NORRISTOWN, PA – The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners are pleased to announce the opening of the final segment of the
Pennypack Trail in Lower Moreland Township for public use and enjoyment. With the completion of this 0.7-mile section, the trail now extends for 6.2 miles along an exceptionally scenic corridor beginning at the south in Rockledge Park and continuing north to the Bucks-Montgomery border at County Line Road.
“I want to thank the entire County team for getting this section of the Pennypack Trail to the finish line,” said Dr. Valerie A. Arkoosh, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “This trail opening is so exciting, I look forward to getting out on the trail in the coming weeks.”
Completing the final section involved construction of a signalized pedestrian crossing at Byberry Road and 0.7 miles of trail, including a canopy structure under a railroad bridge owned by Norfolk Southern.
“I am thrilled the trail is finished and I can’t wait to get out and ride my bike on the new section of the Pennypack,” said Kenneth E. Lawrence, Vice Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “Montgomery County is one of nine counties home to the Circuit Trails in the Great Philadelphia and South Jersey region. Completion of the the Pennypack Trail adds to the network of Circuit Trails making our region stronger by providing a place for healthy transportation and recreation.”
The Pennypack Trail is one of the most popular trails in the county with an average of over 375,000 visits annually. Built on the former Fox Chase-Newtown SEPTA rail line, the trail offers visitors a 12-foot-wide gravel path that provides level hiking and biking opportunities with scenic views of the Pennypack Creek valley.
The Pennypack Trail has important significance in the county and the region. It will connect with the Newtown Rail Trail in Bucks County in 2021 after construction on that trail is completed. Bucks County was recently awarded a DVRPC grant to design a trail north to the Churchville Nature Center, and the trail will ultimately connect to Newtown.
Lorimer Park abuts Fox Chase Farm in Philadelphia, providing a connection to Philadelphia’s Pennypack Trail, which extends for 10.2 miles from Pine Road to the Delaware River. Philadelphia is completing design of a section that will connect SEPTA’s Fox Chase train station with the main stem of Montgomery County’s Pennypack Trail, which terminates at Rockledge Park. This section will provide an important connection to transit, enabling a trail-to-train connection for local residents.
Montgomery County initiated the development of this popular multi-county connector trail in 2008, opening a 1.8-mile section of trail through Lorimer Park from Rockledge to Huntingdon Pike to the public in June 2009. Trail construction of this multi-phased project continued in 2014 and 2015 and involved installing a bridge crossing over a tributary and extending the trail south 0.6 miles to Rockledge Park, extending the trail north approximately 3 miles to Byberry Road, and developing parking areas at Welsh Road and Byberry Road. With this extension to Byberry Road, the 0.7 mile segment north to County Line Road was the only remaining portion left to construct.
To learn more about this trail and the almost 60 miles of regional county trails connecting greenways, waterways, and heritage corridors within Montgomery County that are provided for residents and visitors through the county’s premier trail system, visit
https://www.montcopa.org/Trails.