Date of Hike: Friday, May 20, 2016
Total Distance: 10.28 Miles
Avg speed: 2.3 MPH
Total Time: 4:23:34
Conditions: Sunny, 75 Degrees
Difficulty: Easy, Moderate
On Friday the 20th, I took another ride out to Green Lane Park to explore the Red and Honeysuckle Trails and once again, I was in for a surprise! It was a good surprise and it made my adventure that much better. More about this in a bit. After exploring these trails, I'm wondering to myself why it is I waited so long to head out there.
For this adventure, I parked in the Hemlock Point Trail parking lot, the address is:
934 Lakeview Drive
Green Lane, PA 18054
GPS: 40.346488, -75.484052
This parking lot is tucked away and by the looks of it, is not used very often and doesn't seem to be as well maintained as the others scattered throughout the park. There are some potholes to dodge on the way in/out but nothing you couldn't easily avoid. For a copy of the trail map, click here.
As I already mentioned, the parking lot is at the Hemlock Point Trail and also intersects with the Perkiomen and Red Trails in the same area. This is the same spot where I ended up during my last adventure at Green Lane Park before heading back to the parking lot on Deep Creek Road.
Once you pass the above sign, you'll be on a connecting trail heading northwest down a hill to get to the Red Trail (and Hemlock Point Trail).
At the bottom of the hill is where the Hemlock Point and Red Trails meet and head in opposite directions. This is also where you'll get your fist view of Green Lane Reservoir.
The Red Trail continues to the northwest alongside the reservoir and although this shot is looking downhill, most of this area is a gradual climb uphill to where you're well above the water.
A short distance up the trail, you'll find this picnic table and although they run pretty much parallel to each other, a side trail splits off from the Red Trail to the left side opposite the picnic table with the Red Trail to the right.
Instead of staying on the Red Trail, I chose to explore the side trail to the left which went down a hill and alongside some cliffs. While there's enough room to walk without trouble, watch your step! There's a bit of a drop down to the water below.
The side trail along the cliffs eventually meets back up with the Red Trail, still heading in a northwest direction.
A short distance from where the two trails mentioned above meet, the Red Trail turns to the northeast.
Once you reach this opening, the trail takes another turn to the southeast alongside a field.
Another turn to the north and down a small hill and you'll end up at the Red Trail Parking Area, one of three parking lots along the Red Trail you'll find on Knight Road.
Once you approach the Red Trail Parking Area, the trail changes from a natural surface to crushed stone.
As the Red Trail turns to the west, I spotted a side trail heading northward up a small hill and decided to check it out. I went up a short distance and almost turned back. Let me say now that I'm glad I didn't!
Once you reach the top of the small hill, this unnamed trail turns to the west, parallel with the Red Trail.
What a treat this trail turned out to be. I mentioned a surprise at the beginning of my post and this is what I was referring to. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking but walking through this area with all the flowers in bloom was awesome! Had I decided to turn back, I would have been kicking myself later if I found out I missed this!
I wish cameras would show what the eyes see at times, these flowers were everywhere! I had to walk off the trail a bit to get these pictures but it was no more than about 50 or so feet from the trail.
After stopping for a short time just to admire the view, I jumped back on the trail and continued my journey to the west. What I also found out at this point was that like the Orange Trail on the southern end of the park, there are trails all over the place in this area that aren't on the trail map.
I'm not sure what the log structure in this picture is supposed to be so if anyone happens to know, I'm all "ears". I'm only guessing but, horseback riding is permitted at Green Lane Park. It looks to me like a spot where you can temporarily tie a horse to?
This unnamed trail changes directions a few times but is mostly headed in a westerly direction.
Taking a sharp turn to the south after running alongside an open field for a distance, the trail heads back into the woods.
From this point and after changing directions a few times, the unnamed trail meets up with the Red Trail and heads south back towards the reservoir.
After crossing over Knight Road and taking a turn to the southeast, you'll find one end of the Honeysuckle Trail which continues to the southeast for a distance with the Red Trail making a turn to the southwest.
Once you get close to the water's edge, the Honeysuckle Trail also turns to the southwest and after a short distance, another turn to the northwest. Like the unnamed trails I was on, the Honeysuckle Trail runs parallel with the Red Trail but closer to the water's edge.
After exploring the Honeysuckle Trail, it was back to the Red Trail heading in a northeasterly direction.
The Red Trail loops around an alcove and past the white building you see in the above picture. Once you wrap around the alcove, the trail follows along the water to the south.
Once the Red Trail takes another turn back to the north, I found another side trail leading into the woods and decided to check it out.
Not too much further into the woods, you'll find this sign stating "no trespassing". Rats! Like most of the other trails in this section of the park, it looked nice and worthy of exploring.
It seems the property is owned by Aqua and they don't want people walking through the area. Once I reached this sign, I returned to the Red Trail. Thankfully, it was close and there was a small trail leading back to it. Strange, throughout the rest of my hike, I didn't see any other areas with signs posted. It makes me wonder why this portion of the park is off limits.
Returning to the Red Trail and still continuing to the north, the side trail you see to the left side of the below picture was the one that was off limits.
As the Red Trail turns to the west, there's yet another unnamed side trail running through the woods which I explored.
Looking through a small opening in the trees, I could see my objective off in the distance.
The Red Trail changes directions a few times and wraps around another small alcove
Getting close to my objective, I arrived at the Knight Road Parking Area.
Once I was at the parking lot, I noticed a crosswalk heading to the opposite side of the street which was yet another trail head and more trails that aren't on the map. Green Lane Park is full of surprises when it comes to their trails. Some of them are mapped but there seems to be a good amount that aren't.
Once you arrive at the Knight Road Parking Lot, the Red Trail is paved.
This site has an interesting history behind it. Apparently, before the trail was built, this was a small cemetery for a family with the last name of Borneman. During construction of the trail, the cemetery was destroyed with the only remnants of the site being the stone you see in the below picture.
The Borneman family had spoken to construction crews during the building process to let them know it was a burial site but after surveying the land using ground penetrating equipment, no evidence was found and construction continued. A joint effort between the family and state is apparently underway to reconstruct the site.
The below memorial is said to the be the resting place for Daniel Borneman who in 1721, settled in the Upper Perkiomen Valley with his wife Maria and fifteen known descendants. The memorial, which was placed there on September 4, 1879 during a family reunion states "Keep me enclosed forever as provided in Henry Borneman's Will".
Once I was done at the memorial, I was on my way to the last leg of the journey before turning back.
Alongside the Green Lane Reservoir in this area are a number of fishing piers. I love fishing but these piers are a good 10-15 feet above the water and no shade!
Almost to my objective, I took a shot looking back to the section of the Red Trail I had just been on.
This was the point where I turned around to head back to my vehicle. Back in February, I explored the Blue Trail and with this, I thought my adventures at Green Lane Park would be completed. Little did I know that I would find more trails than what's shown on the trail map!
On my return, I stayed on the Red Trail for the duration and took a number of pictures along the way.
This was the unnamed trail that had brought me to the "no trespassing" sign earlier in my hike.
Upon returning, I also found another crosswalk and trail across Knight Road. It looks like there are going to be at least a few more adventures here at Green Lane Park!
I spotted a great blue heron hanging out by the water's edge. I don't think it enjoyed me watching it even from a good distance away. It wasn't long before it took off.
Following the Red Trail on my return wasn't nearly as fun as taking all the side trails I had checked out during the first half of my adventure.
Back to the wooded section of the Red Trail, it was nice to be in the woods again.
That was it for my hike at Green Lane Park for the day. In all, this was a pretty fun adventure. The trails for the most part are in very good condition, finding all the unnamed side trails, and the views of the area made this trip well worth while.
One item to note if you didn't notice is that if you have plans to hike the Red Trail, be sure to go on a day where it's not too hot outside and wear some sunscreen, there's very little cover from the sun on this trail. During the first half of my journey, I found as many side trails as I could to explore, but also to get out of the sun.
Finding more trails was definitely a bonus as well. After returning from this adventure, I looked at the area on Google Maps in satellite view and noted that there looks to be a lot of trails in the northern section of the park (and another parking lot) so my adventures there aren't done yet! I will eventually be returning to check out and map these trails for future reference.
Until next time, happy exploring and happy hiking!
On Friday the 20th, I took another ride out to Green Lane Park to explore the Red and Honeysuckle Trails and once again, I was in for a surprise! It was a good surprise and it made my adventure that much better. More about this in a bit. After exploring these trails, I'm wondering to myself why it is I waited so long to head out there.
For this adventure, I parked in the Hemlock Point Trail parking lot, the address is:
934 Lakeview Drive
Green Lane, PA 18054
GPS: 40.346488, -75.484052
This parking lot is tucked away and by the looks of it, is not used very often and doesn't seem to be as well maintained as the others scattered throughout the park. There are some potholes to dodge on the way in/out but nothing you couldn't easily avoid. For a copy of the trail map, click here.
As I already mentioned, the parking lot is at the Hemlock Point Trail and also intersects with the Perkiomen and Red Trails in the same area. This is the same spot where I ended up during my last adventure at Green Lane Park before heading back to the parking lot on Deep Creek Road.
Once you pass the above sign, you'll be on a connecting trail heading northwest down a hill to get to the Red Trail (and Hemlock Point Trail).
At the bottom of the hill is where the Hemlock Point and Red Trails meet and head in opposite directions. This is also where you'll get your fist view of Green Lane Reservoir.
The Red Trail continues to the northwest alongside the reservoir and although this shot is looking downhill, most of this area is a gradual climb uphill to where you're well above the water.
A short distance up the trail, you'll find this picnic table and although they run pretty much parallel to each other, a side trail splits off from the Red Trail to the left side opposite the picnic table with the Red Trail to the right.
Instead of staying on the Red Trail, I chose to explore the side trail to the left which went down a hill and alongside some cliffs. While there's enough room to walk without trouble, watch your step! There's a bit of a drop down to the water below.
 |
| Another view of Green Lane Reservoir |
 |
| View looking back towards the picnic table, the Red Trail runs above the cliffs |
The side trail along the cliffs eventually meets back up with the Red Trail, still heading in a northwest direction.
A short distance from where the two trails mentioned above meet, the Red Trail turns to the northeast.
Once you reach this opening, the trail takes another turn to the southeast alongside a field.
Another turn to the north and down a small hill and you'll end up at the Red Trail Parking Area, one of three parking lots along the Red Trail you'll find on Knight Road.
Once you approach the Red Trail Parking Area, the trail changes from a natural surface to crushed stone.
As the Red Trail turns to the west, I spotted a side trail heading northward up a small hill and decided to check it out. I went up a short distance and almost turned back. Let me say now that I'm glad I didn't!
Once you reach the top of the small hill, this unnamed trail turns to the west, parallel with the Red Trail.
What a treat this trail turned out to be. I mentioned a surprise at the beginning of my post and this is what I was referring to. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking but walking through this area with all the flowers in bloom was awesome! Had I decided to turn back, I would have been kicking myself later if I found out I missed this!
I wish cameras would show what the eyes see at times, these flowers were everywhere! I had to walk off the trail a bit to get these pictures but it was no more than about 50 or so feet from the trail.
After stopping for a short time just to admire the view, I jumped back on the trail and continued my journey to the west. What I also found out at this point was that like the Orange Trail on the southern end of the park, there are trails all over the place in this area that aren't on the trail map.
I'm not sure what the log structure in this picture is supposed to be so if anyone happens to know, I'm all "ears". I'm only guessing but, horseback riding is permitted at Green Lane Park. It looks to me like a spot where you can temporarily tie a horse to?
 |
| More flowers along the trail! |
 |
| One of only a few wet spots on the trails |
This unnamed trail changes directions a few times but is mostly headed in a westerly direction.
Taking a sharp turn to the south after running alongside an open field for a distance, the trail heads back into the woods.
From this point and after changing directions a few times, the unnamed trail meets up with the Red Trail and heads south back towards the reservoir.
 |
| Back to natural surface trail? Not quite, it didn't last. |
After crossing over Knight Road and taking a turn to the southeast, you'll find one end of the Honeysuckle Trail which continues to the southeast for a distance with the Red Trail making a turn to the southwest.
Once you get close to the water's edge, the Honeysuckle Trail also turns to the southwest and after a short distance, another turn to the northwest. Like the unnamed trails I was on, the Honeysuckle Trail runs parallel with the Red Trail but closer to the water's edge.
 |
| Remnants of an old stone wall alongside the trail. |
After exploring the Honeysuckle Trail, it was back to the Red Trail heading in a northeasterly direction.
The Red Trail loops around an alcove and past the white building you see in the above picture. Once you wrap around the alcove, the trail follows along the water to the south.
Once the Red Trail takes another turn back to the north, I found another side trail leading into the woods and decided to check it out.
Not too much further into the woods, you'll find this sign stating "no trespassing". Rats! Like most of the other trails in this section of the park, it looked nice and worthy of exploring.
It seems the property is owned by Aqua and they don't want people walking through the area. Once I reached this sign, I returned to the Red Trail. Thankfully, it was close and there was a small trail leading back to it. Strange, throughout the rest of my hike, I didn't see any other areas with signs posted. It makes me wonder why this portion of the park is off limits.
Returning to the Red Trail and still continuing to the north, the side trail you see to the left side of the below picture was the one that was off limits.
As the Red Trail turns to the west, there's yet another unnamed side trail running through the woods which I explored.
Looking through a small opening in the trees, I could see my objective off in the distance.
The Red Trail changes directions a few times and wraps around another small alcove
Getting close to my objective, I arrived at the Knight Road Parking Area.
Once I was at the parking lot, I noticed a crosswalk heading to the opposite side of the street which was yet another trail head and more trails that aren't on the map. Green Lane Park is full of surprises when it comes to their trails. Some of them are mapped but there seems to be a good amount that aren't.
Once you arrive at the Knight Road Parking Lot, the Red Trail is paved.
This site has an interesting history behind it. Apparently, before the trail was built, this was a small cemetery for a family with the last name of Borneman. During construction of the trail, the cemetery was destroyed with the only remnants of the site being the stone you see in the below picture.
The Borneman family had spoken to construction crews during the building process to let them know it was a burial site but after surveying the land using ground penetrating equipment, no evidence was found and construction continued. A joint effort between the family and state is apparently underway to reconstruct the site.
The below memorial is said to the be the resting place for Daniel Borneman who in 1721, settled in the Upper Perkiomen Valley with his wife Maria and fifteen known descendants. The memorial, which was placed there on September 4, 1879 during a family reunion states "Keep me enclosed forever as provided in Henry Borneman's Will".
Once I was done at the memorial, I was on my way to the last leg of the journey before turning back.
Alongside the Green Lane Reservoir in this area are a number of fishing piers. I love fishing but these piers are a good 10-15 feet above the water and no shade!
 |
| Carp hanging out by the surface |
Almost to my objective, I took a shot looking back to the section of the Red Trail I had just been on.
This was the point where I turned around to head back to my vehicle. Back in February, I explored the Blue Trail and with this, I thought my adventures at Green Lane Park would be completed. Little did I know that I would find more trails than what's shown on the trail map!
On my return, I stayed on the Red Trail for the duration and took a number of pictures along the way.
This was the unnamed trail that had brought me to the "no trespassing" sign earlier in my hike.
Upon returning, I also found another crosswalk and trail across Knight Road. It looks like there are going to be at least a few more adventures here at Green Lane Park!
I spotted a great blue heron hanging out by the water's edge. I don't think it enjoyed me watching it even from a good distance away. It wasn't long before it took off.
 |
| Back to the Honeysuckle Trail |
Following the Red Trail on my return wasn't nearly as fun as taking all the side trails I had checked out during the first half of my adventure.
 |
| Looking into the woods alongside the Red Trail |
 |
| Just a few caterpillar nests on this tree! |
Back to the wooded section of the Red Trail, it was nice to be in the woods again.
That was it for my hike at Green Lane Park for the day. In all, this was a pretty fun adventure. The trails for the most part are in very good condition, finding all the unnamed side trails, and the views of the area made this trip well worth while.
One item to note if you didn't notice is that if you have plans to hike the Red Trail, be sure to go on a day where it's not too hot outside and wear some sunscreen, there's very little cover from the sun on this trail. During the first half of my journey, I found as many side trails as I could to explore, but also to get out of the sun.
Finding more trails was definitely a bonus as well. After returning from this adventure, I looked at the area on Google Maps in satellite view and noted that there looks to be a lot of trails in the northern section of the park (and another parking lot) so my adventures there aren't done yet! I will eventually be returning to check out and map these trails for future reference.
Until next time, happy exploring and happy hiking!
