Middletown (PA) Linvill Trail (9/9-10/2019)

Monday, September 9, 2019
The 3.5 mile Linville Trail is said to circle open space property and has a lollipop trail along another side of the property. There is a trailhead in Linvill Road at Spring Valley Road, but no parking lot. We parked at the beginning of Clover Circle, and headed back down Linvill Road to follow the loop trail in a counter-clockwise direction.

Linvill Trail markers

Linvill Trail follows the fence along Linvill Road,
on the outside of the fence as there is
no admittance to inside of the fence

Okay, it looks like the open space is used by Linvilla Orchards

Amaranthus sp

There are still a few peaches left this season

Plenty of apples of all varieties

They offer fresh-cut Christmas trees as well

The trail between the orchards and private property on the L

Large hay wagon on blocks

In places the ground is littered with apples

Here are the Christmas trees, all a bit small in this section

Celastrus scandens/American Bittersweet

Kent examines a mystery red utility box

We saw a couple hunting blinds on stilts in the
"open space" plus this chair in the abutting woods

The trail also goes around the Hidden Hollow Swim Club property

These tennis courts look unused

There were also basketball and volleyball courts, and a handball court.

Abandoned canoe

A bubbler in the canoe pond

Swim Club swimming and diving pools (KSS)

Sculpture in the hostas at the entrance to the swim club

A hay ride tour with the guide using a microphone,
so that we could all hear his commentary

Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Today we did the lollipop portion of the Linvill Trail.

An allée of Pinus strobus/Eastern White Pines

Still along the perimeter of Linvalla Orchards,
here are more Christmas trees and some cornfields

Bobcats? Perhaps they are coming back
to Delaware County

Heading into the woods of mostly
Liriodendron tulipfera/Tulip Trees

Crossing a natural gas liquids pipeline,
the Mariner East 2 of Sunoco

Are these puffball mushrooms?

Suddenly found ourselves at the paved Chester Creek Trail, which means we had followed the connecting Starch Mill Trail between the Linvill Trail and the Chester Creek Trail.

As we headed back along Starch Mill Trail, we found old stone walls

Ah, here is a Starch Mill Trail marker!

Acorns of the Quercus velutina/Eastern Black Oak

Yet another hunting seat; there are definitely
'No Hunting' signs posted along the trails,
so hopefully this is just leftover from earlier times

A notice sign indicates that the land adjacent to the trail is either an actively farmed life estate or private property, which we assume means Linvilla Orchards has rights to continue to farm on the "open space" belonging to Middletown Township.