Schuylkill 5 River Trail Manayunk to Valley Forge Philadephia, PA Special Amenities Schuylkill Brewery Tour Loop Access Overview Trip Ideas Manayunk is the Lenape word for, “where we The trail passes through several interesting and go to drink,” so start the tour at the Manayunk easily accessible historic manufacturing towns: Public Transit General Characteristics Revolutionary Loop (Bicycle Trip) Brewery, which is directly adjacent to the trail Manayunk: a fascinating residential, retail Park at the Valley Forge National Historic Park as the trail joins Main Street. Grab a drink and SEPTA Regional Rail • Trail segment length: 14 miles and restaurant district of . Many visitor’s center and explore one of the most a bite to eat in this repurposed historic factory. Wissahickon, Manayunk, Ivy Ridge, • Direct link from Philadelphia to restaurants and shops provide water and important sites of the American Revolution. Spring Mill, Conshohocken, and Norristown After exiting the Manayunk Brewery, turn left Valley Forge National Historic Park restrooms to trail users Exit the parking lot at County Line Road, turn on Main Street, then left on Lock Street to reach SEPTA Bus • Completely separated from traffic: Shawmont: a village containing one of the oldest right on to Valley Forge Park Road, then left on the boardwalk. Routes 35, 61, and 62 at Main Street Manayunk Excellent for families passenger rail stations in the country, currently to S. Trooper Road (a sign at S. Trooper Road Route 97 in Spring Mill Continue north on the trail to Conshohocken. considered for adaptive reuse indicates the direction to the trail.). S. Trooper Routes 95 and 97 in Conshohocken • Follows the towpath of the historic Road dead ends, and the path to the Schuylkill Stop at the Conshohocken Brewing Company, Routes 90, 91, 93, 96, 97, 98, 99, and 131 in Schuylkill Canal and the railbed of the Conshohocken: a revitalized industrial town River Trail is on the left behind the barrier. directly accessible from the trail. If the trail Norristown former Pennsylvania Railroad known for its excellent restaurants found on crosses Cherry Street, you have gone too far. Route 99 in Betzwood and Valley Forge Fayette Street and its cafes, some of which After crossing the River, turn left and take • Wooden boardwalk, crushed stone, and the Trail toward Port Indian. Bike parking is available near the building’s are directly accessible from trail. The new porch which looks out over the trail. Grab a Bicycle asphalt path at different parts of the trail Conshohocken Rowing Center offers public Notice the sweeping views of the river along the trail. Revitalization of the once dead Schuylkill drink and enjoy the view. This section links with the trail between • Trail follows regional train line: access to the Schuylkill River at Cherry Street. Manayunk and Schuylkill Banks (see Tour 4), spurred the Environmental Revolution. Continue north on the trail to the Conshohocken Highly accessible by public transit Norristown: Montgomery County Seat, many and the section of the Continue on the trail through Norristown and Train Station and take the train back to the start. continuing north to Phoenixville. • Trail connects many other regional trails historic buildings and a number of multicultural restaurants are within a block or two of the trail. Conshohocken and Manayunk. These historic Tour length: 6.5 miles In fall 2015, this section will link to the Cynwyd • Offers excellent views of the Schuylkill River Riverfront Park offers public river access, picnic mill and manufacturing towns played an Biking – 50 minutes important role in the Industrial Revolution. Heritage Trail via the iconic Manayunk Bridge, • Part of a regional trail that continues to the facilities, and port-a-potties in summer months. Walking – 2 hours which is being converted into a multi-use trail. source of the Schuylkill River in Pottsville In Manayunk, stop at one of Main Street’s many The Trail enters Valley Forge National Historical Take me to the River Tour At Haws Avenue in Norristown, the SRT links restaurants for lunch. Return to the trail and History and Future Park at the Betzwood Picnic Area, where there is Start the trip at 9AM. If walking, take the train with the Farm Park Connector, a marked trail parking, bathrooms and riverside picnic tables. head back to Valley Forge to complete the loop. The Schuylkill River Trail was originally or drive to Miquon. If biking, take the train or route on back streets linking to the Norristown This trip is transit accessible if reversed: take conceived by Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park Near the end of Philadelphia, there is a steep spur drive to Norristown. Farm Park which has parking and picnic the train to Manayunk and head north to Valley Commission to give new life to an important trail to the Schuylkill Center for Environmental facilities. Forge. Head back to Manayunk after a picnic Head south on the trail toward Manayunk. industrial corridor that helped build the Education, one of the first urban environmental lunch in the National Park. At Betzwood there is a walkway across the economy of the region. The trail follows the education centers in the country. Arrive at the Manayunk Brewing Company Schuylkill River on the Betzwood Bridge, linking Schuylkill River through five counties and by 10:30 to enjoy a guided kayak tour by Interpretational signage and kiosks are displayed Tour length: 30 miles to multi-use trails in Valley Forge National Park. necessitates cooperation of many jurisdictions. Hidden River Outfitters and a Live Jazz Sunday along the trail to explain the history of the area. Biking - 3 hours Currently, over 60 miles of trail is completed, Brunch afterward. Reservations are required. Vehicle Parking and the remaining segments are either under (www.manayunkkayaktours.com) Trailheads and parking, some on local streets, construction, in design, or being studied. After brunch, return to the trail and head north exist on many of the crossings and access points When the trail is complete, it will stretch 130 to close the loop. along the section of the trail. Key parking areas miles from Philadelphia to Pottsville. For more are in Manayunk, Spring Mill, Conshohocken, information on the trail’s development, visit Tour length: 10 miles on bike | 4 miles on foot Norristown, Port Indian and Betzwood. www.schuylkillrivertrail.com. Total trip time – 5 hours