Wissahickon Valley Trail

Nice scenery of nature. Great trail for running, walking, and bike riding. Plenty of places to sit for a short break along the way.

Wissahickon Valley Trail does my soul good! Here in the middle of Philadelphia is a beautiful, quiet forest. Once on the trail, you’d never know that you are in a major East Coast City.
If I can get my butt going in the morning, I like to bike out to the Tavern Green and back (there’s another gem, and another story). Once while biking I stopped to watch a wedding party posing for photos by the river. I stepped back to take everything in and noticed that way above it all, perched up high, sat a bald eagle, also basking in the sights. So there you have it, within Philadelphia city limits there are bald eagles! Great work, Philadelphia, for preserving and maintaining a space like this that’s restful and rejuvenating for tired people and endangered animals alike.
Trails at very well maintained and even have street lights if you happen to be out a little late.

Beautifulllll place, love it. One of my absolute favorite place in Philadelphia, the best thing Is, it is 20 mins from downtown give or take and talking about the quality of this trail in comparison with others trail reviews I would say it is up there. U will feel a sense of serenity and peace at heart once u allow yourself to be still and nothing in this world matters anymore at the moment. Gotta to love this historical trail. If u visit philly and u don’t stop here, is a shame. The leaves falling is my Absolute favorite thing to wait for on this trail. Enjoy! Also check out my leaf falling video

I definitely haven’t explored it all but I can comment that the southern end of the trail near Lincoln Drive/​East Falls is gorgeous for runners, hikers, bikers, and walkers alike. I think this area is officially the Yellow Trail on Ridge, Henry, and up to Walnut. Also the Forbidden Drive as everyone else has mentioned is beautiful. I love having such an awesome park so close to the city center, it really makes Philadelphia seem like it has it all.

This is by far my favorite place in Philadelphia. It is a walk back in time to the land as it was before development. We see something different every time we go.

Born in North Phila. 75 years ago. At age 17 I drove my new 1957 Fair Lane «500″ convertible off of Ridge Ave, somehow on the other side of the Creek (?). No Road, and traveled some distance to cross back over the Creek to the Road. Usually picking up a girl or two on the way. Hate the computer, however, I wondered if I could view pictures of my old Haunt. What a pleasant surprise, still beautiful after all of these years!!! I left North Phila., a» SEWER” 50 years ago. It was so nice to see some area’s that were persevered. I arrived in L.A. — –OMG, Heaven on Earth in every respect!!! Wow, 50 years later «SEWER WEST». Sad to say, that for you young people, this will be coming to a Theater near you soon.
Left L.A./Gangs and back to (still) persuing the Gals.
However, at this advanced age, it’s no longer a” Pretty Sight”! Funny bit? NO?
Bye, Bye American Pie.
BOB

WOW! I heart this trail!!! Only been here once and can’t wait to explore more terrain!
Love the fact that it’s so close to NJ and it’s F-​R-​E-​E, FREE!!!
Also love the options to be able to take on these trails via foot, bike, or by horse!
Come in the fall and see beautiful fall foliage, rivers, streams, waterfalls!
We brunched in Manayunk and then drove here to hike… super close and a wonderful way to spend a Sunday!
You can bring your dogs too!
Can’t wait to come back here again!

4.5 stars.
I’ve heard good things about this trail. And looking at the reviews many would agree it’s a great place.
The trail is wide and spacious. Runners bikers walkers are all courteous and know the rules of traffic and direction. I used Google maps to get there since I’ve never been, so it wasn’t that bad. But I realized after riding the whole trail, I could’ve parked by Lincoln drive then ride towards the entrance. Doing that would essentially save you quite a bit of time in the car if you’re coming from center city direction. However the Lincoln drive side entrance has limited parking compared to the main entrance.
The trail was nice and scenic with great historical placards providing information to some sights. I’m an archivist so I really appreciate the historical scenes.
The misses were the lack of maps. There was only one at the beginning of forbidden trail and at the end. I guess that’s OK if you aren’t into doing the hills… You basically ride straight.
There was also horse dung on the trail… Multiple spots. Sucks they didn’t clean it. Try to avoid it!
Overall great place. I’ll definitely recommend and return.

If you like scenic runs, this is the place for you. The park has beautiful wooded paths that overlook streams, and there are several interconnecting trails that are good for hiking.
There are always a lot of people on the weekends and most evenings after work, so it’s perfectly fine to run alone. But I wouldn’t recommend coming past dusk if you’re running solo… it just feels creepy, trust me on this one.

It’s nice to know that there is a place just outside of Philadelphia that feels as remote as some parts of the Appalachian Trail. There are trails for all kinds of hikers, bikers, walkers, and joggers. We came here on a warm summer day, had lunch by the creek, and were off to explore the different trails that this park has to offer. There is something for everyone here. Can’t wait to come back and see more. Also, it is really hard to get lost here because you just follow the river to get home! I have a hunch that this place is gorgeous in the fall, or maybe even in the winter after a light snow falling. Good to know that it’s so close that I might be able to experience both soon.

This place is stunning nice paths and beautiful scenery lots of lil paths off the beaten. …love this place and very safe!!!

Let’s be honest. Nature has an advantage over pretty much all other spots that are reviewable on Unilocal,at least for me. This place is gorgeous, vast, and such a welcome reprieve from the city life that is happening just a few miles away.
Let me tell you a story about what made me ultimately fall in love with the trail. It was a rainy day in late spring. Though warm and damp, the spot I chose to get on the trail was still busy. There were people playing and swimming in the river, diners at the Inn, and bikers and runners all along Forbidden Drive. My friend told me she was taking me mountain biking and she showed up at my front door and took me and my very very modest (ie crappy) mountain bike to the trails. We were on our way.
My friend, mind you, has a fancy-​ass mountain bike and many years of experience. This, I discovered, was the first time I’d truly been mountain biking. It turns out, pleasure riding my mountain bike along the Schuylkill River trail doesn’t count as mountain biking. Who knew?
It was wet, slippery, there were rocks and sharp turns, and steep hills and poison ivy everywhere. I was muddy as hell and happy as could be after this experience. I found a way to escape-​all while feeling slightly terrified while doing so. I can’t wait to come back here, though next time it will probably be for running or hiking. I need a break from those bike trails.

Ok. So I’m going to scare you. DON’T RUN HERE ALONE.
I used to go for 18 mile out-​and-​backs to Wissahickon from the city, via the schuykill river trail. It’s beautiful and transports you out of the city, yet remains within city limits.
But that ritual stopped when this happened:
On a run, mid-​day, got a gut instinct to turn back home. Passed an older white man followed by a group of three black teenagers. Waved at the man, who waved back, while the teenagers just stared back at me with dead eyes.
That evening, told my friend where I ran that day. His face turned grave and he told me an older white man had been beaten up by 3 teenagers and left fractured and bleeding on the trail. Happened around the time I was running.
The boys were never caught.
I haven’t run in Wissahickon since :(It’s a shame we have to worry about these things.

This place is like being in another world! You would never think that a place this beautiful would exist in Philly. Or anywhere else I can think of.
Trail upon trail upon trail of amazing hiking, beautiful streams and bridges, and waterfalls. Seriously breath taking!

This might be one of my favorite places of all time, not just in Philadelphia. Luckily, our winter has had an identity crisis, bringing warmer days to the region. This means more days to enjoy the trail.
The trail has many offshoots so if the paved trail is a bit too easy for you, you can up the difficulty. On a recent trip, I took the beau across the river to the rockier terrain. The roots, rocks, and fallen trees were not our friends and I am sure he is still angry at me. Maybe I will leave that for solo trips.
On more leisurely trips, I have enjoyed to historical plaques to help point out noteworthy Philadelphia facts — like how we had the first water fountain (on the trail) and about the Lenape warrior statue.
Whatever your fitness level, the Wissahickon Trail is a good place to burn calories without feeling like you are burning calories.

To hell with 5 stars, this is a 10 star experience! Let’s make sure everyone knows what an incredible variety of things you can do on this wonderful trail.
* You can walk, jog, run, bike, or horseback ride.
* You can choose easy trails or ones that will kick your butt.
* You can bring your dog.
* It’s a photographer’s dream. (Check out the posted pictures.)
* You can just plain enjoy everything nature has to offer.
* You can picnic.
* Escape the heat in the summertime. (It’s mostly in the shade.)
* You can access it from several locations.
* You can visit all year round.
* You can see historic sites.
* Appreciate historical structures.
They say «A picture is worth a thousand words.» There are dozens of pictures posted here. Even though they are great, they don’t do this incredible place justice. There’s only one solution– Get your Unilocaly butts out there and enjoy it!

Awesome place for running, biking, hiking! It’s nice and shady, for the most part — so good to escape the city heat. You feel like you are NOT in the city, but still are! I love it here!
Pro tip: Park at the Wissahickon TC train station… nice, big, free lot. Usually pretty empty at least on the weekends. Walk down the hill to the left, and enter the park on the trail by the bridge. It’s about 1.5 miles on that part of the trail to Forbidden Drive.

All the reviews capture the rare beauty of the Wissahikon Valley, carved out by the creek by the same name over the past 125 million years. It is an amazing work of nature so close to the urban Philadelphia center.
The only things I can add are from an historic and geologic perspective. The reference to the hermit cave derives from a settlement of Christian end of days sect who lived primitively along the creek in the 19^th Century. The ruins remain in some places.
If you love rocks, the Valley is a very special place as well. Due to a fault line that runs nearby, the area has shifted significantly over the millennia. The rock we see today was once more than 10 miles below the surface. The tectonic plates lifted and convoluted the strata of rock with pressure and heat so great that the nature of the rock changed from a granite bedrock formation into a waving and blistered schist. It can be seen everywhere along the creek. The good news is that this geologic action created a treasure trove of crystals to be found with a little effort. Mica (clear to black), Garnet (ruby red to burnt orange), Tourmaline (black and brown), Kyanite (sky blue) and others minerals are everywhere. So, it is a great place to go with a bucket, strainer, geo hammer and eye protection.
Be careful after rains, as the Wissahikon Creek becomes savage and swells to several times its normal flow for many hours after the storm passes. While the scour it causes reveals more riches, it can also quickly take a life. Don’t go alone.
This is some of the finest 1,800 acres of park land you will see east of the Mississippi.

Thank goodness for this place. Only 30 minutes from the center city area. It’s so incredibly beautiful with great trails.

Courtesy of Unilocal.Bf found this place to hike for a few hours to end a weekend trip in Philly before heading back to NYC. I LOVE this place. Dog friendly and with multiple hiking trails.
One of the trails is through the trees, and another trail is on flatter terrain for the not so fit folks like me. I obviously prefer the flatter terrain, but the adventurous bf and dog takes me to the trail through the trees. Not as difficult as I thought it would be. Definitely an adventure when we have to stop and let the road bikers through or the occasional smell of horse poop.
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Tip:
Bring something to drink!
ENJOY!