"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike." - John Muir
One in a series of family friendly caches placed to introduce you to some of the great public open spaces forever saved and preserved within the Brodhead Watershed. Round up your family, friends, and geo-pets and head on outdoors and take in and explore the natural wonder that surrounds you!
The cache is a full size container placed near the parking area. It is located just up the road from the BWA office and near the casino. There should be plenty of room to house travel bugs who may need to hitch a ride along their journey. Please hide as found to prevent cache from being muggled. It can be done as a quick cache n dash, but if you might want to take the time to explore the area a bit.
Knauf Farm Preserve (35 acres) – Located in Paradise Valley at the heart of Paradise Township, this old family farm turned tree farm is the second natural area preserved by Paradise Township as part of the Monroe County Open Space program. Accessed via a small kiosk equipped parking area and trail head off Carlton Road, this former homestead and working farm is now near the bustling nightlife of the casino. Yet a short walk across the old farm fields into the now grown evergreen plantings and the mature forest area beyond will quickly leave the road noise and the overgrown farm fields behind and immerse you in a wild Poconos past landscape of springs, rhododendron groves and glacial exposed boulders and rock outcroppings in the lowlands at the back edge of the property. Bordered on two sides by resort lands a connective system of trails on several hundred adjacent resort acres may soon be available for adventurous hikers beyond this small preserve’s boundaries. A 90 minute looped hike will take you from Carlton Road to Merryhill Road (with access to the Mt. Airy Merryhill Trail) along a small intermittent stream, Knauf Run and then back through the now grown Christmas tree plantings and back to the kiosk and parking area where the old German bank barn once stood. The small stream Knauf Run area and rhododendron wetland area of this preserve is a great place to explore for salamanders, wildflowers and if you look close maybe even a few small wild trout as it winds its way toward Forest Hills Run. The original family farmhouse though now remodeled still stands across Carlton Road from the trailhead and parking area. Along with the quiet evening calls of screech and saw whet owls in the evergreens, you can still imagine the sounds of this old farm at work.
The Brodhead Watershed Association (BWA) is a group dedicated to protecting and improving water resources and the environment in the Brodhead and Cherry creek watershed. They assist municipalities, residents, businesses and groups with protecting natural resources through education, workshops, seminars, public programs, stream monitoring and baseline data collection and stream cleanups. Pocono Heritage Land Trust (PHLT) is a locally based conservation group dedicated to protecting important lands and waters, open space, agricultural landscapes and the natural heritage of the Pocono Mountains region.