Parks & Trails

History buffs and nature lovers come from around the world to experience the beauty of our backyard, Valley Forge National Historical Park. The site of the 1777-78 winter encampment of the Continental Army features 3,500 acres of monuments, meadows and woodlands and 35 miles of trails. Historical storytellers and incredible year-round events bring the past to life for the nearly 2M people who visit the park each year.

In 2022, Upper Merion Township completed the final section of a 2.2 mile portion of trail that begins at Sullivan’s Bridge and ends at Abrams Mill Rd. & W. Beidler Rd. in Bob Case Park. This wide paved trail roughly parallels the southern side of the Schuylkill River and provides residents, employees and visitors of Upper Merion Township/King of Prussia direct access to VFNHP via a paved connection underneath Route 422.

In early spring 2023, Montgomery County completed an important 3.8 mile extension of the Chester Valley Trail, linking it to the existing 14.5 mile portion trail that now runs from Exton to King of Prussia passing through 3 municipalities, to the Schuylkill River Trail in Norristown. The link includes the construction of two new pedestrian bridges at South Gulph Road and Henderson Road and enhanced two existing bridges for increased bike and pedestrian use. With this extension, trail users can now walk or ride as far north as Green Lane Park and as far east as Philadelphia. The project was funded primarily by the Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ).

Upper Merion Township completed construction on the multimodal trail along Crow Creek in 2022. This new trail connects Walker Field to Bob Case Park and the Schuylkill River Trail West and features a continuous multi-use pathway with ADA-compliant crossings at roadway intersections. The trail joins residential, civic, retail centers and schools from King of Prussia Mall to W. Beidler Rd. Upper Merion received a grant from the state to create this two-mile multimodal corridor.

The Circuit Trails are a continuously-growing network of more than 300 miles of trails in the nine county region of southeastern Pennsylvania, and central and southern New Jersey, with a vision of more than 750 miles of interconnected trails. In the King of Prussia area, the Schuylkill River Trail, Chester Valley Trail, the Valley Forge Loop, and more are all a part of the Circuit. A group of more than 65 non-profit organizations, foundations and agencies are working together to advance completion of the Circuit Trails through the Circuit Trails Coalition. Together, the Coalition is working to create a multi-use trail network unlike any other in the country — connecting the urban, suburban and rural communities of Greater Philadelphia and providing trail users with 100s of miles of happy to explore.

Upper Merion Township (UMT) boasts 35 parks and open spaces, many of which are available to rent. UMT’s Park Partners program provides residents, organizations and businesses with a variety of ways to help protect and enhance our parks, and to educate people about the importance of parks and open spaces.