The Friends of the Cresheim Trail
The Friends of the Cresheim Trail
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The Friends of the Cresheim Trail

Mission

Friends of the Cresheim Trail’s mission is to create and promote multi-use trails that connect communities and provide accessible open space in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties.

The Friends of the Cresheim Trail

The Friends of the Cresheim Trail are a volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to build multi-use trails that connect Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Valley Park and Fort Washington State Park in Montgomery County — and all the communities along the way.

Since 2012, we’ve built a 3-mile network of single-track, natural surface trails for hiking and mountain biking, bringing the Cresheim Trail out from Philadelphia’s beloved Wissahickon Valley Park and into communities long separated from the park through the progress of development, county boundaries, roads, and the ebb and flow of the region. Our current work is focused on extending this network via a 5-mile rail trail primarily within two former railroad rights-of-way. When fully realized, the Cresheim Trail will be part of the Circuit, an 800-mile network of multi-use trails planned for the Greater Philadelphia Region.

This website is for the purpose of disseminating information about this exciting project, and to help gather community support for a trail that will benefit communities in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties and the surrounding region.

For the latest updates, subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Earth Day Workday! Volunteer event Sun 4/19

  The Friends of the Cresheim Trail recognize that every day is Earth Day, but on Sunday, April 19th, it’s really gonna be Earth Day. Earth Day Weekend, at least, and we’ve invited all our friends for a morning back in the Quarry Rock Garden. Join us Sunday, April 19th, 9am–12pm as we continue removing […]

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Cresheim Trail volunteer workday Wed 4/1

Oh yes indeed, we’re getting right back to it. Friends of the Cresheim Trail are happy to announce our first weekday workday of the year on Wednesday, April 1st. No foolin’!  David Bower and the FOW Q-Team will join us to put some attention on the sidewalks where Emlen Street turns into Cresheim Valley Drive, […]

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Donate

Donate to Cresheim Trail online (Square)

We encourage you to join our group by making a donation ($50 suggested) online at our Square page or by mail to:

Friends of the Cresheim Trail
PO Box 4341
Philadelphia, PA  19118

Contact Us

Email: info@cresheimtrail.org

Newsletter

Click here to sign up for our newsletter

Instagram

cresheimtrail

Once again, a monumental offering of gratitude goe Once again, a monumental offering of gratitude goes to the 37 volunteers who came out yesterday, in the middle of the week, to care for our beloved Cresheim Trail! Extra special thanks to David Bower and the @fowissahickon Q-Team, @independenceyouthcycling, and @philaparkandrec. Teamwork ⟿ dreamwork. With spring buds starting to emerge around us, we met and worked in the area of the trail crossing at Cresheim Road, from the Outdoor Classroom down to the road crossing at Buttercup Cottage. 

Among the work that got done: we removed and scattered a bunch of yard waste and organic debris that was littering the road, we cut back lots of honeysuckle and multiflora rose before it started encroaching into the trail, we continued our mission against english ivy, and of course we hauled out a few bags of trash. Most importantly (and arguably most fun), we did some much needed trail work on the south side of the crossing, stabilizing some loose areas, building some new grade reversals to help shed water off the trail, and we debermed the area where the poison ivy grows so strong. 

All in all, a heck of an outing for the middle of the week. Thanks again to all who came out. We’ll get back to it on Sunday, April 19th for a big tag team Earth Day weekend outing. Save the date for now (we’ll start at 9am) and we’ll announce details shortly. 

#cresheimtrail
Calling all friends for a volunteer outing THIS WE Calling all friends for a volunteer outing THIS WEDNESDAY, April 1st at 9am. 🕷️ The forecast looks like we *might* get a little wet, but the heavy stuff should hold off till later in the day, so we’re gonna go for it, our first weekday workday of the year. 

We’ll be happy to be joined by David Bower and the @fowissahickon Q-Team for a variety of tasks — trail stuff, trash stuff, sightline stuff… all the good stuff. We’ll meet at the Outdoor Classroom, where the Cresheim Trail crosses Cresheim Road. If you’re driving, please park on the *north* side of Cresheim Road, i.e. on the right as you’re coming downhill from Allens Lane. 

Also, save the date of Sunday, April 19th, as we’re putting together an all-star collabo outing for Earth Day weekend back at the Quarry Rock Garden. Details on that to come, but in the meantime, see you Wednesday morn.

#cresheimtrail
Oh yes indeed, we’re getting right back to it. Fri Oh yes indeed, we’re getting right back to it. Friends of the Cresheim Trail are happy to announce our first weekday workday of the year, NEXT WEDNESDAY, April 1st. No foolin’. 

David Bower and the @fowissahickon Q-Team will join us to put some attention on the sidewalks where Emlen Street turns into Cresheim Valley Drive, i.e. where the trail crosses over to the Wissahickon at Buttercup Cottage. We’ll also have some other spring cleaning to do, trail tasks, and more. And if you haven’t been to the Outdoor Classroom since the kiosk’s been installed, you’re in luck: that’s where we’ll meet. 

It’s all happening next Wednesday, April 1st, at 9am. The Outdoor Classroom is where the Cresheim Trail crosses Cresheim Road (map in slide 2). If you’re driving, plan on parking on the shoulder of the westbound/downhill side.

Our next volunteer workday will coincide with Earth Day weekend, on Sunday, April 19th. Details to come. #cresheimtrail
35 mega thank yous go out to the 35 volunteers who 35 mega thank yous go out to the 35 volunteers who joined us on Saturday for a most beautiful first full day of spring in the Quarry Rock Garden. We really put our back into it, hauling and stacking cut up timber, raking and hauling brush, pulling vines, exposing rock features, cleaning the stairs, filling 13 bags of trash, and even getting some of the vegetation off of the top of the rock face. All to be continued at next month’s volunteer workday (Sun 4/19). 

But before we get to that one, we’re going to get out for our first weekday of the year, next Wednesday, April 1st, at 9am with David Bower and the @fowissahickon Q-Team. Details and location TBA, but save the date if you’re available and we’ll see you then.

#cresheimtrail
Special thanks to @chconservancy for sharing these Special thanks to @chconservancy for sharing these wonderful historical photos. Rina Brun Fesnick was a Chestnut Hill native who donated her photos to the Conservancy, including these two photos from the 1930s of the Woodward Rock Garden, as it was known then. Rina died last year at the age of 100.

That's Cresheim Valley Drive in the background of pic 1, and pic 2 will be familiar to anyone who's traversed the Friends Loop. Come see the contemporary views of both with Friends of the Cresheim Trail this weekend. 

Our March volunteer workday falls on the first full day of spring, this Saturday the 21st. We'll meet at 9am at Mermaid Park in Chestnut Hill (the subject of a project by our friends at @chestnuthillcommunity). Please note that @chestnuthillfm farmers market will be happening 9am–12pm, so plan on parking at the Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting, who've kindly opened their parking lot at 20 E Mermaid Ln to volunteers — you can take the Friends Loop straight down to the meetup spot.

#cresheimtrail
A huge shout of gratitude to @appalachianmountainc A huge shout of gratitude to @appalachianmountainclub (who’s celebrating their 150th anniversary this year) for hosting a two-day advanced trail training over the weekend in Fairmount Park. Lots of familiar Cresheim Trail faces, along with friends from @belmont_trails, @fowissahickon, and @independenceyouthcycling were on hand to enhance skills and build new ones in rockwork, rigging, and trail analysis - with special projects on the Belmont Trails to put the skills in action.

We’ll be baking this skill set into upcoming volunteer workdays, including one this weekend. Join us at Mermaid Park in Chestnut Hill (7645 Germantown Ave) for a morning in the Quarry Rock Garden. It’s happening at 9am this Saturday, March 21st.

#cresheimtrail
Hot dawg, the long thaw is over and we’re ready to Hot dawg, the long thaw is over and we’re ready to get back in action. That long thaw has also flattened vegetation and maximized outdoor views, so let’s take advantage of all of the above on the first full day of spring, Saturday, March 21st. 

We have big plans this year for the Quarry Rock Garden, the signature feature of the Friends Loops, and we’ll get started on it that morning. Additional details to come, but for now, plan on joining us at 9am that day at Mermaid Park in Chestnut Hill. Bring your reusable shopping bags too, it’s a Chestnut Hill Farmers Market morning.

ALSO, save the date of Wednesday, April 1st, as we host our first weekday workday of the year. Details on that to come. 

#cresheimtrail
Cresheim snow day, heading all the way downstream. Cresheim snow day, heading all the way downstream. ❄️

#cresheimtrail

 

(c) 2026 The Friends of the Cresheim Trail

The Friends of the Cresheim Trail
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