Oil Creek Bike Trail

A rugged loop on the Northern section of the Gerard Trail Hard to imagine but a little over a century ago these hills were a desolate, oil-coated wasteland. Nature has reclaimed Oil Creek and it now has thickly wooded hillsides, cascading streams and all the wildlife one would expect. The Gerard Trail (follow the yellow blazes) covers a 36 mile circuit of Oil Creek State Park. This review covers an 11 mile loop from the Drake Well to the Miller Farm and back. One could cut the loop in half by taking the white-blazed connector trail to Boughton Falls. There are plenty of switchbacks and climbs and when the weather is wet the trail can become quite mucky in places. Should the hills become too much you could take to the paved bike path that runs the length of the park but, in all honesty, walking the asphault can be equally tough on legs and feet that have already been working the hills. I have only covered a third of the Girard Trail and fully intend to come back again and survey the entire circuit.