State park · Union Township, Berks County
French Creek State Park
The core of the Hopewell Big Woods, an unbroken sweep of forest with two lakes, rocky trails for hikers and mountain bikers, and the restored iron village of Hopewell Furnace right next door.
What you will find
- Hiking trails
- Mountain biking
- Horseback riding
- Cross-country skiing
- Camping
- Cabins or shelters
- Swimming
- Boat launch
- Canoe and kayak launch
- Fishing
- Picnic areas
- Wildlife and bird watching
- Historic features
- Accessible trails
Hunting is permitted here in season. Check the state hunting calendar and wear blaze orange in fall and winter.
Make a day of it
Nearby
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Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Deep in the woods next to French Creek State Park, a restored 19th-century iron-making village with a charcoal blast furnace, the ironmaster's mansion and workers' houses.
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Daniel Boone Homestead
Frontiersman Daniel Boone was born here in 1734; the farm keeps the stone Boone house, a log house, barn, smithy and sawmill, with trails around a small lake.
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Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center
A hosiery magnate's stone mansion and the pines and spruces he planted in the early 1900s anchor these woods, threaded with trails and streams and kept as a center for nature education.
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Marsh Creek State Park
Sailboats and kayaks share a big reservoir that covers the old village of Milford Mills, while trails wind through the surrounding hills and a swimming pool cools summer crowds.
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Reading Public Museum
Art, natural science and ancient civilizations under one roof, plus a planetarium and an arboretum with paths winding around the museum's landscaped grounds.
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Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles
Horse-drawn carriages, sleighs and early motor vehicles made in southeastern Pennsylvania, shown in a former truck-body factory beside the 1872 carriage shop where that company got its start.
