A Peaceful Walk in Bucks County

You may be familiar with Peace Valley Park and may even have walked the paved path that encircles Lake Galena, but did you know there are many more trails to choose from? If you head over to the Nature Center, you’ll find more than 15 miles of natural walking trails and can see and walk through various landscape features, from woods to open meadows to swampy wetlands.

The area around the nature center is a protected wildlife area, so you are likely to see a variety of bird species (several of hundreds call the park home and even more pass through on their annual migration). If you are curious to learn more or are accompanied by a budding birder, the Nature Center’s birding backpacks (available to borrow) include a field guide and binoculars.  

These trails on the east side of the lake feel more remote and can make you feel like you’ve traveled far from the lake, but if you’re paying attention, you can get occasional glimpses of the lake through the foliage. Protecting wildlife is a priority on this side of the park: Boating is not allowed on the northeast section of the lake and pets are not permitted on the unpaved nature trails.

[Note that the Peace Valley Park is part of the Bucks County Park system, which has its own guidelines for boating (and its own launch permit – state stickers are not valid in Bucks County-owned waters).]