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iDavid Freed Photographer B) 2016
Explore the Watershed

Penllyn Natural Area

    Trail Head

    Intersection of Lantern Lane & Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, PA

    Length

    0.6 Miles

    Difficulty

    Moderate

    Amenities

    Along Water, Historic Site, Birding Hotspot, Picnic Area or Benches, Leashed dogs, Parking, Equestrian Trail

Trail Overview

If you’re looking for a family-friendly outing, look no further than the Penllyn Natural Area. This 19-acre preserve in Lower Gwynedd offers a brief 0.6 mile loop trail, with the option to connect to the Green Ribbon Trail for longer hikes.

 

The Penllyn Natural Area is Wissahickon Trails’ oldest preserve and spans both sides of the Wissahickon Creek. On the west side of the preserve, a brief loop trail offers lots of interpretive signage. As you walk through the preserve, you’ll pass through wooded and wetland habitat, and educational signs will help your whole family learn about the natural environment around you. If you visit in the spring, you’ll see wildflowers along the trail. Two-lined salamanders, pickerel frogs, and Eastern garter snakes can be found here, and some visitors have even seen common snapping turtles in the deeper parts of the Wissahickon Creek.

 

On the eastern side of the Wissahickon Creek, continue your walk on a 0.4 mile section of the Green Ribbon Trail. This will lead you to Penllyn Woods Park, where you can keep going on the Green Ribbon Trail all the way to Plymouth Road.

 

Download Trail Map
Trail Details

  • Parking

    Small road-side pull-off on Lantern Lane just off of Penllyn Bluebell Pike.

  • Google Maps

    Directions

  • Before You Go

    General Trail Rules & Information

  • Other Info

    There is an old springhouse located at the northern limit of trail near the Wissahickon Creek.

Detailed Accessibility Information about the Trails at Penllyn Natural Area Below

 

Download a printer-friendly PDF with trail descriptions and additional photos.

Salamander Trail

  • Surface: Hard-packed dirt; grass. 

  • Distance: 0.4 mile loop 

  • Gradient: Taking the left fork from the trailhead there is a short 16% decline into a seasonal creek bed, and a 5% incline out of this creek bed. At a second creek bed there is a short 10% incline then 10% decline in and out of it. 15% incline occurs after the intersection with the Dragonfly Trail. 

  • Width: 8” 

  • Cross slope: Significant in many places. 

  • Benches: Two 

  • Shade: Complete in the warmer months. 

  • Drainage issues: Ruts and channeling in the creek bed near the first set of benches on the left. 

  • Obstacles: 5” deep rut. In the fall, black walnuts can cover parts of the trail, making it unstable underfoot.  

Freya McGregori

Dragonfly Trail

  • Surface: Hard-packed dirt and smooth bedrock. 

  • Distance: 0.2 miles each way 

  • Gradient: One short 12% decline to the Old Springhouse. 

  • Width: 8” 

  • Cross slope: Extreme in some places. 

  • Benches: Zero 

  • Shade: Complete in the warmer months. 

  • Drainage issues: None 

  • Obstacles: Steep declines and inclines; short section into a small creek bed filled with uneven rocks; exposed roots up to 8” high. Very steep and narrow wet stream crossing without any bridge or stepping stones. 

Freya McGregori

Trail History

Our First Preserve

Individuals and communities have come together to protect this natural area for over 50 years. Judge and Mrs. Benjamin Dintenfass donated 17.5 acres of land on both sides of the Wissahickon Creek to Wissahickon Trails in 1962. In the 1980s, community activists worked with elected leaders and our organization to protect Penllyn Woods from development. Moses and Susan Feldman donated additional acreage in the early 1980s.

David Freedi