Find Your Neighborhood’s Trailhead!
by Claire Brennan, FOW Communications Coordinator
Philadelphia is the city of neighborhoods.
Wissahickon Valley Park weaves together many of the neighborhoods in Northwest Philadelphia. It’s a bright green spot in the middle of Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls, Germantown, Mt Airy, and Chestnut Hill, but it’s also an extension of these microcosms of the city and an important part of (sub)urban life.
Don’t go without your guide. Follow along with this convenient Google Map where you can toggle points of interest, SEPTA access, trailheads, and park amenities. Or get your very own, newly updated pocket map when you become a member at the basic level and above.
Get to know your neck of the woods a bit better with your guide to your neighborhood’s Wissahickon:
Roxborough
Roxborough folks – the only thing that should keep you from being out on the trails every day is Henry Avenue (ba-dump-tss). Roxborough’s cover of the western side of the park is what characterizes the neighborhood as the naturalist’s heaven, with convenient access to downtown Philadelphia and abundant green space to be enjoyed.
If you’re driving, take advantage of parking at Pachella Fields. From here, take a two-mile loop to Valley Green Inn on the Yellow Trail or head the opposite way, south, on Yellow and visit the mysterious Gorgas Cave. Try the Gorgas Lane or Jannette Street trailheads if you’re looking to avoid Henry Avenue altogether!
Take the 27 bus along Ridge and Henry Avenues in Roxborough for park-side access to these trailheads:
- Houston Playground
- Courtesy Stable
- Cathedral Road
- Summit Avenue/Avenue West
- Wigard Avenue
- Gorgas Lane
- Jannette Street
Click here to see the impact of budget cuts on each bus route.
Manayunk & Wissahickon
Maybe we just want the illusion of choice because this area of the park is so full of heavy hitters in history and vistas that we can hardly decide where to go first!
Try Hermit Lane/Hermit Lane East trailheads for access to:
- David Montgomery Field
- Kelpius Cave
- Hermitage Mansion
- Lover’s Leap
- Henry Avenue Bridge
- Historic RittenhouseTown
…and more!
Or hit them all courtesy of the Yellow Trail. For a longer route, with access to the Yellow Trail, enter at the Vicaris Street trailhead.
Kick off a ride on the paved bike path from Ridge Avenue along Wissahickon Creek, around Ten Box, and onto Monoshone Creek.
SEPTA riders can find park-side access via the 32 bus.
East Falls
Here at FOW, we like to refer to the section of the park that runs along East Falls as the sole of Wissahickon’s boot. This is home to the East Falls Trail, with access to Ridge Avenue, Gypsy Lane, or Rittenhouse Street. Alternatively, access the East Falls Trail via Saylor Grove, a Philadelphia Water Department constructed wetland that serves to retain and filter stormwater back into the Monoshone Creek, located on the corner of West Rittenhouse Street and Wissahickon Avenue. Don’t forget to check out Children at Play, a bronze statue that features four figures dancing in a circle.
SEPTA riders can find park-side access via the 82 and 32 buses.
Germantown
Historic RittenhouseTown (HRT) should be your jam if it isn’t already, Germantown. Just a stroll down RittenhouseTown Lane, you can grab a coffee and a delicious pastry from PAPERtrail Bike Café, sit along the sweeping Monoshone Creek under a shady tree, and explore the park via the Orange Trail.
HRT is a well-established Wissahickon staple. For a lesser-known section of the park, check out the trails by Harvey Street. Through the Germantown Neighborhood Connection Project, FOW has spent the last few years strengthening this section’s connection to the park’s greater trail network, creating more sustainable and accessible trails, and improving wayfinding. Here you’ll find the forgotten third Wissahickon statue: the Henry Houston Statue.
If you’re driving or looking for the perfect place to meet with a large group, Blue Bell has ample parking, plenty of room to spread out or run around, and a Picnic Pavilion you can reserve with Phila Parks & Recreation.
SEPTA riders can take the 53 bus line for Clifford Park, Carpenters Woods, White, and Orange Trails.
Mt Airy & West Mt Airy
Say hello to the Cresheim Creek trail, if you haven’t already met. Use the unsuspecting entrance right from Germantown Avenue and Cresheim Valley Drive or one of these access points. Find a charming boardwalk, old railroad remnants, and Cresheim Creekside views.
What trailhead works best for you?
- Wayne Avenue
- West Sedgewick Street
- Green Street
- Mt. Pleasant Road
- Mt. Airy Avenue
- McCallum Street
- Emlen Street
- Lincoln Drive
- Cresheim Trailhead
- St. Martin’s Lane
- Gatehouse Lane
Use the Mt. Airy Trailhead and check out the Frog Pond where you can see tons of frogs (and twice as many eyes) staring at you from the mossy bog. Take the connector onto the Orange Trail, cross the iconic Fingerspan Bridge, and check out the oldest structure in the park–Livezey House (Glen Fern).
SEPTA riders can find park-side access via the 71 bus.
Chestnut Hill
With easy access to the “heart of the Wissahickon,” the Valley Green Area, home to the historic Inn, which is still in operation today, Chestnut Hill easily has the most popular entrance in the park.
Check out the park’s newest landmark–the Lida Way Pedestrian Bridge via Valley Green Road. See the park in a whole new light on the bridge’s new observation deck.
For ease of parking, try Northwestern Avenue. Though this entrance is also popular, there is ample street parking. Make sure to say “hi” to our friends at the Wissahickon Environmental Center (WEC) while you’re there!
Or visit a lesser-known access point, Chestnut Hill Avenue. From here, you can see many of the park’s popular landmarks, like the Thomas Mill Red Covered Bridge and Looking West Statue, via the White or Lavender Trails.
Don’t forget to also check out Northwestern Stables and Rex Avenue Bridge!
SEPTA riders can get within walking distance of Chestnut Hill’s Rex Avenue trailhead via the 23 bus.