Quote:
Working off a tip from the previous night’s bartender, I headed out of my hotel around 6am in search of a nice running trail. I drove from Exit 80 of I-81, heading north on Route 741 past the Holiday Inn and Penn National Race Track to its end at the intersection with Route 443. There, I turned right and went straight 3 miles or so until reaching the Memorial Lake State Park sign. One turns right onto Boundary Road from there and can access the parks facilities via the lower, middle, or upper roads.
I chose the upper access, and what I found there was a pleasant surprise. Indeed, it was a great place to run and a whole lot more. The 230-acre park surrounds an 85-acre memorial lake that was constructed in 1945 to honor the state’s national guardsmen dead from both World Wars. It is in a picturesque location nestled between the Blue Mountains and Fort Indiantown Gap (FIG). I found the trailhead, stretched a bit, and began my run.
Although not totaling more than 3 miles in length, the trail snaked around coves and jetties of land along the lake shore. This helps a lazy person like me stay interested enough to run multiple laps. Its base is packed pea gravel with great drainage. A Vita Course with sit-up boards, pull-up bars, etc., is integrated with the trail and is also superbly maintained. Picnic tables, shelters and grills are found throughout the park.
I startled plenty of wildlife with my heavy feet and strained breathing as I ran the trails, including large rabbits, and at one point, eight large whitetail deer. Nearing the middle of the park, I encountered a couple of fishermen in a small boat who were in the process of pulling in a respectable bass. The lake is, in fact, an excellent fishing spot designated officially as a Big Bass Area. All bass shorter than 15 inches are catch-and-release only. This section of the park offers boat rentals of various types and a live-bait vending machine. The lower section of the park is more of the same. There, with my panting, I scared a couple of the largest rabbits I’ve seen. Here also are excellent picnic facilities and a sand volleyball court.
Visit the park’s website at http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/memoriallake.aspx, or phone them at 717/865-6470 for more information.
From journals
A FIG more than Chocolate