Explore the best rated trails in Ardmore, PA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Palmer Township Recreation Trail (Towpath Bike Trail) and Limerick Trail. With more than 149 trails covering 821 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Gurney Street Trail currently extends for just one block in the Fairhill Neighborhood of Philadelphia. However, the trail, which will continue to North American Street, is the culmination of a...
The Chester County Parks & Recreation Department opened this trail in 1979 on part of a former Pennsylvania Railroad right-of-way. Today the 2.6-mile trail attracts more than 125,000 visitors each...
Although currently about a half mile in length, the Royersford Riverfront Trail is a lush, shaded linear park situated between 1st Ave. and the Schuylkill River. Highlights on the paved trail include...
The historical Ben Franklin Bridge, opened in 1926, offers expansive city skyline views and is itself a stunning structure. The iconic suspension bridge once included two streetcar tracks in addition...
Officials in Coopersburg, a small town in southern Lehigh County, have constructed a small rail trail along a segment of the old Liberty Bell trolley line that passes through the borough. The...
The Jordan Creek Greenway Trail is a planned 14-mile trail with the dual purposes of protecting the health of the creek and its ecosystem, and connecting communities within the Lehigh Valley. When...
The Manayunk Bridge Trail opened in late 2015 to great fanfare, and for good reason: the trail, which crosses the Schuylkill River, Schuylkill Expressway (Interstate 76), and active train tracks,...
The Delaware River Trail hugs the Philadelphia waterfront proving access to parks and recreational amenities. It's part of a larger effort called The Circuit, which will link 750 miles of trail...
Liseter Trail is a multipurpose recreation pathway in Newtown Square, west of Philadelphia. The mile-long trail skirts the edge of the Liseter subdivision on State Route 252/ Newtown Street to the...
The Perkiomen Trail provides so many interesting historical and natural sites along its 20.6-mile length that visitors may have to ignore some of the trailside distractions to reach the other...
The Cynwyd Heritage Trail connects the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA’s) Cyn-wyd Station to Bala Cynwyd Park, the historic West Laurel Hill Cemetery, and Westminster...
The Route 273 Multi-Use Trail provides a convenient link between the popular New Castle Farmers Market site and the residential core of the coastal town. The asphalt sidepath runs for over a mile on...
The Lincoln Drive Trail bridges the gap between two of Philadelphia’s very popular trails. At its southern endpoint, the mouth of the Wissahickon Creek at Ridge Avenue, the trail meets the Schuylkill...
The roughly half-mile long Frog Hollow Trail currently begins at Miller Road and follows a creek south between two subdivisions before dead ending at a point near French Creek. The crushed stone trail...
Envisioned as a multi-use trail that will eventually connect the Thun Trail section of the Schuylkill River Trail in Union Township in southeast Berks County to the towns of Elverson and St. Peters in...
The pleasant Monocacy Way takes walkers and cyclists on an adventure through the fascinating history of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The trail kicks off at Monocacy Creek Park, where you can see the a...
The Merchantville Bike Path gently oscillates through Merchantville Borough, paralleling Chestnut Avenue. The paved 1-mile trail provides a pleasant route dotted with tall pines and leafy shade trees...
A little less than a mile long, the Barrel Run Trail is part of Milford Township's growing system of multi-use trails. The paved, asphalt trail begins at Woodview Drive, immediately west of...
The Landsdown Trail runs 1.8 miles between Lower Landsdown Road and W. Main in Clinton. The trail passes among open fields, woodlands and wetlands and provides access to the South Branch of the...
Since it opened as a railroad spur in the 1800s, this pretty trail has always been about connections. In 1834 the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad launched the spur to carry goods from Bristol,...
Named after the local couple who spearheaded efforts to build the pathway, Sorenson's Way is a paved sidepath trail that runs chiefly alongside Valley Road in the northwest Delaware community of...
The John N. Balis Bikeway is a half-mile paved trail along a former rail corridor that now serves as an electrical transmission right of way in the suburban community of Runnemede. The southern end...
The Senator Patricia M. Blevins Pedestrian Path is a short but well-paved pathway that runs between the Delaware town of Elsmere's Fairgrounds Park and Maple Avenue Park, giving local residents a safe...
Although less than 2 miles, the Port Richmond Trail—a key component of the North Delaware River Greenway—provides an important connection between northeast Philadelphia and the Delaware River. It's...
Caution: On April 12, 2018, a fire severely damaged the Martic Forge Trestle, which runs over Pequea Creek and River Road on the Enola Low Grade Trail. Access to the trail going west from the Route...
Named for a development just outside Quakertown, the 1.5-mile Walnut Bank Farm Trail links the borough with nearby Veterans Park and will form a link in the greenway that will eventually link...
Currently open in two disconnected segments, the State Route 141 Sidepath is a paved trail that follows the side of its namesake roadway along the edges of Wilmington, Delaware. Favoring function over...
The Chester County Parks & Recreation Department opened this trail in 1979 on part of a former Pennsylvania Railroad right-of-way. Today the 2.6-mile trail attracts more than 125,000 visitors each...
The Pomeroy and Newark Rail Trail offers urban connections to the University of Delaware campus, Newark Shopping Center, DART Transit Hub and the downtown area, as well as the recreational amenities...
The Calhoun Street Bridge spans 1,274 feet across the Delaware River, connecting Trenton, New Jersey, on its east bank with Morrisville, Pennsylvania, on its west bank. Built in 1884, the intricate...
The Landsdown Trail runs 1.8 miles between Lower Landsdown Road and W. Main in Clinton. The trail passes among open fields, woodlands and wetlands and provides access to the South Branch of the...
The Skippack Trail traverses a township of the same name in eastern Pennsylvania, about 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Its western end connects to the Perkiomen Trail, a 19-mile north-south route...
Liseter Trail is a multipurpose recreation pathway in Newtown Square, west of Philadelphia. The mile-long trail skirts the edge of the Liseter subdivision on State Route 252/ Newtown Street to the...
Located within the New Castle County park, the Delcastle Recreational Park Walking Trail forms an almost two-mile loop around the perimeter of the recreation site, providing cyclists and pedestrians...
This 2.4-mile paved trail provides a quiet, scenic escape northwest of Philadelphia, from Encke Park at Radnor-Chester Road to the shopping center at Sugartown Road and Route 30. The trail travels...
The Michael N. Castle C&D Canal Trail offers a scenic 12.4-mile route along the north shore of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in northern Delaware. The popular trail is named after the former...
The Warrington Township Multi-Use Trail spans nearly 3 miles on the west end of town. The trail is part of an effort to make the community more pedestrian-friendly, connecting major points of...
Tatamy Trail begins in West Easton and heads north to Tatamy Borough, primarily along a former railroad corridor. On its southern end, it meets the Palmer Township Recreation Trail, which connects the...
The Newtown Rail Trail will one day stretch from the Fox Chase neighborhood of northeast Philadelphia to Newtown Borough, connecting Bucks and Montgomery Counties by trail. Along the way, the...
The Darby Creek Trail winds along a wooded creek through the western neighborhoods of Haverford Township, just outside of Philadelphia. The trail's southern end is anchored by Merry Place, a...
The Auburn Valley Trail is a paved loop trail that runs through Delaware's Auburn Valley State Park, just south of the Pennsylvania state line. The trail offers a smooth, wide path for cyclists and...
The Route 273 Multi-Use Trail provides a convenient link between the popular New Castle Farmers Market site and the residential core of the coastal town. The asphalt sidepath runs for over a mile on...
Visitors to northwestern Philadelphia can acquaint themselves with the parks that surround Wissahickon Creek on a nearly 9-mile system of multiuse trails. In the north, the Wissahickon Trail (also...
The village of Smithville, upon which the Historic Smithville Park (open 8 a.m.–30 minutes after sunset) sits, has a long and colorful past—and some important connections to the history of bicycles in...
The Exeter Scenic River Trail traces the north bank of the Schuylkill River. The tree-lined route provides views of the river and runs to the Klapperthal Trail at the base of Neversink Mountain. Visit...
The Little Jersey Trail loops through Lums Pond State Park on a wide, packed earth surface that accommodates hikers, cyclists and equestrians. The trail is the longer of two loops; the Swamp Forest...
Picking up directly across Norwood Road from the Struble trail's south end point, The Lions' trail offers a half mile of paved trail winding through scenic Kardon Park with 10 acres of ponds and over...
This bike path begins along Southwest Boulevard at Harding Highway (US 40). It continues alongside the boulevard, then crosses Central Avenue and slipping into Bruno Melini Memorial Park, Buena’s...
The Lincoln Drive Trail bridges the gap between two of Philadelphia’s very popular trails. At its southern endpoint, the mouth of the Wissahickon Creek at Ridge Avenue, the trail meets the Schuylkill...
The Pennsy Trail is a short, but sweet rail-trail located in Haverford Township, to the west of Philadelphia. The trail's southern and northern ends are currently broken up by Manoa Road, with the...
The historical Ben Franklin Bridge, opened in 1926, offers expansive city skyline views and is itself a stunning structure. The iconic suspension bridge once included two streetcar tracks in addition...
The Newtown Rail Trail will one day stretch from the Fox Chase neighborhood of northeast Philadelphia to Newtown Borough, connecting Bucks and Montgomery Counties by trail. Along the way, the...
The James T. Corcoran Memorial Greenway is a paved trail that runs through several New Castle County parks between Newark and Wilmington, traversing wooded land along the route of the Christina River...
This pleasant, flat rail-trail parallels Capoolong Creek through the Capoolong Creek Wildlife Management Area for nearly 4 miles. The surface is varied, so the trail is best suited for hiking or...
Less than an hour west of Philadelphia, the East Branch Brandywine Trail begins south of Downingtown and continues south along its namesake river. The paved trail passes through meadows and wooded...
Although the Neshaminy Creek Greenway is only about a half mile long, big things are in its future. One day, the greenway could span as much as 33 miles, reaching the Delaware River. Currently, the...
The Berlin Road Sidepath provides a pleasant, shaded paved trail for biking and walking in the community of Lindenwold. Stretching between Linden Avenue and Gibbsboro Road, the trail runs along the...
The short Stockton Station Rail-Trail runs through a city park in Camden between Westfield Avenue and Pleasant Street. The path follows an old railroad corridor, and the park itself was once the site...
The pleasant Monocacy Way takes walkers and cyclists on an adventure through the fascinating history of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The trail kicks off at Monocacy Creek Park, where you can see the a...
A work in progress, the French Creek Trail is one of several trails being developed by East Pikeland Township. Although a small part of it follows the route of the former Pickering Creek Railroad,...
No, the K&T Trail is not a loop. The title of my review instead refers to the impact that this mile-long trail, which is built along a segment of the now defunct Kensington & Tacony RR, on a section of the Delaware Riverfront in the NE Philly neighborhoods of Wissinoming and Tacony.
Our story begins in the city's early years in the late 17th century. At this time, the banks of the Delaware River were lined with forests and wetlands teeming with wildlife, where Native Americans and early colonists hunted and fished. As the city grew in the 18th and early 19th centuries, the local gentry were drawn to the area's serenity and beauty, building several estates and vacation homes.
Later in the 19th century, numerous industries began popping up along the river, using it as a power source and as a transit route for materials and goods. Mills and factories, as well as the Frankford Arsenal military depot, replaced the earlier mansions and explosive growth occurred as people, many of them immigrants, arrived seeking employment. It was during this period that the Kensington & Tacony RR, part of a network of rail lines that crisscrossed Philadelphia known as the Connecting Railway, was constructed to serve the riverfront.
The area served as an industrial and shipping hub for most of the 20th century. The Frankford Arsenal closed in 1977 and most other industry left over the next decade, sending the area into decline. The K&T RR was abandoned in the 80's, though its rails remained intact, slowly decaying along with abandoned factories and surrounding brownfields.
The dawn of the 21st century saw the riverfront's fortunes turn around as new recreation facilities, including Lardiner's Point Park and the Frankford Boat Launch, were developed. Old ruins were cleared away, allowing new forests to grow and wetlands to be reestablished. In the late 2010's, the old railroad tracks were finally pulled up and replaced by a ribbon of asphalt multi-use trail connecting the two parks and extending a little ways north, to Magee Ave.
Starting at its northern terminus, the trail directly follows the bank of the river, passing beneath the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge. The northernmost of the five bridges that link the city with NJ, the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge is a graceful, concrete structure that serves as a main traffic artery as well as a walkway for pedestrians and cyclists. Like the K&T Trail, this walkway is also part of The Circuit network and can be reached by following the access road to Lardiner's Point Park north to Milnor Street, then turning right onto the bridge. The park itself includes a small plaza as well as a fishing pier where visitors are treated to spectacular views of the bridge and river. Trail users also have the option of taking a gravel path that winds though young, new forests growing along the river bank before rejoining the main trail in the park's undeveloped, southern end.
From Lardiner's Point, the trail continues south through reclaimed meadows and wetlands, passing the Wissinoming Yacht Club. After crossing a creek, it continues south, threading a line between the river and the remaining abandoned buildings of old mills and the Frankford Arsenal, whose site is currently being redeveloped into an office and light industrial park, before ending at the Frankford Boat Launch. The old RR catenaries, which run high above the trail and are still in use as powerlines, as well as the remains of a few old boat terminals, still serve as testimony to the area's bustling past. Otherwise, the quiet and serenity of the trail demonstrate how this segment of riverfront has come full circle, reverting to its original status as a natural area.
Although the trail has several amenities, including benches in Lardiner's Point Park and the Frankford Boat Launch, restrooms in Lardiner's Point Park, ample parking at both parks and interpretive signage with detailed information on local wildlife as well as historical sites from each of the past eras, there was some litter. The trash was especially bad on the middle section of the trail near Comly Street, keeping me from giving it five stars.
Plans call for the K&T Trail to be extended north to the newly opened Baxter Trail and south to the Port Richmond Trail in the near future. All of these segments of multi-use trail being built along the Delaware River will eventually be joined to form the Delaware River Greenway, which, in addition to comprising part of the Circuit network, will also form part of the East Coast Greenway, a long distance trail that follows the Eastern Seaboard of the US from Maine to Key West, FL.
One of several segments of multi-use trail that extend along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, the Port Richmond Trail parallels Delaware Ave. for 2 miles, connecting the neighborhood for which it is named to nearby Bridesburg.
If you're looking for either a serene journey through nature, like the K&T Trail to the north, or a bustling trip past trendy eateries, shops and historic ships and submarines that have been repurposed for museums, like the Delaware River Greenway to the south, look elsewhere. Trail users will instead pass through a section of the Port of Philadelphia, with its tank farms and pipeline hookups at the Kinder Morgan oil and petrochemical terminal, and the freight cranes and shipping crates at the Tioga Marine Terminals. If they're lucky, one or more hulking freighter or tanker ships may be berthed at these shipyards.
Moving north, trail users will pass the massive concrete structure of the old Richmond Power Plant. The coal fired generating station was closed in 1985 and scenes from the sci-fi movie "12 Monkeys" were shot there a decade later. Despite sitting idle for nearly 40 years, the plant's imposing, gothic design, topped with rusting smokestacks and pipe work remain a sight to behold.
The trail passes beneath a RR bridge immediately north of the Richmond Power Plant. The steel girders that support this bridge are clearly visible and make it look like it was constructed from a giant erector set. Freight and PATCO commuter trains regularly roll across the bridge.
The trail intersects another local bikeway, the Frankford Creek Greenway, at the intersection of Delaware Ave. and Lewis Street. It then crosses Frankford Creek on a bridge that it shares with Delaware Ave. An older bridge, which originally carried the now defunct Kensington & Tacony RR across the creek, before being repurposed to accommodate cars driving along Delaware Ave., now sits unused immediately downstream. An old traffic signal, now overgrown with vegetation, surreally sits at the north end of the abandoned bridge.
After passing beneath the Betsy Ross Bridge, a major traffic artery linking NE Philadelphia and NJ, the trail threads a route between Delaware Ave. and the route of the old rail line, passing truck terminals and a school bus lot to its northern terminus at Orthodox Street in Bridesburg.
Although the trail's route past industrial properties may not seem particularly inviting at first, it does a great job highlighting the city's heritage as one of the nation's major seaports and transportation hubs, a roll that it continues to hold to this day. There aren't any benches or other amenities on the trail itself, but Pulaski Park near the southern terminus is a great place to relax and offers spectacular views of the river. There aren't many trees along the greenway, making it very hot and sunny in the warmer months of the year,
Plans are currently in the works to link the Port Richmond Trail to the K&T Trail further north and the Delaware River Greenway to the south. Eventually, all of these segments will be joined to form a greenway that will run along most of the city's Delaware River waterfront. When this happens, the Port Richmond Trail will be incorporated into the East Coast Greenway and will also connect to the D&L Trail.
This route is easy and mostly flat. However, due serveral avenues and routes closed, I had to get back to Princeton Pike via the main road and to the parking. I anticipate the construction will go through this year.
The short distance I did following the trail route is beautiful (in the evening) with folks walking, playing and having picnics while the deer graze about few hundred feet from them.
Nice paved path that runs all the way around the lake - like the app says though it is NOT a rail trail so it is narrow. On weekends at peak times it’s going to be crowded with walkers, bikers, joggers and little ones as it’s a shared trail. Best times to go are early morning, later evening and weekdays. Many nice spots to stop and have a little picnic lunch/snacks.
I live in the area and this is my Sunday "go to" route. (Rockledge/Byberry portion) 5.25 miles long, well maintained (unless very heavy rains have occurred), plenty of shade and relatively level. It can get a bit crowded on a beautiful day, but not too bad. Plenty of trails in area, but I use this one more often than the others. Nice 10 mile roundtrip with good parking at both ends in Rockledge or at Byberry park entrance.
We planned a multi day ride from Black Diamond to Bristol. Currently we have biked as far as New Hope.
From Black Diamond to Jim Thorpe, with the exception of the White Haven work around which has no signage, the trail is in excellent-to-good condition. In White Haven there is a section of the trail that is being improved, however, there is NO signage and no local dependable local knowledge. If you're there, take Tawanda Rd into White Haven. Turn left onto River St. Bridge, cross the Lehigh River and take an immediate right onto River Road. Go several miles, turning right onto Tannery Rd. Cross back over the Lehigh River and the Tannery Trailhead is immediately on your left. Its smooth sailing and beautiful in the gorge to Jim Thorpe after that.
From Jim Thorpe to Weissport is gorgeous. Weissport to Cementon the trail has very large gravel in sections and degrades. The trail basically drops out in Cementon. Its not completed yet. We could not find signage nor a safe work around. Perhaps people who know the area know the back roads to take. We found Saylor Park which was interesting.
From Allentown to Easton, some sections were okay, some were in poor condition especially just north of the National Canal Museum.
We encountered very poor trail conditions from just south of Easton to just north of Uhlerstown. Much of the trail is large gravel, single-track, rutted, rocks and roots. Between lock 20 and 19 there is a huge wash out which is poorly marked without detour signage approaching from the north and no signage approaching from the south. River Road is an easy work around, if you know the area, but it has a lot of traffic and no shoulder. By the time we arrived in Uhlerstown, we decided to take the D & R trail south out of Frenchtown. This trail is well-maintained, shaded and follows the Delaware River. There is a short detour from a washout just north of Lambertville that is an easy work around on New Jersey's River Road which has a nice shoulder. Tomorrow we'll try another section of the D & L south of New Hope to George Washington Crossing, we'll see if the trail is in better condition in that section.
We have biked many multi-day canal trails over the years. We find this trail quite frustrating due to its poor detour signage and lack of cautions about trail conditions. In our experience this information is routinely provided on other trails. The reason I'm giving this review 4 stars and not 3 is because of the scenic and historical value of the trail.
We rode our bikes 7 miles from Ephrata to Lititz and arrived at lunch time a break and some nourishment in town. Lititz is cute as a button for all kinds of shopping and history. After time in Lititz we got back on the trail and got to Ephrata Linear parking lot in about 40 minutes. For us, this was the perfect length. The “hills” were pretty easy, the gravel parts were not a problem at all and the weather was sunny and warm, with low humidity. We would do it again if we are in the area!
Great trail! We started by the Southampton train station and went about a mile and a half in (direction of Tamanend Park) before we had to turn around. Trail was asphalt then turned to small gravel by Tamanend park (about 3/4 miles in). Trail was shady and peaceful- well maintained and quiet. Perfect for my 7 year old to bike on while I ran. We can’t wait to go back!
Rode from Birdsboro down and thru Pottstown. Stay out of Pottstown, nothing good about riding in town on those streets. Berks county part of the trail is narrow but smooth cinder. Montgomery county all paved and wider. Want to ride north from Birdsboro some day but confused about unconnected sections.
Beautifully paved, tons of history all up and down the trail. Mostly shaded and goes through nice safe neighborhoods.
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