Mallards, hawks, and swans O my!…read more I visited the Wissahickon Waterfowl Preserve this weekend which is connected to the Green Ribbon Trail (0.06 miles away) and it is a wonderful spot to observe birds and ducks by a freestanding island. There is even a pier where you can set up a scope or use binoculars and get magnificent visuals on these majestic creatures. Interesting tidbit which I observed this weekend, predator birds like hawks are actually chased away by non-predator birds, like the red winged black bird, as non-predator birds do like predator birds hunting on their land! I witnessed this myself and was instructed by our birding tour guide this happens with birds unlike land animals. The tour guide further explained not all predator birds eat other birds hence this behavior exists in nature. There is free street parking right next to the Wissahickon Waterfowl Preserve and the lovely town of Ambler can be explored after you are done with your biridng. As always people SYOY!!!

Fun trail to walk on, goes through the woods but it's mostly paved. We went some time ago and…read morehaven't been back, but would be fun to try again with the toddler. Looks mostly stroller-friendly, since the part we've been on is all paved. We've picked it up on Militia Hill Rd

Approx 5 mile loop around the John James Audubon center and its environs…read more This trail is paved and permits dogs and bikes (while the center's unpaved trails permit neither). I called the Audubon center prior to visiting to make sure I knew what to expect. Two emails and a phone convo with them, as well as studying the map on their website, somehow did not prepare me for what this was. I thought the trail would loop the perimeter of the Audubon property, however it encompasses a bit more. First, be aware that it crosses 422 (overpass, not crosswalk, lol, but still). This was huge for me with a toddler on a balance bike. I was really surprised that though I mentioned my kid's young age, no one at the center thought to inform me that long stretches of this trail are the direct sidewalk of highways, or other high speed roads. Yikes! Not only was this terrifying with a child, but with dogs as well! The center actually told me "there are a bunch of kids here riding bikes on the loop trail today"--WHATTT??? I did not see one other kid riding a bike on the whole five miles, and no wonder! For my terror and the totally unrelaxing feeling of road drama and noise for the bulk of this two-hour experience, I give this trail zero stars. But I can see the value of it for older children and adults on bikes (though they still need to be pretty careful), and older kids/adults hiking or jogging. It can be exciting to walk over and under some of the highway bridges, and some of the scenery is cool, but there are definitely safer equally-thrilling trails in the area. That said, this trail connects to other well known trails, mainly the Perkiomen and Schuylkill River Trails. There is actually a lot of overlap with those trails, which made me often wonder if I was still on the loop proper, but alas, I was. All in all I give it a three because I feel bad as FTR rating it, and because I hope it attracts people away from my other favorite trails so they don't get too crowded. Free parking at various access points for this trail: Audubon Center, Lower Perkiomen Valley Park, and Pawlings Road Trailhead. All had trail maps, dog poo stations, trash cans, and plenty of parking. Lower Perkiomen and Audubon have bathrooms though you have to hunt a ways from the trail (and Audubon's closes when their visitor center does). As for birds, I saw vultures, a goose, and a lonely duck.

Located across from the end (or start, depending on where you go) of the Banbury/Mopac Trail, comes…read morea parking lot and the start of the Enos B Godshall Park. Unlike the Banbury/Mopac trail, this is mostly a walk through the woods with a small bridge, and many paths to follow through the woods. It is very peaceful and quiet, and to this day I have not been on all the paths that lead further into the woods yet!! It has a finished parking lot with plenty of parking and leaving to go onto Godshall Road can be a pain at times, but is manageable. So, if your looking for a nice stroll through some scenic woods, this is the place!!

We'd passed by the sign near the CVS many times without knowing how to actually get to this place…read more Eventually we figured out (with some help from Google Maps) that the trailhead is at the far end of the parking lot. This became a go-to early in the pandemic, especially since not many people know about it, so it was never too crowded. After hiking through some woods, you find yourself on the other side at a farm with many horses in fenced-in sections. Very friendly horses. Last time we went, we had more trouble than usual navigating the woods (some areas were blocked, others too wet for our liking), but there are multiple paths to get through, so we did eventually find our way. After emerging from the woods, the horses weren't in the sections we'd been used to, so we were afraid we'd gone through it all for nothing! Fortunately, the horses were still out, just in a different area, so we got to interact with them a bit.

Natural Lands has a range of preserve types, and at 13 acres, in a narrow strip between housing…read moredevelopments, with no parking lot, this is more of a neighborhood trail spot and not a day's destination spot. I drove right past this place the first pass. My maps program even told me I was there but with no driveway or parking lot, it doesn't seem like it's okay to stop and get out. I always give greenspace 4 stars, but the parking was nonexistent so they lose a star. The trail here is a bit narrow. Natural Lands is normally really good at creating really wide trails, so it was surprising to see this one only about 3' wide, which is standard for most wooded trails but not for NL. It's great that this land has been made into a public nature preserve, and this suits locals as a wonderful spot to enjoy the outdoors. I don't recommend planning to visit if you are looking for a long hike, or a destination preserve with a lot to explore. Below is a list of all preserves from smallest to largest, so you can get an idea of the levels of wilderness they offer. Stone Hills Preserve 13 acres Sauders Woods Preserve 25 acres Stoneleigh 42 acres Hildacy Preserve 55 acres Wawa Preserve 98 acres Meng Preserve 101 acres Binky Lee Preserve 112 acres Willisbrook Preserve 126 acres Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary 200 acres Green Hills Preserve 201 acres Peacedale Preserve 222 acres Gwynedd Preserve 279 acres Harold N. Peek Preserve 344 acres Sadsbury Woods Preserve 508 acres Bryn Coed Preserve 520 acres Stroud Preserve 571 acres Crow's Nest Preserve 712 acres ChesLen Preserve 1,282 acres Bear Creek Preserve 3,565 acres Glades Wildlife Refuge 7,440 acres **Apparently 27-acre Sharp's Woods Preserve is now part of the Radnor Conservancy and is no longer a Natural Lands property.

I completed all 20 miles of this trail by foot back in October, starting up in Green Lane and…read moreending in Oaks. The areas nearest to the trail heads are absolutely gorgeous! There are quite a few spots lacking in aesthetics near the Collegeville area. The trail is mostly paved and crushed rock, so it's not bad depending on what you're looking for! There is a 12% grade in the Spring Mount area. There are signs maybe 1/4 mile before you reach it. Every review I've read thus far never mentions where this is, so when I went I really had no idea where to expect it at. You will encounter many different people and lots of dogs along with trail. I also saw quite a few chipmunks! There are plenty of parks along the way, including Pennypacker Mills Park which is around the midway point, to stop for lunch or to use the restroom. The restrooms at Pennypacker Mills is the nicest of all the restrooms along the way. There are also restaurants, like the Collegeville Diner and Snoozy's Cafe in Schwenksville, and bike shops to stop at if you need to. One thing I don't see mentioned often is that Gratersford Prison backs up to this trail. You will see signs warning you to remain on the path at this point as you pass a few corn fields. I'm not sure I'll complete this trail again, but I do recommend it to anyone interested!

This is a 20 Mile trail extending from the beautiful Green Lane Park to Oaks, PA, the Audubon Loop…read moreand the Schuylkill River Trail. The trail runs through a few small towns along the Perkiomen Creek. There you can stop for quick lunch or get some drinks while using the trail. I have ridden the length of the trail in its entirety and it is gorgeous! The views from here are amazing and the creek is beautiful. The only 2 downsides to the trail is that it is paved with crushed stone and it is prone to flooding after very heavy rains (the trail is on the banks of the creek. This means that certain bikes cannot handle the trail and the trail can be closed in certain sections at times. Don't let theses minor problems deter you from using this magnificent trail. Before using, check out the website. The County Parks Department is great with updating the situations. ENJOY!

This was a nice hike with access in 3 directions to two trails…read more Staying on the Schuylkill River Trail, you can head NW from this 422 Trooper exit, and up toward Oaks Expo Center. If you head East, also staying on the Schuylkill River Trail, you head toward Norristown and eventually Philadelphia. From the Betzwood parking lot you can also connect to Valley Forge trails if you cross the river and head SW. Things were clean and felt safe save for the a-hole cyclists who are typically hostile angry unhappy people.

Completed in Montgomery County in 2015, Pennypack Trail is actually 16 miles long (5.4 mi. in…read moreMontco), and part of the much larger trail network in eastern PA. In fact, the section extending into Bucks County reaches the Delaware River and connects with the East Coast Greenway which runs 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida. So, if you want a long hike, you can have one. The portion I was on yesterday was the border of Lorimer Park that was historically the railroad right of way since the 1860s, when first the Philadelphia Montgomery County Railroad Co., followed by the Philadelphia Newtown New York Railroad and finally the Newtown Branch of the Reading R&R used it to transport people and produce before highways took their place. SEPTA had it last and suspended commuter transportation (Fox Chase - Newtown Line) in 1983, and donated it to the Rails to Trails Project. While we all love a scenic walk, it sure would be nice to have mass transit available to get us from our bedroom communities to the heart of the city more conveniently, and redevelop the termini and old stations along the route for small commerce, too. There should be a way to have both more green space and village like economies working in tandem to attract people. Vision and capital are all that are required. Still, the Trail is a beautiful route for nature and scenic lovers as it is, and can be enjoyed in almost any weather. Walking along the heights above Pennypack Creek and watching the water course through the steep ravine cut out by erosion over eons of time, is remarkable. In the 18th and 19th Centuries many mills were busy using water wheels to grind flour, which was transported by the nearby rails to cities for further production and consumption. Some of those old structures are still there (mostly in ruins), and the stone houses built near to them were often maintained and are lived in today. Hiking further, the Bethayres Swamp beckons, with Audubon designation as an IBA - Important Bird Area. The trail goes through the town of Bryn Athyn, where the original train station has been repurposed as the local post office. Just beyond that is the site of a major head-on train collision in 1921, that killed many passengers. Not all the trail is smooth for bike riding, nor easy strolling, but with effort, grit and good footwear, these places can be reached, explored and fancied. The Pennypack Watershed is an ecological zone with long human history in the Philadelphia area. It is well worth sustaining and maintaining, even with reasonable respect for progress and our shared future.

This is such a staple to the North East Philly community and has been for decades. Trails in this…read more part wind through our area for miles and miles along Penny Pack Creek. There's usually 3 different levels of trails so no matter what your experience is, you'll have a great time. The main trail is paved and always clean. Perfect for those on bikes or brining a stroller. There's lot's of picnic areas and open fields for games. There's multIple entrances so you can go through the entire trail a bit each day. The main entrance is right across the street from Fox Chase Farm and has the biggest parking lot. Everything closes at sundown