,-75.5970713
If you're having any doubts, just stay on Sanatoga Road until you get to where it's roped off and you can't drive any further, you won't be able to miss it. You likely won't need one but if you're looking for a trail map, you can find one here (page 5).
Unfortunately, the below picture didn't come out too well but it's just basic information about hunting on the preserve.
When you get to the point where the road is roped off and you won't be able to go any further, this is what you'll see when you look down Sanatoga Road.
On your approach to the parking area (it's not really much of a parking area, there's enough space for maybe a few cars and that's about it), you'll see this yellow gate to your left. I pulled in here to turn the car around and almost changed my mind about hiking the preserve. Once I took a closer look, I noticed there was a trail so I decided to stick around and check it out.
At this point, I'm heading northwest (more west than north) and for the most part, the trail which really looked like an unpaved farming road was in ok condition.
Right about as you get to this opening is where the trail basically comes to an end. You can still see it but you can also tell that these trails are not used much, nor are they being maintained. My guess is that this land is usually used during hunting season and not really for recreational hiking.
I found a side trail that cut to the south and decided to check it out. It eventually came to a dead end where I likely could have kept going but it was overgrown and pretty close to private property so I turned back.
Back out to the open field, I then turned to the northwest again. I didn't get much further though. I tried in a few different areas to find another trail but each time I turned, it eventually led to a dead end. I likely could have kept moving but the weeds were getting taller and I wasn't really willing to keep going.
Once I reached the above dead end, I turned back towards the car. To the north of where the trail is, there's a cornfield in the middle of the preserve.
Back to the car, I hopped over the ropes to head north on Sanatoga Road. They're hard to see in this picture but whatever flowers were on these plants (right side) smelled awesome!
When you get to the end of Sanatoga Road, you'll see this barricade where at one time, there used to be a bridge crossing over the Schuylkill River. I can't seem to find much information about when the bridge was demolished and an internet search about the bridge turned out some results but no mention of when the bridge was removed. My guess is around the early 2000's.
There's enough room to squeeze around the wooden fence to the edge of the road for a somewhat clear shot of the remains of the bridge.
As you're facing the barricade, there's a trail to your left side heading in a westerly direction.
The trail will bring you right next to the Schuylkill River and give you a better view of the bridge ruins.
Ok, so why did I take a picture like this? It turns out that the Sanatoga County Preserve is one of several (I believe 20 or more) silt basins alongside the Schuylkill River where coal silt was dredged from the river back in the 1940's and 1950's. At one point in time, the Schuylkill River was so polluted from the mining industry and careless dumping of coal silt that the water had turned black.
The Schuylkill River Project aimed at de-silting (dredging) the Schuylkill River was instituted in 1945 and to this day, you can still see remnants of coal alongside and close to the river. Much of what you see below are small pieces of coal.
If you'd like to learn more about the Schuylkill River Project, the mining industry, and the history surrounding the Schuylkill River, check out this book written by Chari Towne titled A River Again.
The trail that was running alongside the Schuylkill River seemed to be in better shape than the ones in the southern section of the preserve. You could see that someone had been through and had cut down quite a bit of weeds to keep the trail passable.
Once I reached this point, I decided it was time to turn back. I'm not sure why but being at this preserve creeped me out a little bit. I don't think there was anything to worry about but for some reason, I had a strange vibe about the place and I don't usually get that kind of feeling being anywhere outside.
I found an opening next to the trail where I could get up close to the Schuylkill River and took a few shots. First looking upstream, the other downstream.
On the trail heading back to the ruins of the bridge and Sanatoga Road.
That was it for my hike at the Sanatoga County Preserve. In all, it was ok but not something I'll be breaking the door down to do again. After all the hikes I've been on over the last few seasons, I can safely say that I've been to far better places than this. Was it worth checking out? Sure. Will I do it again? Not likely.
If in time this place gets better developed and the trails are more defined, I may return to check it out again but really, I don't see that happening anytime soon. I also wanted to check out the Linfield County Preserve which is a short drive away but upon my arrival, it looked to be in about the same condition as the Sanatoga County Preserve so I decided to head elsewhere.
A short distance from either preserve is the now abandoned but restored town of Fricks Lock. In 1969, the town was purchased by PECO who claimed eminent domain, closed and boarded up the buildings where it stayed that way until 2013 when Excelon restored the exterior of nine buildings within the town. Tours are now given every other Saturday from May through October. For more information, click here.
Although not the best of adventures, I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Until next time, happy hiking and happy exploring!
Please give my Facebook page a like!
This is the first of two different places I went hiking on Friday, the 28th of August with my first adventure taking me to the Sanatoga County Preserve. I've had my eyes on this place for quite a while and quite honestly, I'm glad I waited. More on this is a bit.
Approximate address:
118 Sanatoga Road
Pottstown, PA 19465
GPS: 40.2304457,-75.5970713
If you're having any doubts, just stay on Sanatoga Road until you get to where it's roped off and you can't drive any further, you won't be able to miss it. You likely won't need one but if you're looking for a trail map, you can find one here (page 5).
Unfortunately, the below picture didn't come out too well but it's just basic information about hunting on the preserve.
When you get to the point where the road is roped off and you won't be able to go any further, this is what you'll see when you look down Sanatoga Road.
On your approach to the parking area (it's not really much of a parking area, there's enough space for maybe a few cars and that's about it), you'll see this yellow gate to your left. I pulled in here to turn the car around and almost changed my mind about hiking the preserve. Once I took a closer look, I noticed there was a trail so I decided to stick around and check it out.
At this point, I'm heading northwest (more west than north) and for the most part, the trail which really looked like an unpaved farming road was in ok condition.
Right about as you get to this opening is where the trail basically comes to an end. You can still see it but you can also tell that these trails are not used much, nor are they being maintained. My guess is that this land is usually used during hunting season and not really for recreational hiking.
I found a side trail that cut to the south and decided to check it out. It eventually came to a dead end where I likely could have kept going but it was overgrown and pretty close to private property so I turned back.
 |
| Pretty much the end of the trail |
Back out to the open field, I then turned to the northwest again. I didn't get much further though. I tried in a few different areas to find another trail but each time I turned, it eventually led to a dead end. I likely could have kept moving but the weeds were getting taller and I wasn't really willing to keep going.
 |
| First of a few dead ends |
 |
| Second of two different dead ends I ran into in this section of the preserve |
Once I reached the above dead end, I turned back towards the car. To the north of where the trail is, there's a cornfield in the middle of the preserve.
Back to the car, I hopped over the ropes to head north on Sanatoga Road. They're hard to see in this picture but whatever flowers were on these plants (right side) smelled awesome!
 |
| Following Sanatoga Road north |
When you get to the end of Sanatoga Road, you'll see this barricade where at one time, there used to be a bridge crossing over the Schuylkill River. I can't seem to find much information about when the bridge was demolished and an internet search about the bridge turned out some results but no mention of when the bridge was removed. My guess is around the early 2000's.
There's enough room to squeeze around the wooden fence to the edge of the road for a somewhat clear shot of the remains of the bridge.
As you're facing the barricade, there's a trail to your left side heading in a westerly direction.
The trail will bring you right next to the Schuylkill River and give you a better view of the bridge ruins.
Ok, so why did I take a picture like this? It turns out that the Sanatoga County Preserve is one of several (I believe 20 or more) silt basins alongside the Schuylkill River where coal silt was dredged from the river back in the 1940's and 1950's. At one point in time, the Schuylkill River was so polluted from the mining industry and careless dumping of coal silt that the water had turned black.
The Schuylkill River Project aimed at de-silting (dredging) the Schuylkill River was instituted in 1945 and to this day, you can still see remnants of coal alongside and close to the river. Much of what you see below are small pieces of coal.
If you'd like to learn more about the Schuylkill River Project, the mining industry, and the history surrounding the Schuylkill River, check out this book written by Chari Towne titled A River Again.
The trail that was running alongside the Schuylkill River seemed to be in better shape than the ones in the southern section of the preserve. You could see that someone had been through and had cut down quite a bit of weeds to keep the trail passable.
Once I reached this point, I decided it was time to turn back. I'm not sure why but being at this preserve creeped me out a little bit. I don't think there was anything to worry about but for some reason, I had a strange vibe about the place and I don't usually get that kind of feeling being anywhere outside.
I found an opening next to the trail where I could get up close to the Schuylkill River and took a few shots. First looking upstream, the other downstream.
On the trail heading back to the ruins of the bridge and Sanatoga Road.
 |
| Looking south on Sanatoga Road |
 |
| Almost back to where the car was parked. |
That was it for my hike at the Sanatoga County Preserve. In all, it was ok but not something I'll be breaking the door down to do again. After all the hikes I've been on over the last few seasons, I can safely say that I've been to far better places than this. Was it worth checking out? Sure. Will I do it again? Not likely.
If in time this place gets better developed and the trails are more defined, I may return to check it out again but really, I don't see that happening anytime soon. I also wanted to check out the Linfield County Preserve which is a short drive away but upon my arrival, it looked to be in about the same condition as the Sanatoga County Preserve so I decided to head elsewhere.
A short distance from either preserve is the now abandoned but restored town of Fricks Lock. In 1969, the town was purchased by PECO who claimed eminent domain, closed and boarded up the buildings where it stayed that way until 2013 when Excelon restored the exterior of nine buildings within the town. Tours are now given every other Saturday from May through October. For more information, click here.
Although not the best of adventures, I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Until next time, happy hiking and happy exploring!
Please give my Facebook page a like!
I found the preserve on Saturday while out on a walk. I live a couple of miles away and had no idea it was there. While searching for info I came across your blog. I ventured down the closed road and was about to explore a side trail when I got a very strange feeling that I wasn't welcomed there. I'm a hunter and spend a fair amount of time in areas far more rural and isolated than this one so I found it strange I felt this way. I listened to my instincts and left. Found it interesting that you were creeped out too.
ReplyDeleteIts been more than two years since I went there and have visited a multitude of places since (and before) and to this day, have not gotten that same creepy feeling I did when I was there. I still think about it once in a while and wonder why that place specifically made me feel that way. Oddly, I'm kind of glad I'm not the only one who got that weird vibe. It's good that you trusted your instincts and left. Although I have my doubts anything bad would have happened, better to trust in what you feel than to end up in a pickle!
DeleteGood and honest review. I just moved into the area (about 5 miles away) have been looking for small walks to take with my dog. Didn't read all of the text on this place before I went. . . .and definitely disappointed when I got there. Started up the left path behind the yellow gate, muddy, wet, cruddy day anyway. We turned around quite soon, and didn't even try to get over the rope on the extension of Sanatoga road. Actually finished out little walk on the asphalt portion of Sanatoga Road. Got some great photos of the intersection of human technology and nature . . .creepy to look to the right and see the big stacks of the Limerick Nuclear Plant, and there's also some big PECO construction project happening in a large area just before the park entrance. The last farm on the right is named "Bittersweet" (est 1765) - and I wondered if that was the original name, or if it is a contemporary reaction to having 2 sides of the property engulfed by the extraordinarily ugly technology.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been back there since the day I explored it and quite honestly, even if improvements are made, I doubt I'll return. Sad to hear that the area is being developed but not surprising. The name "Bittersweet" could certainly be an ironic testament to the lack of open space that was once there. More and more is being used for development in the area with less land being preserved to be enjoyed by all.
DeleteSince you only live about 5 miles away from the preserve, there are a number of nice places in the Pottstown, Elverson and Birdsboro areas well worth the drive to get there. If you haven't already explored them, French Creek State Park, Warwick County Park, Coventry Woods Park/Preserve, Crow's Nest Preserve, Birdsboro Waters and Preserve, and Monocacy Hill all allow pets as far as I know, and the trails are definitely worthy of exploring (avoid Monocacy if it's wet, the trails can get pretty soggy). If you don't mind graffiti, St. Peters Village is also a nice place to check out.
Thanks for stopping in!
Does the trail run along the old PRR right of way(soon to become the bike-hike tail from Parker Ford)?
ReplyDeleteI'd check out the schuylkill river trail website.
DeleteAlso - for those of you feeling creeped out - the location is a part of Frick's Locks I believe, a preserved ghost town that has a checkered past dating back through the underground rail road era and public executions in town I am told...
My wife and I came very close to buying the last house on the left on Sanatoga Road. It is a very nice house that used to have a barn but that burned down. Having the preserve as a neighbor was a big plus; especially since the preserve didn’t draw a lot of visitors. We hiked it once and rode our horses there once and had no creepy feelings. I do wonder if it could be infrasound from the power plant that causes a feeling of unease. Also, there are a lot of areas where you can’t see very far through the growth, which can lead to a claustrophobic and paranoid feeling of being watched by subjects unknown. BTW, the property where the house and preserve are were originally owned by the first treasurer of the United States, Michael Hillegas.
ReplyDeleteWondering why they closed the area to deer hunting hunted the area for over twenty years now they only want to allow two archery Hunters a year. Sounds like your going to have a deer problem here soon.
ReplyDelete