Freshly Opened Trail At Silver Lake Offers New Adventures To The Public

The Saturday morning sun’s rays bounced off the oversized scissors in Jerry Kozlansky’s hands as he officially opened a new trail at Silver Lake Nature Center.

The 3.5-mile trail is the longest at the center and wraps around the whole lake, said Kozlansky, the director of the Bristol Township-based nature center and county park.

Over 40 people gathered around the trail entrance to witness the ribbon cutting, enjoy some refreshments and then walk the trail.

The idea for the trail began three years ago, but that work for the trail only began a year ago. Hundreds of hours from staff, volunteers and the Eagle Scouts helped complete the project, he said.

A grant was written for the trail and Visit Bucks County donated $3,500 for the project which helped with the trail and also paid for a new kiosk at the nature center’s entrance.

Kozlansky said that the total cost of the project was closer to $5,000.

“Since I’ve been here I was asked if we could build a trail that wraps entirely around the lake and now it is finally done,” he said.

Kozlansky said the average walker should allot 90 minutes for the whole hike, which includes color-coded signs so walkers won’t get lost. The new trail is one of three trails, the other two shorter in distance.

Kelly Keeling, of Visit Bucks County, said that the organization is excited for walkers to enjoy the bucolic nature of the woods.

“We’re thrilled to support the center and the completion of the trail so that visitors and locals who live in Bucks County have additional reasons to live, work and play here and enjoy our natural resources,” she said.

Margaret McGinnis is one of those walkers. With sunglasses on her face and beaming with a smile, the Levittown resident said she thinks the trail is a great addition for other nature-loving locals.

“It’s accessible to everyone and it’s really great. Now that there’s a new trail there are new adventures for everyone. It’s something new to explore and be adventurous about. It’s really great,” she said.

Besides one sign that needs to be added, Kozlansky said the trail is nearly completed, but he asked that walkers communicate with the center to let them know if there is any garbage or debris that needs to be removed.

The trail is open and free to the public from sunrise to sunset.

The lake was purchased by the Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation in 1957 for $1 from the Pennsylvania Fish Commission.