LE-LI FISH HATCHERY AND EMMAUS WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY - LEHIGH COUNTY

LE-LI FISH HATCHERY AND EMMAUS WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY - LEHIGH COUNTY

We started our hiking day off with a trip to the Le-Li Fish Hatchery near Emmaus Pa. The hatchery is located off route 78...go right on Rt 29 S and then take a left turn onto Fish Hatchery Road...the hatchery is on your left. There are hundreds of trout and fish here which is awesome for the kids....most of the pools are covered with nets due to birds eating the trout (though the fish can still be fed and seen fine as its netting on top) but two pools are open and have trout and ducks to feed. The hatchery is free and has some picnic areas and a field for the kids to play in. The shop is located south of the parking lot after the trout pools...you can buy huge bags of food for $2 each here....we bought three of them and they lasted for nearly an hour. Bring along wipes and hand sanitizer because the food is oily and you will smell like fish ...haha. 

Feeding the Fish!!

Hungry Trout!!!

After a fun and sunny hour feeding the fish it was onto the trail. The Emmaus Wildlife Conservancy is located off Route 29S again and a left onto Riverbend Road. About half a mile down make a right onto Orchid Road....the conservancy is on your right. This is a nice little recreation area to have a picnic and take in some wildlife. The trail networks total about 3 miles but the smaller trails close to the conservancy   only total around 1.2 miles. We took the bird trail right as you enter the conservancy and then looped to the right and caught the Pheasant Trail. This connected to a boardwalk wetlands trail and then looped back to the parking area. 

And away we go!!!

Always in the lead....

Right up the trail (which is a nice easy walkway with mulch chips) there is a bird watching area with seating...about 10 different bird houses circle a small frog pond.....another small bird watching area with a picnic table is about 20 feet from here) ...we should have had lunch here instead of at the table in the park itself. 

Sitting at the bird watching area

Exploring the Second Little Frog Habitat Pond

In Mid-July lots and lots of natural Raspberries along this trail!!

After a short walk down the trail...it's onto the Pheasant Trail. Shortly off this trail is a side path (Garden Trail) that runs a circle loop through a beautiful flowery meadow. We found some honey bee hives here and spent about 15 minutes watching them do there thing. It was really neat to hear them buzzing and fanning inside the hive to cool it down. We bravely ignored not standing in the path of the entranceway to the hives (as the sides where really overgrown with grass)...we had bees on us but they stayed pretty good until about 15 minutes in when they began to get a bit more aggressive so we let them get back to work!

The Pheasant Trail!!

The Bee Hives!!!

Watching the Bees!!!!

From this point the trail merged with a creekside swamp / wetlands trail with a boardwalk. This was really neat and had small points around it that had special activities such as a creek access point....swamp view...and frog pond habitat.

On the Boardwalk!!

Wading in the Creek!

Beautiful but very cold...even in Mid-July

The swamp viewing bridge....even though it looks rickety it was all good!!

All of us on watching frogs and minnows in the swamp!

Awesome!!!....Three baby deer...one is in this pic!

Frog habitat...watching frogs on the far bank!!

Looking for frogs!!

Break at the creek!!

OVERVIEW:

A nice day of feeding the fish and seeing nature on this hike....from the fish and birds to chipmunks and frogs...the honeybees and the baby deer a pretty good day. The hike itself though was more a nature walk and wouldn't have really counted for our kids as a true "hike"...still really fun!!

MIDDLE CREEK WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY LANCASTER COUNTY

MIDDLE CREEK WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY 

On todays hike we went to the Middle Creek Wildlife Conservancy in northern Lancaster County above Ephrata Pa. The conservancy consists of a large lake with limited boating and recreation activity area's thus a more pristine wildlife area than similar sized lakes in the area such as Blue Marsh in Berks County. Off of Klienfelters Road to the left is the Visitors Center which is where we hiked today. We did the 1.5 mile Conservation Trail as well as some small offshoots making this a 2.2 mile hike. The Conservation Trail starts in the upper side of the parking lot opposite from the Visitor's Center. It consists of 5 "zones" (Flowering Meadow, Nature Forest, Grasslands, Swamp and Pine Forest pond area). Along the way there are some small off shoot deer trails to go deeper into the woods / swamp etc which were nice to follow for a bit as well. Don't forget to stop by the Visitor's Center after your visit....they have some neat animals (stuffed) on display as well as a bird watching area. They are closed on Monday....The kids loved the small touch box with deer antlers and turtle shells!

Starting Out!!!

The Conservation Trail!!

The Beginning of the hike takes you through a beautiful field of wildflowers and grasses. Bee's and grasshoppers are everywhere! At the top of this meadow where the trees start I would recommend taking the trail to the right even though the trail sign points left...we went left and it would seem like the trail goes through a field here straight ahead but it actually turns right through the woods. This trail is very grown over in the beginning and full of ticks. This short initial woods comes out at the view point....and meets the trail that we could have taken to the right....I would just go right next time....

Up the flower meadow

Nice view of the lake across the street from the viewpoint

After a short uphill you enter a natural forest....lots of chipmunks and birds to see here. 

Posing in the woods...what a ham!!

Down the trail!!

At this point the trail goes downhill and you come out in a meadow with hedgerows and grain. We were able to catch some grasshoppers here. Next up was the swamp / wetlands which wasn't that wet because of the hot temps this summer but we still found some small patches...

On the wetland boardwalk!!

A view of the little stream flowing through here...some minnows and frogs here.

Lunch break.....we found a moss covered rock now know by the kids as "Turtle Rock"

Lunch on "Turtle rock"!!!

Bellies Full...back up the trail finding spiders!!

Time out to play and throw rocks in the creek!!!

At this point the hike is about over....you go through the small pine forest and then back through a new wetland boardwalk. You will emerge in a field and the waterfowl pond is at the end...the pond is fenced in....too bad....so the kids can't play there as we had hoped at the end of the hike.

Always time to stop and smell the flowers

The waterfowl pond..too bad it was fenced in!

Next up the Visitor's Center...

The hike is completed!!

Bird egg exhibit...

Fun with the Turtle Shell!!!

The unicorn!!!

Never too young for bird watching!!!

OVERVIEW:

This was a short...but fun hike with lots of little activities along the way. The Visitor's Center was more fun that I thought it would be for the kids. Stop at the lake and dam (go back the way you came and make a left onto Mill Road (I believe...basically the first real left on a road you can make)....you can do the deer trail by going down the first parking area and walking to the right...it is a short .5 miles connecting one picnic area to another but there wasn't too much to see other than the lake. 

Trexler Game Preserve Hike

TREXLER GAME PRESERVE - LEHIGH COUNTY

The Trexler Game Preserve is a large animal preserve with wide open fields and plenty of space for animals to roam. We entered the park from the western end ( taking Route 100 North above Fogelsville)....this way allowed us to drive through fields and meadows and see some wild deer on the way down to the creek area. Be aware that there are road closed signs on this road as the covered bridge is closed but you can still get to the entrance to the park. This area also houses the Lehigh Valley Zoo which is on par with Hersheyparks Zoo America...not that big but a great time for the kids to spend a few hours with small crowds and very close to some of the animals. The highlight of the zoo was feeding the Lorikeets as well as the Kangeroo exhibit that you can walk through.

About a quarter mile down from the Zoo you drive across the Jordan Creek and the entrance to the Elk Trail is on your left! The trail goes about 1 - 1.5 miles up a mountain with overlooks to the zoo and reserve below. The trail is a loop...the right side goes up the mountain and is the way I suggest to start....after you reach the overlook it goes down the mountain and loops back to the water way below the zoo!

Fording the Jordan Creek on the way to the Trail!

Ready to Start The Elk Trail Up The Mountain!!!

Enjoying the Hike!!!

About halfway through the mountain trail I would recommend bushwacking to the right...there is a short woods and then you hit a clearing with tall grasses...you will see a big chain link fence in front of you.....there are Elk in this fenced in area....they may not be viewable in the area you choose but they are there....we tried about three times before we saw them!!! Watch out for ticks here...we all had one on our cloths when we walked back to the trail!

Picnic Break at the Top!!!

The Beautiful Lehigh Valley with The Lehigh Zoo Parking Lot Below!!

To the right of the picnic area the trail goes down the mountain to the covered bridge.....there is a walkway bridge across the Jordan Creek here and it is a perfect place to play in the water and cool down! 

Water Break!

View from the walkway to the Covered Bridge!

A short gravel trail about .25 of a mile back and you are back at your car.....a neat multi-wooden bridge connects you back to the parking area. This is a GREAT area to play with the kids in the creek...crayfish, frogs and many fish are in the creek to explore and this area is very shallow for the most part all the way across the creek the couple times we were here this summer.

The wooden walkway back

Playing in the Creek and Catching Creek Creatures to Look At!

Once back in the car you exit the preserve by going down the road to the right. Along the way there are great views of the Elk again and further up the Bison which are awesome! You will cross the top of the hill with the overlook and then go down the road through woods and exit the preserve.

Viewing the Male Elk!!!

Cool Bison and very Close!!

Close Enough to Touch!!

Overview:  A great place to visit for the day...drive through the park...see the zoo...hike the trail...play in the creek...see the animals on the way out....Perfect!