> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://outdoor.unitedinnature.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Forbidden Drive, where Philadelphia keeps its distance - URL: https://outdoor.unitedinnature.com/philly-w38-destination-guide-wissahickon/ - Published: 2026-09-17T15:56:55.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-20T19:42:11.000Z - Description: A creekside day in Wissahickon Valley Park, with Valley Forge waiting nearby when the first arrangement is full. - Author: Outdoor Collective - Tags: newsroom, philly-w38, Northeast, hiking, Pennsylvania, destination-guide A fall day in the city can be a surprisingly private thing. You take the path beside the creek, hear a cyclist announce himself from behind, and remember that Philadelphia has been keeping this much woods on hand all along. Forbidden Drive is the kind of place that rewards an unambitious beginning. Start where the map is kind, walk until the trees feel like a proper change of address, and turn around before the outing develops a committee. Valley Forge is waiting nearby if the lots are full or if the day wants a broader sky. One arrangement is a creek and gravel; the other is parade ground, meadow, and the pleasant discipline of a named loop. A fall day in the city, with enough room to feel elsewhere: **\~2,000 acres**, **\~50 miles** of trails, and a **5.3-mile** gravel creek corridor (Forbidden Drive) with **free** designated parking and **dawn-to-dusk** hours. No hunting. Closest option verified open for **Sep 20–21, 2026**. **Primary:** Wissahickon Valley Park / Forbidden Drive (Philadelphia Parks & Rec + Friends of the Wissahickon) **Plan B:** Valley Forge National Historical Park (NPS) ## The route **Forbidden Drive — 5.3 miles one-way (Circuit Trails 6.7 mi total)** (FOW maps). Wide gravel (**25 ft** average), **3%** average grade, max obstacle **3 in**. Multi-use (walk / run / bike / horse). Forbidden Drive was named Trail of the Year 2018 by PA DCNR. Yield: all users yield to equestrians; bikes yield to hikers. - Treat **5.3 mi** as the official one-way length of the Drive through the park. - Center start: **Valley Green Inn** (FOW FAQ landmark; Valley Green Road parking lots). Walk north toward Northwestern / Bells Mill **or** south toward the paved Wissahickon Trail / Ridge Avenue — turn around when you want; that is still the official Drive. - Southern connector (separate official trail): **Paved Wissahickon Trail 1.4 mi** (asphalt + boardwalks along Lincoln Drive) linking Schuylkill River Trail ↔ Forbidden Drive. Wissahickon Transportation Center is across from the Ridge Avenue trailhead. - Harder add-ons (official color trails): Orange **5.66 mi** · White **4.74 mi** · Yellow **7.93 mi**. Orange is **hikers only** Hortter Street → Thomas Mill covered bridge. **Difficulty:** Forbidden Drive = FOW’s easiest major tread (flat gravel). Color trails = singletrack, dirt/rock, grades **9–11%**, max obstacle **24 in** — FOW flags sections as rugged for inexperienced users. ## Arriving without inventing a problem | Mode | Agency detail | | -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Car | Multiple designated lots on FOW map. Landmark GPS search: **Valley Green Inn**. | | SEPTA rail | Chestnut Hill West Line (west side of park). Wissahickon Station on Manayunk / Norristown Line (Ridge Avenue / south). | | SEPTA bus | **27** (Henry Ave / Roxborough) · **97** (Chestnut Hill) · **23** (Germantown Ave) · **65** (Walnut Lane) · Wissahickon Transportation Center **4900 Ridge Ave** | | Rideshare drop (FOW) | Northwestern Stables (120 W Northwestern Ave) · Salvatore Pachella Field (Henry + Livezey) · Valley Green Road lots · Kitchen’s Lane lot (1000 Kitchens Lane) · Blue Bell Field (842 W Walnut Lane) · David Montgomery Field (600 Barnes St) · Ridge Avenue trailhead (4901 Ridge Ave) | **Parking** - **Free** in designated lots (FOW FAQ). Confirm signage on arrival. - Lots fill at busy times; FOW lists alternatives on map tags. - **Illegal / blocked:** Livezey Lane and Kitchen’s Lane — **no parking** (only emergency access). Do not use Livezey for Devil’s Pool drop-offs. - Kitchen’s Lane **lot** is a legal lot; the **lane** is not street parking. ## The rules of the place - **Hours:** dawn to dusk, 7 days (PPR) - **Fee:** pedestrian day use — none listed on PPR trail regulations. Bike/horse/carriage on Upper Wissahickon: non-resident **$35** permit (PPR) - Pets: leash **≤6 ft** - Speed: **7 mph** - No motorized vehicles on trails - No swimming / wading (PPR + Philly health). Do not feature Devil’s Pool as a swim destination. - No camping - Carry-in / carry-out; stay on designated trails (FOW + PPR restoration zones) - Cell: **spotty** — do not count on it ## Facilities, should the afternoon require them Permanent bathrooms (FOW Park Conditions, updated Apr 1, 2026): 1. Wissahickon Environmental Center (composting) 2. Valley Green Inn (outdoors, flushing) 3. Kitchens Lane & Forbidden Drive (composting) Porta potties are typically placed in spring and removed in winter (FOW). Confirm on arrival for Sep 20–21. ## The second arrangement — Valley Forge NHP Use when Wissahickon lots are full, a FOW conditions update closes the Drive segment you wanted, or you want a numbered NPS loop. - **18 miles** northwest of Philadelphia · **3,452 acres** · **over 35 miles** of trails · **$0** entrance - Featured loop: **Joseph Plumb Martin Trail** — **5-mile** inner loop / **8.7 miles** total · paved · hilly · limited shade - Grounds **7 a.m. to dark (30 min after sunset)** · Visitor Center **9 a.m.–5 p.m.** - Start: **Lower Visitor Center lot (397 spaces)** unless full; then Artillery Park **98**, Knox’s **111**, Wayne’s Woods **77**, etc. - **Maurice Stephens lot closed** (use Chapel lot + Rt 23 crossing for Grand Parade) · Isaac Potts House **interior closed** May 4, 2026 → 2027 · Fatlands + Chapel **open with caution** · Wilson Road (**54**) fills early weekends - Pets leashed on grounds; not in buildings - Phone **610-783-1000** · 1400 N Outer Line Dr, King of Prussia, PA 19406 This guide does **not** feature French Creek (hunting likely in-season) or Hickory Run (DCNR **2–3 hour** drive from Philly). ## The particulars to carry - Water (do not assume fountains are on) - Layers + rain shell - Tick check (shoulder season) - Leash **≤6 ft** if bringing a dog - Paper map / offline FOW map (cell fails) - Blaze orange: **not required in the city park** ## Subscribe For the next Philly-week pack: [Sign up free](https://outdoor.unitedinnature.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fcampaign=philly-w38&utm%5Fcontent=destination-guide#/portal/signup) ## Agency sources Wissahickon: [PPR trail regulations](https://www.phila.gov/departments/philadelphia-parks-recreation/about/trail-regulations/?ref=outdoor.unitedinnature.com) · [FOW FAQ](https://fow.org/faq/?ref=outdoor.unitedinnature.com) · [FOW maps](https://fow.org/maps/?ref=outdoor.unitedinnature.com) · [FOW park conditions](https://fow.org/park-conditions-2/?ref=outdoor.unitedinnature.com) Valley Forge: [hours](https://www.nps.gov/vafo/planyourvisit/hours.htm?ref=outdoor.unitedinnature.com) · [conditions](https://www.nps.gov/vafo/planyourvisit/conditions.htm?ref=outdoor.unitedinnature.com) · [fees](https://www.nps.gov/vafo/planyourvisit/fees.htm?ref=outdoor.unitedinnature.com) · [trails](https://www.nps.gov/vafo/planyourvisit/trails.htm?ref=outdoor.unitedinnature.com) · [parking](https://www.nps.gov/vafo/planyourvisit/parking.htm?ref=outdoor.unitedinnature.com)