11.03.2020 The Perkiomen Trail gets mentioned occasionally in discussions about interesting places to ride in the Delaware Valley. It is a 19-mile-long multi-use rail-trail along the Perkiomen Creek in Montgomery County PA, beginning at the junction with the Schuylkill River Trail by Valley Forge. It was partly funded by Natural Lands Trust, which funds some green space in our local area. It seemed worth checking out, so a few fellow bike-club members (Jim C, Paul M, Roy D, Rick L and I) picked a day to ride it in early November (Election Day, as it happened) with a good weather forecast. We met in Audubon NJ and braved the Schuylkill Expressway on a 1.5 hour drive that was supposed to take 50 minutes (but slowed by highway tree-trimming). Oh well.
Our three-vehicle convoy found the sizeable parking lot just off the Oaks exit of US422; problem was, we could not find any restrooms. Being men of a certain age having just taken a long, stressful drive, we all went scrambling off in different directions toward our chosen personal patch of woods for a nature break. Then we assembled on the bikes in a more relaxed frame of mind. Our machines were varied: two hybrid bikes, one full-suspension MTB, one custom-built randonneur bike, and an old Raleigh Super Course.
Once saddled up and riding, we found the trail pretty enjoyable (even saw an eagle close up as it took flight). Following the creek, it is a mix of some paved but mostly gravel woods riding, with short stretches of roadway on the fringes of towns. It goes North thru Collegeville, Schwenksville and Upper Salford to Green Lane Park, where it ends unceremoniously by the creek, deep in the woods. Once there, we broke out the snacks, took a few minutes to rest and enjoyed the November sunlight filtering thru the bare trees.
Altho most of this trail was along an old Reading Railroad right-of-way, the 8%+ grade in the last stretch down to the water made it clear that this section was not part of any train line. It was a real bear climbing back up, beginning the return. But after a bit, we had topped out and were happy to sense we were rolling downstream the rest of the way. The pedaling was easier, and the company was enjoyable. All in all, a good, memorable 40-mile day on the bikes.
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