Find the top rated running trails in Williamstown, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The trail from the City of New Castle to the Christiana River is done and open. The bridge over the Christiana River is complete but, not open yet.
Coming from our home area of the SRT from KOP to Philly, this trail is pretty much running with the traffic. If your looking for a bit more solitude and having to avoid start/stops at major traffic intersections (numerous) avoid this one. Overall not bad, but expect a generally downward grade toward Doylestown, and the exact opposite heading back. Probably not good for small kids for the long uphill gradients.
wind350 made a comment in Oct. 2013 (see below) and it's still the same. The trail has many joggers, walkers, pets and baby carriages and does not work well for bikers. The roads are ok (you do have to weave around drainage grates) but still no bike lanes and Cuthbert Blvd. has a lot of traffic moving at a pretty good clip.
I love this trail, however, the tree roots coming through the paving are now painful and dangerous. From Sweetbriar to Montgomery the bumps in the asphalt are getting bigger and are painful for bike riders. I would imagine they are a tripping hazard for walkers. There are also sections with lots of tree roots from Montgomery to the Falls Bridge.
Riding a recumbent trike, starting in Lochiel Park. Rode north to the end (Lacey Rd). Rode to the southern end (Burr St), before returning to Lochiel Park.
Southern section has few crossings, lots of shade, and is further from rt 9. Expect to return, but only because of this section.
Middle section is practically on top of rt. 9. And the constant road & driveway crossing are a big deterrent for returning for more rides.
An outhouse in Lockiel Park, plus another one north one north Country Ln.
Only discovered the trail last week and just rode it on 4/22/2018. I used a gravel/adventure bike with 35mm tires and no shocks. I did the full length, from the Lower Perkiomen Park to the Northern most part at Green Lane and then back. It's a great ride and mostly seems to follow old rail beds. Long stretches of it are flat with only slight changes in elevation. The only exception is a short, steep hill mentioned by a few others and clearly marked as you approach from either direction. At that point the trail deviates from the creek and goes up over a hill. The steepest part is paved and isn't long, probably less than an 1/8 mile.
Surface
The trail surface is inconsistent which is my reasoning for giving it four out of five stars, other reviewers have noted it as well. The trail ranges from nicely paved sections to muddy sections where they seem to be trying to figure out the drainage, to cinders and sometimes what appears to be crushed stone fill. The transitions in the surface can come about suddenly and if you're moving at a good pace they can throw you a bit. Even with 35mm tires there were a number of soft/deep gravel areas where my tires would sink in and throw the bike. I also kept hitting large chunks of rock and fill that would hop my bike a few inches to a side and send big chunks into the brush on along the trail. Weirdly, I noticed people riding road bikes with much narrower, smooth road tires and can't imagine that would be too pleasant and can't recommend trying it.
Crossings/Safety
There are a number of rode crossings as noted by others but only two or so actually had any amount of busy traffic and any major ones had signaling that appeared brand new and adequate. I only found two crossings a little awkward/dangerous. The first is where you have to cross route 29 at a random place along a wall in front of some houses and it isn't an intersection. It wouldn't be a problem except that, even though it's clearly marked as a crossing, there didn't appear to be signaling and drivers don't know what to do. Some stop and wave you on while traffic from the other direction, in the other lane, may not stop or slow down at all. I didn't notice signaling requiring them to yield to the crosswalk.
Be careful there, especially if you have kids. Fortunately it's along a straight piece of road so cars won't come around a blind corner and surprise you.
The second tricky crossing was just below Green Lane at Perkiomenville. There, going north you cross an old, crumbing stone bridge and then have to ride/walk a hundred feet or so down the shoulder of the road and like the first dangerous area, you cross where there's no intersection or signal. Again, just be ready if you have kids.
Continuity
There are a number of areas where it seems like they're still trying to figure out how to connect segments of the trail and although the trail is mostly well marked you will have to cut behind buildings and through alleys to find the connectors at a few places. I actually got confused coming back through Collegeville because I couldn't remember where the trail went and it looked different coming back the opposite way. It wasn't until I saw riders coming the other direction that I noticed a small sign and realized I had to cut through an alley behind a diner along a narrow area with a fence, once on it recognized where I was.
Popularity
I passed a lot of people on my ride and it seems a pretty popular attraction. There were many out for a casual stroll, a run, a ride or a group outing with scouts. All along the trail are smaller parks that make good shaded stops if you need a break and as others mentioned there is a great little park about halfway between Collegeville and Schwenksville. It's just below Graterford and has new, clean restrooms.
Overall the trail weaves through some pretty picturesque areas. Do yourself a favor and stop once in a while and have a look around.
Wanted to let fellow riders know that the bike train shuttle threw the Lehigh Gorge section of the D&L is running again this year. One weekend a month
starting in April. It drops you off in White Haven and you ride threw the gorge 25 miles back to Jim Thorpe. The exact dates can be found on the Pocono Biking website. Paul
I usually link this ride with the Schuylkill River Trail, as it links up with it at Oaks, PA, and there is parking available either at the Pawlings Road trailhead along the Schuykill River Trail, or the Lower Perkiomen Valley Park, where trail maps are also available at the parking lot. A good portion of the trail, after about 1.5 miles, is fine gravel or packed dirt, and goes along nicely wooded and scenic areas, which used to be a railroad. There are several road crossings in the Collegeville area that are stop light controlled. The crossing of Rte 29 is perhaps the least pleasant of the crossings, since vehicle traffic can be fast and heavy and it is not stop light controlled. Once crossed, you are on packed surfaces, and pleasant riding. There are quite a few parking areas along the trail, so with the trail map, one can easily schedule your journey as befits your skill or endurance level.
Once past Schwenksville, one does a brief climb, followed by a steep descent to the Perkiomen Creek. For me, that ends my journey on the trail and the last time I bicycled that far, it was all gravel down the slope.
I wasn't able to ride it for a number of years, but now, what nice improvements are there to be found. From Norristown to Valley Forge, mainly new macadam surface, plus the addition of several spots of racks of bike repair tools. And, the water fountain is about 1.2 miles from Valley Forge Park. There are areas of washboard type macadam around the Conshohocken area, and from Spring Mill to where it branches down to the Schuylkill River, relatively new macadam. Once you leave the tow path in Manayunk, it sort of tosses you into the street, which is crowded, so take the sidewalks, giving care for pedestrian traffic. Once you hit the Fairmount Park area, relatively decent trail surface, but expect heavy traffic all the way to what is now the end of the trail in Philadelphia. I take away one star due to the heavy Philadelphia traffic, and right now the detour around the Art Museum due to construction and confusing signage. The entire route is relatively level, so easy riding.
Since the upper end (above Philadelphia) is far less crowded, one may encounter cycling groups that travel at high speeds and can be annoying if they think they own the trail.
The trail here is all paved and runs adjacent to a bubbling Creek. It's good for a stroll, particularly with a stroller or dog. The nearby Merry Place playground is well maintained and great for small kids.
If you like ships, this trail offers a fantastic opportunity to view them up close and learn about shipbuilding and the development of the U.S. navy at the Independence Seaport Museum, which sits trailside.
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