Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: A Pastoral Playground

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: A Pastoral Playground (NAPSA)—If you’re looking for a place to play, the Valley a Yad a i Forge area and Montgomery County, Pa., have a lot to offer— including 55 miles of trails, 40 public golf courses, eight parks and a mountain. Bucolic rural roads and myriad interconnected trails lure runners, walkers and especially cyclists— amateurs as well as professionals. The River to River Heritage Bicycle Tourrolls along the historic Route 118 corridor each July. Riders choose 25-, 50-, 75- or 100-mile loops from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River, passing historic sites along the way. In August, the Livestrong Challenge bikes through the county to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. A varied landscape of urban and suburban neighborhoods from Center City Philadelphia to Valley Forge National Historical Park, and beyond, is the scenery along the paved Schuylkill River Trail. Its 18mile span also connects to the partially paved Perkiomen Trail. The Joseph Plumb Martin Trail, at Valley Forge National Historical Park, offers just one more way to enjoy this 3,600-acre historical wonder. So does fly-fishing for the elusive wild brown trout in the limestone-lined Valley Creek, just footsteps from Washington’s headquarters. A Pennsylvania fishing license is all that’s needed to hook rainbow trout at Green Lane Park, an area haven for boaters and kayakers. Day-trippers can launch non- gas-powered crafts onto Deep Creek Lake. Motor- and rowboat rentals are available at the reservoir and Walt Road Launch. The yearly 110-mile, weeklong Photo credit: Scott Mabry Courtesy of Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau The Valley Forge area offers many scenic opportunities to run, hike, fish, ride horses and even zip-line. Schuylkill River Sojourn attracts hundreds of paddlers whoparticipate for a day, two or all seven. The guided canoe and kayak trip travels through Montgomery County and on to Philadelphia. For those whoprefer dry land, especially manicured greens, there are plenty of courses. The famed private Merion Golf Club, in Ardmore, is the site of this year’s Walker Cup Match and the 2013 U.S. Open. Even the public courses here are impressive. Golf Digest names Bella Vista Golf Course, in Gilbertsville, one of the top places to play. Turtle Creek, a links course in Limerick, is described as having some of the best turf in the Northeast. Mandatory for adventurers is the newest rush of adrenaline in the area: zip-lining. What better way to appreciate the flora and fauna than from 40 feet up? Canopy tours at Spring Mountain feature a series of zip-lines, rope bridges and challenges under the “canopy” of the mountain trees. For more information, visit www.valleyforge.org.