Northeast - Art Museum to Manyunk to Valley Forge

how long of a trip is it? easy run for a beginner?

It's pretty easy, especially if you go on the towpath instead of going out Umbria, which is a longish hill (rewarded by a pretty neat short downhill which can be hair-raising if you're not careful, so take it easy on that).

If you're just starting out, and assuming that you're not riding on really skinny tires (less than 25c) I'd take the towpath- it's packed gravel and boardwalk, and the scenery is very interesting- a mix of the old industrial Manayunk, woodlands, and riverside. You're bound to see some interesting birds (there are great blue herons that hang out where the canal has filled in, just before the Black Rock dam. You'll see the signs for you to turn left off Main St., just in front of Human Zoom bikes, which will be on your right. When you get to the end of the towpath, you'll be making a right up a pretty steep (and very short) hill, all on well-worn cobblestones with sizable gaps between them, so probably best to dismount and walk up the hill- it's only about 100 feet long.

From there, you cross the RR tracks, make a left on Nixon (which is where you'd come down onto from Umbria if you had taken that route, so on a busy day watch for fast cyclists coming down that hill). Take Nixon out to the "Y" (about 1/3mi or so), and bear to the right to go up another short (and paved) hill, bear left at the top and you're on the SRT. From there, it's a pretty straight shot to Betzwood, which is across the Schuylkill from VF. Assuming that you want to go into the park (itself a nice ride, with smooth rollers and very pretty scenery), cross the Betzwood bridge (best to do this on foot- it's narrow and can be disarming to those who aren't familiar with it)- hanging a left after you get off the bridge will take you to Trooper Rd. which you'll cross to get into the park. If you do decide to go into the park, it's easy to get disoriented, so best to have a map handy, or stop at the gift shop at the chapel- they have maps there.

Have fun- it's an easy ride, that many of us use for distance training (e.g., going out to Collegeville makes it a nice 60mi R/T). On a weekend ride, just be sure to stay right and call out when you need to pass- you'll find a few groups out there and they can get going pretty good.

thanks for your info.. about how many miles?

An educated guess would be about fourteen miles one way from the Art Museum to The Betzwood parking lot. I usually park at Spring Mill Septa Station and it's about ten miles from there to the park. It's also pretty flat, easy ride. My girlfriend and I make that ride almost every weekend and she's on a single speed beach cruiser.

It is a 42 mile round trip from the Betzwood parking lot off Trooper Road to the Art Museum and back.

Take patches or a spare tube and a pump. Sections of the trail have areas where there are numerous bits of broken glass.

If you ride from the Art Museum up to Betzwood and use the rest rooms be sure to take your bike in with you.

It is a 42 mile round trip from the Betzwood parking lot off Trooper Road to the Art Museum and back.

Take patches or a spare tube and a pump. Sections of the trail have areas where there are numerous bits of broken glass.

Agreed. Although I haven't had a flat on the trail, there are some areas where I wonder how I made it through, even on 32's.



If you ride from the Art Museum up to Betzwood and use the rest rooms be sure to take your bike in with you.

Have you had a problem? I ride this every weekend with m'lady, and have never noticed any unsavory characters in the park (in Norristown yes, but not in VF). We HAVE started taking turns using the facilities so one of us always has an eye on the bikes, but that's mostly to keep my Garmin from disappearing.

zoste,

I think we passed each other about 3 weeks ago on the trail in Manayunk. I remember a very big and heavy beach cruiser bike.

There have been few problems at Betzwood. You just don't temp fate by leaving bicycles unattended for any length of time.

zoste,

I think we passed each other about 3 weeks ago on the trail in Manayunk. I remember a very big and heavy beach cruiser bike.

I just cannot convince m'lady that she would be happier with gears...even a 3 speed. Next time you see us, give a wave :)


There have been few problems at Betzwood. You just don't temp fate by leaving bicycles unattended for any length of time.

Yep. That's why we've started taking turns...although I hadn't heard of any problems there. When I'm by myself (which is pretty rare on that trail), I'll ride a little farther to the Lower Perkiomen Park...not that a bike is less likely to disappear from Lower Perk...

zoste,

If that was indeed your and your girl the other week we exchanged greetings. My wife is 67 and I am 66. The old folks one often sees trimming vines and other shrubbery hanging down or partially blocking the trail.

The ride up the trail from Betzwood to Oaks is nice in the evening when the deer are close to the trail. I have a lot of good photos of them.

Last Thursday we checked the extension of the trail from Oaks to Port Providence. You see this branch off under the bridge at Oaks. Last Thursday we pedaled over the rocky road back to where they are building a bridge before finishing the trail. There sat a big crane. Ye-Ha! The bridge was put in place on Friday. Now they must pour the bridge deck and ramps and then they will asphalt the trail and straighten it. That is a very nice ride from Oaks up to Longford Road. We sometimes stop at Fitzwater Station for a light meal before heading back to the car at Betzwood. Hopefully they will get the bridge surface and approaches done before the asphalt plants shut down for the winter. They had planed on having this section finished last May but the company fabricating the bridge had trouble getting the steel and getting it welded together.
They are laying out a reconstruction of the old canal towpath from the Lonford Road parking area up into Mont Clare. That will be several years in the future. That would give a trail that runs from center city Philly up to Phoenixville

zoste,

If that was indeed your and your girl the other week we exchanged greetings. My wife is 67 and I am 66. The old folks one often sees trimming vines and other shrubbery hanging down or partially blocking the trail.

The ride up the trail from Betzwood to Oaks is nice in the evening when the deer are close to the trail. I have a lot of good photos of them.

Last Thursday we checked the extension of the trail from Oaks to Port Providence. You see this branch off under the bridge at Oaks. Last Thursday we pedaled over the rocky road back to where they are building a bridge before finishing the trail. There sat a big crane. Ye-Ha! The bridge was put in place on Friday. Now they must pour the bridge deck and ramps and then they will asphalt the trail and straighten it. That is a very nice ride from Oaks up to Longford Road. We sometimes stop at Fitzwater Station for a light meal before heading back to the car at Betzwood. Hopefully they will get the bridge surface and approaches done before the asphalt plants shut down for the winter. They had planed on having this section finished last May but the company fabricating the bridge had trouble getting the steel and getting it welded together.
They are laying out a reconstruction of the old canal towpath from the Lonford Road parking area up into Mont Clare. That will be several years in the future. That would give a trail that runs from center city Philly up to Phoenixville

Yes - I have seen you two (or at least a couple who fit the description). I think this past Sunday near the new condo's about two miles below Betzwood. Next time, I'll stop and introduce myself properly :)

I've ridden the gravel path from Oaks to Port Providence. M'lady stays in the park and reads while I head onto the road into Mont Clare, Phoenixville and beyond. It's been a few weeks since I've been up that far, though, and didn't know that the bridge was so far along. I'm looking forward to the completion of that stretch, too.

My wife usually sets the pace with me on her back wheel. She on a blue and silver Raleigh Detour and me on a Trek Multitrack. Sometimes we are on our matching Trek Navigators. Both bikes with big bags on the rear racks. When her shopping gene kicks in at Manayunk the big bags come in handy.

Just below Betzwood on Sunday I had to stop and clip a small tree that had leaned over the trail. Watched bikers having to go over onto the center of the trail to avoid it. Not good for trail safety.

Just below Betzwood on Sunday I had to stop and clip a small tree that had leaned over the trail. Watched bikers having to go over onto the center of the trail to avoid it. Not good for trail safety.

I've always wanted an opportunity to thank whomever is responsible for doing this kind of stuff, and now I have it- thanks Whiteknight- your efforts (and those of everyone else who helps keep the trail clear) are much, much appreciated! :beer::beer::beer:

My wife usually sets the pace with me on her back wheel. She on a blue and silver Raleigh Detour and me on a Trek Multitrack. Sometimes we are on our matching Trek Navigators. Both bikes with big bags on the rear racks. When her shopping gene kicks in at Manayunk the big bags come in handy.

Just below Betzwood on Sunday I had to stop and clip a small tree that had leaned over the trail. Watched bikers having to go over onto the center of the trail to avoid it. Not good for trail safety.

Yep...my girlfriend and I rode by just as you were finishing your pruning. I'll join MTB in extending a "Thanks" for the labors.

BTW, MTB, the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia (http://phillybikeclub.org/newbcp/) has done some routine cleanup/trash removal along the trail, too. You'd be more than welcome to join the ranks of folks who endeavor to keep the trail clean.

During the summer of 2008 the Montgomery Parks Dept. was not as active as in previous years when it comes to keep the trail clear of shrubbery. Especially as you approach Conshohocken from Betzwood. They had one ranger retire. Another was promoted. They were hit hard by the rise in fuel prices.

Here in Berks County the Thun Trail is maintained by a volunteer group. Not a parks department. So the wife and I are used to devoting a little time to keeping the trail fairly free of low hanging vines and cutting the sticker bushes that grow out over the trail. We go for the whole day just to get out of the city. Not going for speed or max mileage. So a few stops to clip stuff is a pleasant rest.
So doing the same thing on the trail in Montgomery County is no big deal. We put in a greater amount of time on the Towpath section from the water works at Shawmont down to where the stone dust section begins at Manayunk. I am retired and we use the trail several times a week in good weather right into winter months. Expecting the various parks departments to keep the trail in immaculate condition is expecting a bit much for ones taxes.

You may have noticed the new trail marker at the Trooper Road parking lot at Betzwood. Last week a box appeared on the marker. The box was full of "Schuylkill River Trail User Survey forms. To be filled in and mailed to the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy in Washington. The survey questions cover the entire trail from the Kernsville Dam access at Hamburg, PA down to the extension beyond the Art Museum. If you want your voice heard relative to the trail I strongly urge you to get one of these survey forms, complete it and mail it in.
They are trying to determine the extent of use of the trail and what sort of use it is getting. One question asks your feelings on trail maintenance another on trail security.

I think this survey may effect how much they put into the trail in the future. A few sections will soon require new paving and widening.