Nockamixon State Park Quakertown, Pennsylvania

The 5,286-acre Nockamixon State Park is in the rolling hills of scenic Bucks County, close enough to Philadelphia, PA or New Brunswick, NJ for a day trip, but far enough away for a vacation. Tohickon Creek, Three Mile Run, and Haycock Run feed the 1,450-acre Lake Nockamixon, which is a rest stop for migrating waterfowl and a destination for boaters and anglers. Visitors can stay the night in a cabin or enjoy the many activities of the park for the day. Popular activities are picnicking, swimming in the pool, hiking, biking, disc golf, hunting, fishing, and boating.

There is an excellent trail system for every level of rider. It’s about 9 miles and features varying degrees of difficulty. While it’s a great place for beginners, speed it up and it can challenge even advanced riders. It’s all fun and fast singletrack on mostly smooth trail. The trail maintenance crew of Valley Mountain Biking Club is continually working on it to keep it clean and make improvements. Depending on the bikers skill level it can take almost 3 hours to complete the whole loop but most bikers with a hand full of trails under their belt can get it done in under 2 hours.

The lake is approximately one-half mile wide and seven miles long. Offering four public launching areas, Lake Nockamixon is a popular spot for boating of all kinds, including catamarans and windsurfers. Anglers also enjoy this warm, expansive water lake, which is stocked with a variety of species. You can rent small paddle boats here, and there’s a pool for swimming. The 10 overnight cabins available for use are modern and comfortable, and a series of trails wind through the relatively flat landscape. The lake is open to boating and fishing 24 hours a day and the park is open sunrise to sunset. The park has a decent amount of attractions and can be slightly crowded in the summer near the more public areas.