MontgomeryCounty’s long-standing history of trail development began in the late 1970s with the construction of the first phase of the Schuylkill River Trail, a designated National Recreation Trail from Valley ForgeNationalHistoricalPark to CenterCity, Philadelphia. Today, the County remains committed to and is aggressively involved in trail planning and development.
In 1996, the Board of County Commissioners adopted an open space plan, Creating an Open Space Legacy, which includes a separate trail chapter that sets policies for regional trail development. A network of regionally important trails totaling approximately 160 miles is proposed in the plan.
More than half of the proposed trails are active projects in various stages of planning, design, acquisition or development. The Planning Commission and the Department of Parks and Heritage Services are the County offices assigned the tasks of coordinating and implementing the trail proposals.
MontgomeryCounty understands that there may be times when individuals or organizations wish to use the trails for formal activities and events, including walks, and rides for charity.
