Park Site
Trail Map
Hike Distance: 5.22 miles
Trails: the towpath
My Map:
I reached the parking lot at Washington’s Crossing right around noon, and it wasn’t too packed. Lots of people were making their way to Washington’s Crossing State Park (which I had hiked at the end of January.) After eating a quick lunch it was off to hike the towpath.
This section of the hike uses the towpath on the western side of the canal. There is high sun exposure (on a sunny day) so be prepared with a hat and plenty of water. Like my previous hike, the towpath is crushed gravel and flat. The only real ascent/descent was at Scudders Falls.
The hike starts out with a great shot of the bridge to Pennsylvania.
For this portion of the hike, you are no more than ten or so feet from the canal, and Route 29 is on the other side. You will hear plenty of road noise from Route 29 like before, as it is a fairly busy road.
This section of the canal flows pretty slow, and makes a great home for ducks and geese. I saw signs that this section is stocked with trout, no one was fishing though.
Just before Route 29 junctions with Interstate 295, you will reach the Scudders Falls parking lot. A small downhill road will take you right up to the falls. It’s fairly fast moving water and there are plenty of signs warning on the dangers of swimming.
A shot of the standing waves:
Kayakers must love this in warmer weather.
I mean, I think I know the answer, but the water must have been pretty high.
Like the last hike, it was straight back to the car using the same trail.
I found this section of the trail to be different from earlier in the day; there was lots more sun, but surprisingly less people on this section. I imagine it gets more crowded in the summer.
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Hiked: 3/13/2021