Core Creek Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Core Creek Park
A Brayden Retriever swims in Lake Luxembourg, at Core Creek Park.
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Type	County park
Location	Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Area	1,200 acres (490 hectares)
Open	Daily, Dawn – Dusk

Core Creek Park is a fantastic county park located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It covers a huge area of about 1,200 acres (that's like 900 football fields!) within Middletown Township. The park is famous for surrounding Lake Luxembourg, a beautiful lake created by building a dam on Core Creek. You can visit Core Creek Park every day from when the sun comes up until it goes down.

A Look Back in Time: Core Creek Park's History

The land where Core Creek Park now stands has a long and interesting past. The very first owner was Thomas Croasdale. He bought a huge piece of land, 1,000 acres, from William Penn way back in 1682. Later, in 1733, Thomas's grandson had to sell the land because of money problems. John Watson then bought it.

Another important person, Thomas Jenks, bought a different part of the land in 1731. Jenks was a well-known person in the Langhorne area during that time. He built many structures, including a special mill called a fulling mill on Core Creek. This mill was a very important place where people would go to process their sheep's wool. The road north of the park, Fulling Mill Road, is named after this historic mill.

During the American Revolutionary War, which was a fight for America's independence, British soldiers raided the mill. They took cloth that was meant for George Washington's army.

In 1941, when Luxembourg was taken over by Nazi Germany during World War II, the Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg and her husband, Prince Felix, had to leave their home country. They came to America and, using different names, bought 247 acres of land that used to belong to Watson. They paid $22,000 for it! In 1943, they bought 50 more acres. The soil around Core Creek was very rich, so the royal family used the land as their private farm.

Fun Things to Do: Recreation at Core Creek Park

Boat dock on Lake Luxembourg in Core Creek Park

Core Creek Park is open all year for lots of fun activities! You'll find many grills and tables, perfect for picnics with your family and friends. There are also miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, walking, and biking.

Lake Luxembourg is a great spot for fishing, and even ice fishing in winter. You can also go boating on the lake. When it's cold enough, part of the lake is open for ice skating! Core Creek Park also has several playgrounds, fields for playing ball, tennis courts, and a peaceful nature area.

Core Creek Off Leash Dog Park

Core Creek Park is also home to a special place for dogs: the Core Creek Off Leash Dog Park. This is a membership park with separate areas for large and small dogs. It's known as one of the best dog parks in the eastern United States!

The dog park has cool features like special double gates to keep dogs safe when entering and leaving. There's also running water for both dogs and their owners, benches to relax on, and stations to clean up after pets. You'll even find fun agility equipment for dogs to play on. Remember, members are responsible for cleaning up after their furry friends. To keep everyone safe and happy, smoking, food, and drinks are not allowed, and the park isn't meant for dog training classes.

Lake Luxembourg and Its Water

Core Creek Park surrounds Lake Luxembourg, which was created in 1975 by building a dam. The lake is about 175 acres in size. Lake Luxembourg holds back the water from Core Creek. Core Creek is a smaller stream that flows into the Neshaminy Creek, which then leads to the big Delaware River.

The lake collects water from about 15.45 square miles of land. Most of this land is used for farming (54%), some is covered by forests (22%), and some has homes (17%). Lake Luxembourg holds a lot of water, about 2,149,713 cubic meters, and its deepest point is about 26 feet.

In the summer, the lake's water gets warmer at the top and cooler at the bottom. This is called thermal stratification. Because of this, the lake is best for warm-water fish like catfish, carp, crappie, sunfish, and largemouth bass. As of 1995, 17 different kinds of fish are known to live in the lake!

Weather at Core Creek Park

On average, Core Creek Park gets between 24 to 30 inches (61 to 76 cm) of snow each year.