It was an uncharacteristically brisk morning on Saturday, Nov. 9. But for dozens of local residents, there was a more-than-worthy reason to leave the warmth of their beds, defrost their cars and brace the biting air.
At 11 a.m., a small, bundled-up crowd formed outside the Visitor’s Center of Silver Lake Nature Center, located at 1306 Bath Road in Bristol. The group, comprised of adults, children and teenaged Boy Scouts, excitedly awaited the grand opening of the Silver Lake Nature Trail, which offers walking enthusiasts an all-new 3.5-mile adventure.
Present on behalf of SLNC was its president, Jerry Kozlansky, whose happiness over the finished project was contagious.
“This trail finally completes the whole way around the lake, which is something people have been asking since I first got here. Can we build one? Is there one? And it’s officially done,” he told attendees with pride.
According to Kozlansky, the creation of the Silver Lake Nature Trail was made possible thanks to the countless individuals who donated time and energy over the last few months.
“Hundreds of volunteer hours have gone into this. You can’t even imagine,” he said. “Everything from interns in the summer working day to day on the painting of the wooden signs, the letters on everything, to troubleshooting and Eagle Scout projects.”
Additionally, funding from the County of Bucks, Dow Chemical Company and Visit Bucks County, the latter of which gifted Silver Lake a $3,500 grant, helped the trail come to fruition. The money from Visit Bucks County allowed SLNC to install a new kiosk, which outlines all of its trails, and print color-coded, easy-to-follow maps so people don’t get lost on the trails.
“We never had that before in the history of Silver Lake Nature Center,” Kozlansky said of the maps.
After a ceremonial ribbon cutting, guests were invited to enjoy food and coffee inside, followed by a guided tour of the trail.
If moving at a fast pace, Kozlansky said it takes about 90 minutes to walk the entire path. For those planning to make frequent stops to look at the scenery, it will take an average of two hours.
Along the trail, visitors can glimpse the patience and craftsmanship put forth by the volunteers.
“We repurposed all of the wood,” Kozlansky said. “If you walk the trail, every piece of wood you see was once a picnic table, or once was a 6×6 post holding up a pavilion.”
The Silver Lake Nature Trail, color-coded in blue on the map, is one of three options at the center. Across the road, located on another 100 acres of SLNC property, are the red and yellow trails.
“They’re shorter. There’s a little more wilderness over there,” Kozlansky said. “This side is a little more urban, so you’ll run into people, houses and cars where over there, not so much.”
All of the trails are free to walk, and are open daily from sunrise to sunset.
The hours of the Visitor’s Center are Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.; and closed on Monday.
For more information, visit SilverLakeNatureCenter.org or call 215-785-1177.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
