I recently took a trip around Lake Galena at Peace Valley Park. This park is located about an hour north of Center City Philadelphia in historic Bucks County. Along with a running trail, the park boasts 14 miles of nature trails in the woods and meadows at the eastern end of Lake Galena.

The trail map:

From a running standpoint this area offers a 6 mile loop around the lake. However my GPS read 6.22 miles (I did get lost a little bit). Overall it was a very nice and scenic 6 miles. For the majority of the 6 miles the paths were open and allowed running on both sides without any issues.

There is a stretch where the running trail ends and you are required to run on an active road in order to finish the loop. Unfortunately there is no paved area or sidewalk for runners so this part can be a bit dangerous. A portion of this road is a one way so it is not a heavy traffic area, but there are cars driving there none the less. I didn’t get an exact distance on how much running was done on the road, but it felt like close to around half a mile.

One area I did enjoy about the running trail was the warning of hill increases and decreases as you approached them. It is something I had never scene before so for me this was new. Of course I would have ran the hills whether or not these warning signs were here, but it was good to know what you were in store for.

On the running trail there were a few amenities along the way. For example there were a few park benches if you want to take a seat or there were a few portable toilets if the urge hits you. However I did not see many areas with drinkable water, so make sure to bring a hydration vest/ belt if you plan on running here.

Outside of the running trail there are a few other areas to explore here. I passed a boat rental where it looked like you could rent a kayak, small sailing boat or canoe. I also saw a few trails that went off into the woods for some hiking. As I mentioned above, there are 14 miles of hiking trails at this park, so if you are looking for a good hike you can find it here.

Overall this running trail is a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I enjoy a good run around the Schuylkill, but if you are looking for a truly scenic run this trail is worth the trip.

A few views from the run: