Explore the best rated trails in Willow Grove, PA, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Palmer Township Recreation Trail (Towpath Bike Trail) and D&L Trail . With more than 170 trails covering 978 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.
It has been around five years since I last rode on the Perkiomen Trail. My memory of it is lots of ruts, pot holes, and loose gravel around the Collegeville area. Today we rode from Oaks to Central Perkiomen Valley Park and was pleasantly surprised by how much the trail bed has been improved. There are even nice crossing lights on the major roads. A big thanks to whoever was behind these improvements.
Just short of 8 miles in length, the horseshoe shaped Palmer Twp. Recreation Trail crosses several different environments and forms a crucial part of the network of greenways being built between the numerous communities in the Easton/Bethlehem/Allentown conurbation.
The multi-use, asphalt rail trail follows the route of an old RR that connected various industries on the west side of Easton, looping around the city and its western suburbs. Despite its name, part of the trail extends west into neighboring Bethlehem Twp., then curves back into Palmer Twp.
Starting from its junction with the Tatamy Trail near West Easton, the first couple miles of the greenway have a distinct suburban character. Numerous single family homes as well as apartment buildings and condo complexes line this segment of the trail and many residents have decorated adjacent parts of their yards with various ornaments, artworks or landscaped vegetation, enhancing the beauty. This section of the trail also connects to Fairview Park and the small Chetwin Terrace Park and gets frequent use.
The trail turns southwest after crossing into Bethlehem Twp. and crosses Freemansburg Ave. on a repurposed RR bridge. From here, the homes give way to open space as the trail follows a wooded corridor paralleling Hope Road, passing beneath Route 33 for the first time and heading toward the banks of the Lehigh River. Trail users should stop and take note of several rock cuts on this section that were created when the RR was built.
After rounding a sharp bend, the trail winds back east and passes beneath the bridge that carries Route 33 high above the Lehigh River as well as the D&L Trail and an access road that links Hope Road to a nearby boat ramp. The intricate steel superstructure of the bridge is visible above the trail, while an adjacent stone retaining wall harkens back to the days of the RR. This section offers breathtaking, panoramic views of the Lehigh River and nearby lands when the trees are bare in late autumn, winter and early spring.
The trail descends down the old RR grade east of the Route 33 Bridge, reentering Palmer Twp. and joining with the longer D&L Trail at a point just east of the boat access. One of the longest multi-use paths in PA, the D&L Trail will connect Wilkes Barre with Bristol when completed, primarily following the towpaths of the old Lehigh and Delaware canals. The trail forms the backbone of greenway network across the Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton conurbation and indirectly connects the Palmer Twp. Rec. Trail to all three cities. The two trails form a concurrency from here east to the intersection of Glendon Hill Road and Lehigh Drive., known as the Towpath Bike Trail. The corridor that this section of the trail follows was first used as a towpath for the canal, then as a RR, and old structures from both eras of transportation are still visible. Bike riders should also be on the lookout for the herds of deer that live in the surrounding woods and are often seen along the trail. Other highlights include the roaring waters of the Lehigh River Chain Dam, cliffs of abandoned quarries visible from Riverview Park and the picnic and recreation facilities of the park itself. Although the Palmer Twp. Rec. Trail portion of the greenway officially ends just northeast of Riverview Park, the D&L Trail continues across the iron truss bridge on the opposite side of Lehigh Drive, connecting to the National Canal Museum and the south side of Easton.
The only liability of the trail is the relative lack of amenities. There are only a few benches along the nearly 8 mile path, the asphalt surface is rough in a few places and cyclists need to watch for downed tree branches on the wooded segments. However, this is more than offset by the diverse environments the trail passes through, the wildlife that lives along it and the connections it provides between communities in the region. A loop could easily be constructed if sidewalks and/or bike lanes could be built along either 25th Street or Glendon Hill Road, which would connect the southern terminus of the Tatamy Trail to the southeast terminus of the Palmer Twp. Rec. Trail.
It used to be a nice trail to bike on. Ever since they put in the warehouses, it's like being in the city. Getting across Airport Rd. Is terrible. Drivers don't stop for you. Miss the farm fields.
I think you'll really enjoy this trail. I've biked it over a dozen times, and it never disappoints. One of my favorite activities is riding this trail with some friends, drinking and driving and and doing a few sprints. The trail is very clean, and the only issue I’ve had was with gnats once, but my sunglasses took care of that. The path is mostly shaded, with about 80% of it lined with beautiful, towering trees that provide a cool breeze. It runs alongside townhomes and farmlands, adding to the scenic experience.
We usually park near the health facility off the main road and start our ride by the large metal tube factory.
p.s. - i always feel bad for the people who skateboard or walk this monster because when you gotta turn around it's a heck of a walk...
I don’t believe the 10 plus mile distance is correct when viewing the trail map on the app. It is closer to 7 miles. Also the webpage trail map differs from the app map that may partially explain the difference.
Confusing “trail” - poorly maintained,poorly marked. Felt a bit sketchy so to be clear I did not do the whole trail.
As someone else noted, this basically seems like a fairly well maintained access road for the company that owns the utility poles that line the entire route--on both sides of the trail for the first several miles, accompanied by chain link fencing on the river side. The trail is relatively flat, crushed limestone, wide, hot and sunny, with very little shade provided along its entire length. As a staff member at Columbia Crossing visitor center suggested, it would be a fine trial to ride at peak fall foliage time, as it runs directly along the Susquehanna and you could enjoy the colors on its opposite bank of trees for the first 10 miles or so. But to my taste, there's little reason to continue beyond that unless you're just trying to get your mileage in. Well before the Martic Forge trestle the trail diverges from the river and becomes a wide, hot, green tunnel with no towns, interests, or services until its abrupt end.
The long-missing half-mile section from Rockledge Borough Park to SEPTA’s Fox Chase station is finally open. Not sure where trail parking will be located at the Fox Case (Rhawn Street) end but SEPTA has always had free parking at their regional rail stations on weekends.
The long-missing half-mile section from Rockledge Borough Park to SEPTA’s Fox Chase station is finally open. Not sure where trail parking will be located at the Fox Case (Rhawn Street) end but SEPTA has always had free parking at their regional rail stations on weekends.
On Monday, 05 August 2024, I rode my road bike from Keyport to Leonardo along what I believed would be one of New Jersey's premier paved paths. It's obvious it was once a wonderful path, but that was years ago. The path is disappointingly neglected and is no fun at all to ride on: the asphalt pavement is epidemically root-riven. Some places need to be resurfaced and the wide crevices filled in. I would go so far as to say that the path needs to be rebuilt! It's a shame, too, because the path traverses lovely woods that offer shade from a blazing summer sun.
That same day I had ridden the bay-side section of the Henry Hudson Trail. That part runs right beside the bay and is constructed of finely crushed stone. It's beautiful and is a joy to ride on, even on a road bike!
It's easy to get from the bay-side of the HHT to the bike path that threads up through Sandy Hook to Fort Hancock -- and that route is nothing short of magnificent!
But, from Keyport to Leonardo -- just skip it.
Very nice trail- lots of little crosswalks but well marked and felt safe crossing. Well kept trail
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