Chalfont Parks Trail

Pennsylvania

2 Reviews

Like many other municipalities in the densely populated suburbs surrounding Philadelphia, the borough of Chalfont, located in Bucks County, has constructed its own network of multi-use trails to augment and compliment The Circuit, the larger regional system in development. As its name indicates, the Chalfont Parks Trail threads its way through four parks that straddle the West Branch of the Neshaminy Creek, forming a greenbelt in the southwest quadrant of the town. The paved, mainly flat trail begins on the west side of the Butler Ave. (Route 202) bridge, opposite the western terminus of the Neshaminy Creek Greenway, two segments of which cross the south side of town, and follows the creek northwest through Kelly Park to Oak Ave. After a short, on-street concurrency on Oak Ave., the trail resumes and crosses a footbridge over a small tributary before veering right into J. Clyde Derstine Memorial Park and continuing along the West Branch of the Neshaminy to the cul-de-sac of Skyline Drive. The trail also branches over the creek via a footbridge from Kelly Park to Krupps Park located behind the town's municipal building, whose parking lot doubles as a trailhead. Further west, another branch extends south opposite the footbridge at the end of Oak Ave. through Fairview Park to Meadowbrook Lane. A third branch currently dead ends at the east end of Fairview Park but may eventually connect to Fairview or Hillside avenues. In total, this network probably stretches over a mile and a half in length.

Although Kelly, Krupps and Fairview parks all have playground equipment, grills and other "active" recreation facilities, the environment along most of the trail is heavily wooded and surprisingly secluded from the surrounding residential communities; it's not uncommon to see herds of deer and other wildlife. In addition to providing a quick and direct way for pedestrians to travel between different neighborhoods, the Chalfont Parks Trail also works as a nice extension to the aforementioned Neshaminy Creek Greenway, which begins on the northeast side of the Butler Ave. bridge, caddy-cornered from the eastern end of Kelly Park.

Parking and Trail Access

Parking lot behind the borough municipal building off Main Street doubles as an access to Krupp Park and a trailhead. Parking also available along Oak Ave., Meadowbrook Lane and Skyline Drive.