Marsh
Creek State
Park
675 Park Rd, Downingtown, PA
About
Marsh Creek State Park is located on the site of a former town, Milford Mills, which was innudated to form the lake at the center of the park. The lake is utilized for many activities including fishing, sailing, and kayaking. The surrounding forest and meadows have several multi-use trails and a few hiking only trails. The white trail on the West launch side and the red trail on the east launch side are the hiking only trails. All of the trails here are beautiful in their own way, but the hiking only trails are by far the most relaxing.
Logistics
# of Trails: 6 with numerous connecting trails
19.5 miles of trails
Hours
Daily, Dawn-dusk
Parking
Ample Spots on either side of lake
Bathrooms
Yes (both sides of lake)
Dogs: Yes
Horses: Yes
Mt Bikes: Yes
TIPS
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Hikers need to announce themselves at corners and steep areas of multi-use trails to avoid conflicts with Mt. Bikers.
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Hunting is only allowed troughout the park during certain seasons.
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The parking lots get quite full during the summer due to lake access.
White Trail (4 miles)
The white trail extends from the Dam all the way to the northern park border. The northern section is the part which I recommend, since it is a hiking only trail. You can park at the West Launch parking area and follow the multi-use trail to the Chalfant Rd parking area. This parking area is frequented by those fishing from the shore and mountain bikers. The trail follows Chalfant for about an eighth of a mile before cutting to the right into the woods. The hiking only trail section begins in the woods. The trail continues along the bank of the lake through the woods for a while before moving up the hill into an open meadow. It is relatively flat dirt path with minimal elevation changes. The trail follows the outside of the meadow and reenters the woods before crossing into private property at Curd Rd. The trail has excellent views of the lake from the trail as well as from the shore via connector trails. The trail terminates at Little Conestoga Rd. The trail is 4 miles round trip if you start from the West Launch parking area. You can extend your hike by taking any of the other multi-use trails south west of the Chalfant parking area or by continuing on the White trail south of the West Launch area parking lot.
Red Trail (1.5 miles)
The red trail begins and ends at the East Launch parking area near the park office. The trail starts along a gravel service road at the west end of the parking lot. The gravel roadway surface continues to what looks like a pump station. At this point the trail can be followed straight up to the overflow/swimming area parking lot or continued into the woods near the shoreline. The trail marking signage is poor in the area. The hill heads toward the parking lot and the gap in the woods is the outer part of the trail. The outer rim trail continues through the woods and comes into a more open area, again with no trail markings. Staying straight along the most obvious path leads up to the edge of the park boundary. once the homes are in view, take the sharp left back into the woods and up the steep hill toward the water tower. The trail leads between the fenced-in areas and down the hill toward the park office equipment garage. At the garage, taking the road up the hill leads to the swimming pool access road and parking lots. From here is is a short walk back to the parking area. The trail is difficult to follow the first time, so I highly recommend reviewing the video before attempting it. The trail also has significant elevation gain for such a short trail. There is plentiful wildife and the is no hunting allowed on this side of the lake. I saw several deer who could care less that I was 10 feet from them. The trail was a nice way to end the day and as I returned to the parking lot I was able to catch a beautiful sunset over the lake.