Heinz Park is a wonderfully well managed clean environmentally friendly refuge area. It has well…read moremarked trails; strategically located observation platforms, bridges and marshlands throughout. The Heinz is suitable for biking. Jogging, hiking, dog waking, nature and bird watching. This community resource is multifaceted, providing options for all ages and interests, don't miss it when in the area.

Plenty of parking, upon entering, it feels like you are entering a National Park or something. The…read morevisitor center is very colorful, informative and clean. The trail signs are very clear. I struggle with the trash in the marshes, I am not sure if it is the wind picking it up but I hope there can be more effort cleaning up. It was also extremely sad to see the turtles covered in oil which seems like pollutants from the water. Nonetheless, the trails are nice to walk on. The trails have no elevation but are nicely graveled.

X-posting a review from the Wissahickon Park page. This park is so good it deserves two 5-star…read moreratings. Hard to rate an entire park this massive, but all things considered, after 5 years of traversing the trails here, this is an awesome park. Note that I live in U-City, so the fact that such a massive trail system exists in only a ~20 minute drive, depending on which part of the park I start in, is a blessing and keeps my sanity. Friends of Wissahickon does a great job maintaining trails and even expanding the system over the past few years. I don't think I've ever observed an unseemly part of the park. Definitely unseemly times of year like the snow thaw or the time between the trees dying and the snow falling, but otherwise, this park is beautiful all times of year. I've never had a hard time parking, never even had trouble with crowds even around the most popular trails (ex. Forbidden Drive). Even the bikers are friendly and patient here! Would strongly recommend not only visiting but coming back to keep exploring! I'm still finding new gems in this massive trail system.

Today I decided to switch things up and take a trip to Valley Green in Wissahickon Park, Philly…read more I've always heard about Devil's Pool but had never been, so when I saw the trailhead, I figured--why not check it out? What I've known about Devil's Pool is that it's been a popular hangout spot, especially for teens and young adults--swimming, drinking, smoking, etc. But I wasn't prepared for how disappointing the trail would be. At nearly every turn, there was trash--plastic bottles, wrappers, and even entire black garbage bags just left behind. The closer I got to Devil's Pool, the worse it got. There are clear signs asking visitors to take their trash with them, yet so many clearly don't. It's really disheartening to see such a beautiful natural space disrespected like that. Instead of feeling peaceful or connected to nature, it honestly felt a bit unsanitary and neglected. Wissahickon Park deserves better. If you visit, please respect the space and take out everything you bring in.

Intro to Rock Climbing with Valley to Summit on September 18, 2022…read more This was my second trip to Chickies Rock with VTS and it was wonderful! There were only 5 of us, so plenty of time to climb. Our Guide, Bob, was so patient, engaged and informative. I learned a lot of great things that I had not known before about clothing, ropes and technique. Bob was so patient with me and was there with his " green pointer" to help me over the tough spots. You should know that I am 74 years old and tho I have climbed indoors for a few years, my stamina was not that of the youngsters who were there! Nonetheless, it was a great time! I highly recommend Valley to Summit, this being my 3 rd trip with them. They Rock!

We were scheduled to do a 1/2 day ice hike at Ricketts Glen. I had spoken to the owner Dave and…read morelet him know of my disabilities. He asked a few questions, then determined that it should be OK for me to go on the hike. Shortly before the hike we received an email from Dave saying that because of the warm weather the trip would not have as much ice as it normally does. He offered to reschedule or refund our money if we wanted, but also said we could go if we wanted. We wanted. When I got there Dave and the guides were fantastic. Very personable. They were helpful but without being intrusive. One of them carried one of my forearm canes in his backpack in case I needed it. (This was to have one hand free for the ice axe.) The hike was great. At the end of the hike I asked one of the guides if he thought I could do the repelling they offer... he conferred with the owner and the lead repeller guide, and they agreed that I would be allowed to do that in the Spring. I highly recommend Valley to Summit for a great time. I look forward to a full day ice hike in February.

Great Park and a great Dog Park. Clean and beautiful! The fenced area is mulch with some benches…read more The rest of the park has trails down to a small creek and through the woods, which can be off leash or on leash. It's a beautiful park and a beautiful neighborhood.

Lovely park, great for dogs! The trail is well marked and dogs can swim in the creek. Large fenced…read morein dog park area too:)

Hard to rate an entire park this massive, but all things considered, after 5 years of traversing…read morethe trails here, this is an awesome park. Note that I live in U-City, so the fact that such a massive trail system exists in only a ~20 minute drive, depending on which part of the park I start in, is a blessing and keeps my sanity. Friends of Wissahickon does a great job maintaining trails and even expanding the system over the past few years. I don't think I've ever observed an unseemly part of the park. Definitely unseemly times of year like the snow thaw or the time between the trees dying and the snow falling, but otherwise, this park is beautiful all times of year. I've never had a hard time parking, never even had trouble with crowds even around the most popular trails (ex. Forbidden Drive). Even the bikers are friendly and patient here! Would strongly recommend not only visiting but coming back to keep exploring! I'm still finding new gems in this massive trail system.

Whatever "cool and chill" means to you, please safely picture the polar opposite when it comes to…read moreme planning a hike with my dog. "Absolutely unhinged level of planning" is more accurate. Google maps view of the entrance I am thinking of? Yes. Read all the Yelp reviews? Yes. Looked at the website and trail maps? Yes. I really put the "you" in "what's wrong with you" given that hikes are supposed to be, I don't know, relaxing and fun? I am miserable to report that, for the Wissahickon, you can probably just show up somewhere near the park, find an entrance, and have an absolutely beautiful ambling experience no matter what. This is a sprawling park with many different trails that are clearly marked, many of which veer off of the main "Forbidden Drive" that anchors you to the creek. My dog and I traversed for about 4 miles along this path and the yellow trail, looping back to where I parked on Green Lane. There was SO much that we missed so I am looking forward to heading back soon and trying a different trail. We arrived at around 10am on a beautiful Saturday morning, later than I had hoped due to traffic, but the park was not overcrowded and I found parking with ease. This is a park for every season and I can't believe it took me seven months of Philly living to get up here. If you're an overplanner like me, I DO recommend a look at the website which does a great job discussing parking and realistic trail descriptions. Looking forward to many a park day with my dog and exploring more elements of this fantastic park.

We're entering the home stretch of summer!!! As apart of my weekly cardio,I decided to check out…read moreSchuylkill Banks since it's been brought to my attention the route has been expanded. The walkway was far from full for a late afternoon and was still both walkable and bikeable(new word alert!). When I reached the "new expansion" portion of the walking trail I was a bit stunned by the beauty of the layout. There was a mini-skate park towards the end of the trail and unfortunately what appeared to be Overall, if you're looking for a new departure from some of the more popular trails around Philly and long for something a bit more "in-city"Schuykill Banks fills that itch. Happy trekking!

Nature is calling for you to explore the great out doors with fresh air!. Birds to entertain you…read morewhile walking, jogging just to get some fresh air?. Many paths are leading up of seeing new vistas while taking on new adventures?.

Crum woods is a lovely area to take a stroll; walk or hike through! I saw bicyclists; families…read morewalking their dogs and swimmers in the creek! Crum Woods has something for everyone! I enjoyed coming upon the outdoor amphitheater during my exploration..but I will see this be prepared for the different elevations on your walk! Be prepared and be agile! Overall, it is a great area to enjoy nature!

This probably belongs in "hiking" and "parks" and "pets" if there is such thing…read more.. We were looking for good places to take the dog where she could run around (preferably off leash) in grass or leaves or something. There's a website, believe it or not, for hiking with your dog, and this spot was in the top ten. I was semi-familiar with Swarthmore as a college, but had no idea they had all of this random land quasi-on-campus that was available for public use. Bonus: apparently it's Swarthmore spring break. Empty campus + lots of available visitor parking + relatively empty woods = dog in overjoyed exhaustion. There seem to be plenty of visitor-access parking lots around, we basically found the first one on campus and wandered over to the Scott Amphitheater. Our limited information indicated that there would be some kind of network of trails in that general region and that once we hit said trails it was kosher to let the dog off leash as long as she was under "voice control." As we made our way toward what looked like the beginning of a trail, we met a very nice woman and her very nice collie. The collie was on leash, but had clearly just enjoyed a nice dog-exhausting walk. We wandered a few yards down the trail and let her loose: bliss. There isn't really a single trail to a destination or a loop or anything like that. We took several forks, backtracked, wandered down what might have been a trail or might have been just random leaves having fallen in a semi-path, etc. There's plenty of space to explore and the trails range from 100% level and easy going to a bit more rocky and climby oriented. I didn't see any maps or other signs of civilization/development, but we followed various trails to what I think might have been the edge of Scott Arboretum. (Five different specimens of twelve different kinds of holly -- all labeled -- tipped us off.) Near that area is a pretty big meadow/clearing with some random stone-henge-looking arrangements that made a good place to stop and play fetch for a bit. The review we read on the dog hiking site seemed to indicate drinking fountains and dog bowls, but I didn't see anything like that, so if it's hot and/or you plan to be out for a while, bring water (your dog will be fine though, as there's a fairly clean looking stream/creek right alongside many of the paths). We ran into five or six other dogs -- all off leash -- during the approx. three hours we wandered around. Everyone was super-friendly and their dogs were excited to enjoy some random play as well. It's a bit of a hike from Philly (too bad Septa won't allow dogs), but worth it for some non-dog-park variety, I think.

Blueberry Hill is my favorite place to walk It has…read morewheelchair accessible You're definitely burning calories There are hills you can climb Different signs along the way some trails have pretty flowers. I recommend this place to anyone.

My bf and I were in the area and it was really nice out so we decided to come here for a 5 mile…read morewalk. It was a little hard to park but luckily someone moved their car so we didn't have to park in a 'do not park' signed area. The trail was well maintained and was wide enough to pass other walkers.

Fairmount Park is one of the biggest parks in the United States. It still has original houses from…read morethe 1700s. It has walking trails, ballfields and playgrounds. You can also drive through the park. Smith playground is a mansion with indoor activities and a big outdoor playground for kids. The best part about Smith playground is the giant wooden slide. The kids and adults can both go on the discovery center is in a former reservoir. It has walking trails and indoor activities to learn about the park. The horticultural center in Japanese teahouse are also located in the park. It's a great place to picnic!

Fairmount Park offers a wide range of activities, from exploring historical sites and gardens to…read moreenjoying outdoor recreation and attending events. You can stroll along the Trolley Trail, visit Boathouse Row, and marvel at Shofuso Japanese House and Garden. For outdoor enthusiasts, there are trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, as well as opportunities for picnicking and boating on Concourse Lake. Fairmount Park is also home to the Please Touch Museum and the Philadelphia Zoo, making it a great destination for families. I am normally here for The roots picnic, but realized this park has so much to offer. If you are up for outdoor activities, make sure to come by and explore. One tidbit, make sure you make sure you are going to this park because there is another Fairmount park that is also in Philly. Enjoy!

Love this park, especially for the fenced in dog park area. There are roughly 9 acres of woods that…read moreare all fenced in for off-leash play for friendly dogs. There are a ton more trails for leashed walking too. Everybody was really nice and parking was easy. Our dog loved her first visit and we'll be sure to come back again. Make sure your dog has good recall because they could go off chasing another dog. Bathrooms at the parking lot are convenient but didn't see any other bathrooms.

This is a phenomenal park for the whole family. The hiking trails are really nice and the fenced in…read moredog park is amazing and huge! Add on a nice playground for the kids and rotating ice cream trucks.