To me, a great family-friendly (or mom-friendly) trail, has easy parking, not too intense inclines, and is overall safe for you to do with any age child. Speedwell Forge definitely meets these expectations—and more! Let me show you how we fell in love with the Speedwell Forge Trail.
I have also written a full list of 30+ Hiking Trails in Lancaster County, organized by region of the county. Be sure to check that out for personalized recommendations and photo galleries to help you figure out which trail is right for your family to enjoy next.
Is parking difficult to find?
Parking is probably my first criteria in looking for a great hiking spot. The last thing I want to do is arrive at a hiking location and feel stressed about where to park or how to exit the vehicle safely. Speedwell Forge Trailhead has a nice lot that fits probably 8 or more cars, and its easy to turn around in. Also easy to pull out on the road, when you are leaving.
What will we see on the trail?
We hiked the trail in early June 2020, and it was beautiful. Hundreds of flowers in bloom, and even some honeysuckle remaining, although a lot of it was dying out.
Our favorite part was all the cute little bridges crossing the stream and walkways.
And equally special to us was the opportunity to hike along the creek and streams. We loved having so many access points to the water, and hearing the running water and even a few waterfalls.
Another favorite was finding some large logs to search under—you’ll never know what you will find under there. 🙂
Here are some more photos of the trails, paths and different scenery you’ll experience.
Is it really muddy?
We hiked the trail on a somewhat dry day (it had rained maybe 2-3 days before). There were certainly muddy spots, but there was always a clean way around them. Our feet didn’t get muddy at all. I’d say the trail is extremely well taken care of, just look at a few of these pics.
We did find some poison ivy on the trail, climbing up a tree right where you pass by, so please be careful. I highly recommend downloading the Seek app, which will help you identify anything you find. Just aim your camera at the leaf, bark or flower you want to identify, and it tells you the name!
Where is the trail located?
The trail is very easy to get to, whether you’re coming from Ephrata, Lititz, Myerstown or Lebanon. We traveled Route 322 north, and then turned left on Long Lane just after the Brickerville intersection. Super-simple! (You’ll pass the Wolf Sanctuary.)
Just make sure you choose Speedwell Trail (not the lake) in your GPS or on Google Maps, and you’ll find it easily.
We did just the right loop on the trail and it we did it VERY leisurely in about an hour. We had fun exploring and discovering, so we were not going at a very fast pace at all. I have been told if you do the trail we did AND the one on the left of the map below, it will take about 2 hours with kids.
You might also enjoy watching a video of our family hike, including some fun secret passageways the kids enjoyed. 🙂
More Hiking Trails in Lancaster County
Here is a full list of 30+ hiking trails in Lancaster County, organized by region. Many of them have personal reviews written by our family to help you learn if the trail is a good fit for you.
