(This is for the Speedwell Forge Lake which is right next door to the actual park itself.)
If you are so inclined for a little light reading and/or mapery, see the below for all of the technical necessaries regarding the lake.
pfbc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=c3a9b1eef46b4ebe85bf2c883fa7f73e¢er=-76.30666700%2c40.20333300&level=13
co.lancaster.pa.us/DocumentCenter/View/521/Speedwell-Forge-Park-Location-Map?bidId=
www.fishandboat.com/About-Us/PFBC-by-Region/PFBC-Lakes/Pages/SpeedwellForgeLake.aspx
Looking for a new place put the kayaks in the water is what led us here. Why? To me, the lake is big enough to give you some interesting things to see and explore, but not too big that you can't see it all in a few hours.
There are two docks you can launch from - one on either side of Brubaker Valley Road. It was mid-morning on a weekday and there were seven or eight other kayaks out there (mostly people fishing) and a few small boats that were also fishing.
Plenty of wildlife with a Bald Eagle, a deer, a few Blue Heron and fish constantly jumping out of the water. At the far west end of the lake, where it gets shallow and you come to where it gets fed by the Hammer Creek, you expect to see a lot of ducks, turtles, frogs and since you're at the side of the Speedwell Forge Wolf Sanctuary - you can hear some barking & howling and even catch a few glimpses through the trees of a few of the residents running around.
Fwiw, I can imagine that on weekends, this place getting very crowded and while it does have some size to it, compared to some other county/state parks, it's not that big. But for a weekday, it was more than fine.
Beautiful. Peaceful. What more could you want? read more