Larks & Recreation

Think you know Wissahickon Valley Park? Let’s just see!

Below are ten photos taken in the park to test your geographical skills. Grab a piece of paper and pen and write down where you think the photo was taken. At the very bottom are the correct answers.

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HERE’S THE ANSWERS!

1. Monastery Stables
2. Guard house on Forbidden Drive at the Rex Avenue bridge
3. Lake Surprise along the Cresheim Creek
4. Andorra Meadow
5. Henry Avenue Bridge, as seen from the Yellow Trail
6. Septa train bridge & Ridge Avenue, as seen from the paved bike path
7. Thomas Mansion
8. The Great Beech, in the Andorra Natural Area
9. Bells Mill Road (thank you volunteers for cleaning it!)
10. Magargee Dam, as seen from the Orange Trail

How did you do? If you didn’t know some of them, that’s OK – you’ll have a new spot to check out the next time you visit the park!

Be sure to check back again soon for another round of
Where in the Wissahickon?

Think you know Wissahickon Valley Park? Let’s just see!

Below are ten random questions. Grab a piece of paper and pen and write down your answers – or quiz a friend or family member! At the very bottom are the correct answers.

1. Starting with Germantown Avenue and ending with Ridge Avenue, how many bridges cross the creek within Wissahickon Valley Park?

2. What is the name of the mystic that led his followers from Europe to the Wissahickon in the late 1600’s to wait for the end of the world?

3. True or false: horseback riders yield to all other trail users

4. Odocoileus virginianus is the scientific name for what beautiful but pesky species of wildlife that can often be found in the Wissahickon?

5. What type of tree is this?

6. What trail is the Fingerspan Bridge on?

7. What year did Friends of the Wissahickon form?

8. What is the name of the creek that flows into Devil’s Pool?

9. What type of bird is on the cover of our 2020 calendar?

10. Before it was donated to the park in the 1970’s, what was the area now known as the Andorra Natural Area used for?

HERE’S THE ANSWERS!

1. Fourteen!
2. Johannes Kelpius – Be sure to stop by the Hermit’s Cave to see more!
3. False! Everyone should yield to horseback riders.
4. White-tailed deer
5. Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). These gorgeous trees are the biggest species we have in the park.
6. The Orange Trail
7. 1924 – we’ve been proudly stewarding Wissahickon Valley Park for close to a century and still going strong!
8. Cresheim Creek
9. Great Blue Heron – a genuine treat to spot in the Wissahickon!
10. Andorra Nursery – the most successful plant nursery on the east coast during the mid-twentieth century.

How did you do? If you didn’t know them all, that’s OK – better luck next time!

Be sure to check back again soon for another round of
Wissahickon Trivia!

Think you know your wildflowers of the Wissahickon? Then try this quiz created by Trail Ambassador, Jayne Guare!

Match the name of the flower to the correct picture. Scroll down for the answers!
Spring Beauty
Trout Lily
Bloodroot
Chickweed
Limestone Bittercress
Skunk Cabbage
Blue Violet

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THE ANSWERS!

1. Bloodroot
2. Blue Violet
3. Limestone bittercress
4. Skunk cabbage
5. Trout Lily
6. Chickweed
7. Spring Beauty

Created by Crew Leader, Kristina Victoreen!

Create your own user
feedback survey

Most of us like to recreate with a saunter through Wissahickon Valley Park. But sometimes it’s nice to just relax on the couch and watch a movie. Who says you can’t do both? The Wissahickon has been a shooting location in several films. Take in these movies and see if you can spot our beloved park!

BLOW OUT (1981)
This neo-noir political thriller was written & directed by the famous Brian DePalma (Scarface, Carrie, Phantom of the Paradise). John Travolta stars as a sound effects artist who, while recording sounds of traffic along Lincoln Drive witnesses a suspicious car accident that sends a presidential hopeful careening into the Wissahickon Creek. Hmmm – cars crashing off of Lincoln Drive into the creek? That sounds awful familiar. Rated R. 1 hour and 48 minutes.

MANNEQUIN 2: ON THE MOVE (1991)
Didn’t see the original? No worries. This sequel has barely anything to do with original, save for the recycled plot of a department store intern who falls in love with a window display mannequin. This is wacky romantic-comedy at it’s silliest and showcases a heap of Philly: the Wanamaker building, South Street, Kelly Drive, the Schuylkill River, and features a sword fight (!) on the Wissahickon’s Rex Avenue Bridge. Rated PG. 1 hour and 35 minutes.

THE LAST AIRBENDER (2010)
It was only a matter of time before Philadelphia native M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs, Unbreakable) filmed something in Wissahickon Valley Park. Based on an animated series, this fantasy adventure film follows the journey of Aang, who must master all four elements and stop the bad guys from enslaving the Earth Kingdom. Keep your eyes peeled for a scene filmed on the Rex Avenue Bridge! Rated PG. 1 hour and 43 minutes.

MARE OF EASTTOWN (2020) 
In February and March of 2020, HBO filmed scenes for a limited series starring Kate Winslet. The plot centers on a detective in a small Pennsylvania town who investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart. Filming in the Wissahickon was primarily at Forbidden Drive near Gorgas Run and the Mt. Airy Avenue Bridge.

Lights, camera, Wissahickon!

Looking for an indoor scavenger hunt? Then, we have the goods for you! Try your hand at the Rocks & Minerals Word Search – rock and mineral names are hiding in a tangle of letters vertically, horizontally, diagonally and some are even backwards!

Download the game here!

Looking for an indoor scavenger hunt? Then, we have the goods for you! Try your hand at the Spiders & Insects Word Search – tree names hiding in a tangle of letters vertically, horizontally, diagonally and some are even backwards!

Download the game here!

Looking for an indoor scavenger hunt? Then, we have the goods for you! Try your hand at the Wissahickon Points of Interest Word Search – tree names hiding in a tangle of letters vertically, horizontally, diagonally and some are even backwards!

Download the game here!

Looking for an indoor scavenger hunt? Then, we have the goods for you! Try your hand at the Native Trees of the Wissahickon Word Search – tree names hiding in a tangle of letters vertically, horizontally, diagonally and some are even backwards!

Download the game here!

Looking for an indoor scavenger hunt? Then, we have the goods for you! Try your hand at the Birds of the Wissahickon Word Search – 25 native bird names hiding in a tangle of letters vertically, horizontally, diagonally and some are even backwards!

Download the game here!

Looking for an indoor scavenger hunt? Then, we have the goods for you! Try your hand at the Wissahickon Word Search – 42 words hiding in a tangle of letters vertically, horizontally, diagonally and some are even backwards!

Download the game here!

Enjoy this reading of “Good Night Wissahickon Valley Park”, shot and edited by Trail Ambassadors, Stephanie Stein and Rose Fisher!

Make the Wissahickon more beautiful by coloring in these illustrations taken from Good Night Wissahickon Valley Park! Click on the image to download.

Have you ever wished you could be a squirrel or an owl? C’mon…we know you have. Well, now’s your chance look like one! Below is a link to download some papermasks. Just print, cut, and wear!

Download the paper masks here!

Learn how to draw a Wissahickon scene with Trail Ambassador Jane Klein!

Find even more kid-friendly activities like mazes, coloring pages, and connect-the-dots here!