The Perkiomen Trail is a multi-use
rail trail
A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...
along the
Perkiomen Creek
Perkiomen Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Schuylkill River in Berks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties, Pennsylvania.Gertler, Edw ...
in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
.
It begins at the junction with the
Schuylkill River Trail
The Schuylkill River Trail ( , ) is a multi-use trail along the banks of the Schuylkill River in southeastern Pennsylvania. Partially complete as of 2018, the trail is ultimately planned to run about from the river's headwaters in Schuylkill Co ...
near the mouth of the Perkiomen and
Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site of the third winter encampment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, taking place from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. The National Park Service preserves the site a ...
and ends in Green Lane Park. It follows the Perkiomen and connects Lower Perkiomen Valley Park, Central Perkiomen Valley Park, and Green Lane Park. The trail is mostly gravel, with some sections being paved.
The abandoned portion of Perkiomen Branch of the
Reading Railroad
The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail.
Commonly calle ...
was purchased by
Montgomery County in 1978, and the trail mostly follows the former railroad bed. It was completed in 2003.
It passes through ten communities (from south to north):
Oaks,
Arcola Arcola may refer to:
Places
; Australia
* Arcola, Grafton, a heritage-listed house in New South Wales
;Canada
* Arcola, Saskatchewan, a town in the Province of Saskatchewan
* Arcola Airport, an airport in the Province of Saskatchewan
;England
* ...
,
Yerkes,
Collegeville,
Rahns,
Graterford,
Schwenksville,
Spring Mount,
Upper Salford, and
Green Lane.
Natural Lands and the Montgomery County Lands Trust have spent over $7 million to establish an easement to ensure that this trail remains an open space in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
References
External links
Home of the Perkiomen TrailAccess pointsPerkiomen RailroadPerkiomen Trail on TrailLink
Rail trails in Pennsylvania
Reading Company
Parks in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
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