Park Conditions

Upper Valley Green Lot 

Starting in Spring 2026, FOW and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation are piloting a knotweed mechanical control program.  Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) is one of the most difficult invasive plant species to remove. Because of knotweed’s special root system and its ability to go dormant for up to 20 years, it’s almost impossible to remove it mechanically, or by hand.  

One possible method includes using metal mesh, which girdles, or chokes knotweed stems as they grow thicker, helping to limit their growth. This method is informed by new studies, and FOW, along with PPR, will be monitoring the success of this site to determine if this is a possible method of control in other locations in the park. This method may take years (or even decades) to fully control the knotweed.  

A student at Penn Charter helped create a unique stake system to help hold the mesh in place. Using a mesh sample (.5 in gauge), the student designed a stake and fabricated it with a 3D printer. 

On the Yellow Trail near Kitchens Lane 

FOW’s Ecological Land Management Plan (ELM) has rated the slope along Wissahickon Creek as having both a high restoration potential and being a priority restoration and conservation area. Thus, the segment of the Yellow Trail by Kitchens Lane has fencing in order to clearly define the trail and protect ground nesting wildlife in the adjacent area from park user pressure, in addition to allowing the forest understory to regenerate.

Parkwide

Thank you for staying on trail! FOW, in partnership with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, is actively monitoring and restoring areas in the park that are priority restoration and conservation areas. Even with over 2 million annual visitors, the Wissahickon remains a vital habitat for hundreds of species of flora and fauna. This is why staying on trail and embracing Leave No Trace Principles is of utmost importance in order to protect the park’s threatened forest and understory. These principles include:

1. Staying on the designated trail
2. Carry in, carry out
3. Respecting other park visitors
4. Leaving what you find

Parkwide

Remember to always stay on officially designated trails and take care when passing through a work area.

There are three permanent bathrooms available to the public in the park:

1. Wissahickon Environmental Center (composting)
2. Valley Green Inn (outdoors, flushing)
3. Kitchens Lane & Forbidden Drive (composting)

There are also porta potties placed at several locations across the park in the Spring and removed during the Winter:

1. Northwestern Avenue & Forbidden Drive
2. Bells Mill Road & Forbidden Drive
3. Kitchen’s Lane Parking Area
4. Blue Bell Park

The permanent restrooms at Houston Playground, Pachella Pavilion, Blue Bell Park, and David P. Montomery Field are open at select times and during special events. If you have an event at one of these locations and you’d like use of the restrooms, that can be coordinated through Philadelphia Parks and Recreation’s Special Events Office.

Use this bathroom map to check the status of permanent, seasonal, and restricted access bathrooms throughout the park. Click to expand in the upper right corner of the map to view the legend on Google Maps.

Ground-nesting wasps are an occasional hazard in areas of the park! Please exercise caution around reported ground wasp nests. Unlike bees, wasps can sting more than once, which typically just causes temporary pain and irritation (as anyone who’s been stung by a bee or wasp knows); but if you’re allergic, stings can be dangerous or even fatal.

See the below map for sightings.