As an avid outdoors person, there are many parks I like to go to in my spare time around the country and the world. Parks have always been an ideal place for me to exercise, do different activities, ranging from sports to outdoor performances, and to interact with people. Here in Pennsylvania, two of my favorite parks are Ontelaunee Park in New Tripoli and Valley Forge National Historical Park. Their natural beauty makes them quite similar, but of course, they have many differences as well.
Both Ontelaunee Park and Valley Forge Park have spectacular natural scenery. Ontelaunee Park is located in a very bucolic part of Pennsylvania. There are amazing views of Blue Mountain, which is about a mile away. Valley Forge Park is both at the foot of and goes through Mount Joy and Mount Misery. Both parks have trails that go through heavily wooded areas.
A video of Ontelaunee Park
Besides the scenery, another interesting similarity between the two parks is the fact that they both hold public events throughout the year. Both have races. In April, there is the 5-mile Revolution Run at Valley Forge. On Memorial Day weekend, Ontelaunee Park holds the 10k/5k Tiger Run to raise money for the local school district. Valley Forge Park holds events for holidays, such as Veterans' Day and Presidents' Day. Ontelaunee Park has an annual Native American Pow-Wow and the Pioneer Apple Fest in the autumn.
Of course, the parks are different in many ways as well. First and foremost, Valley Forge is a national park of historic significance. It attracts people from throughout the country and world. Ontelaunee Park, on the other hand, is a township park that is well-known to the local community, but not much beyond it. Furthermore, Valley Forge is enormously larger than Ontelaunee Park. Valley Forge is approximately 3,500 acres while Ontelaunee Park is about 50.
Nevertheless, these are two parks that I have spent a lot of time at to enjoy the outdoors and other events. So, even though they are about an hour and a half away from one another, if you have time, you should visit both at some point.
