Over the last few years we have gotten more and more into going for hikes around the city. While I wouldn’t classify ourselves as intense hikers, the more times we go the easier it becomes and the more we enjoy it. Even within a large urban city, you can still find amazing hikes close by that feel like you’re way out in nature. Here are our picks for the some of the best hikes near Philadelphia classified by difficulty level!
When we say easy, moderate and difficult we are talking in terms of the type of path and how strenuous the hike is in terms of steepness and anything else that makes it easier or harder. It’s hard to say what is difficult for one person may be easy for others so we generally would categorize these hikes into these three levels.
Easy:
Schuylkill River Trail
The Schuylkill River Trail runs for about 10 miles in Philadelphia following the Schuylkill River. It is a trail that you will see many walkers, runners and bikers out enjoying on any nice day. The total distance of the trail (including recently added sections) is close to 140 miles long! It is consistently rated as one of the best urban trails in the United States.
A majority of the Schuylkill River Trail is paved and is relatively wide. It does become thin in certain spots so be careful of bike riders when you are going around a corner. There is one small hill heading north towards the Art Museum but otherwise it is almost completely flat.
If you want to make this trail more difficult, just keep walking! Manayunk is about 7.5 miles from Center City (15 miles round trip) and theoretically you can continue going for miles past that.
Hike Grade: Pretty during nice weather, Not strenuous
Heinz Wildlife Refugee
Heinz Wildlife Refugee is ironically right near the busy Philadelphia Airport, however, you would never know that while inside the grounds. Inside is one of the largest marshes in the Philadelphia area which means you will see many people fishing and bird watching.
The paths are primarily made of loose gravel and after a lot of rain can be very muddy and soggy. Plan ahead if you are going there during or after any rain. All the trails are flat so this is another very easy walking trail, however, there are many different trails with varying lengths that you can pick from. The Refugee provides a very secluded, wildlife experience while exploring.
Hike Grade: Close to the city but so serene, Good if looking for a lengthy walk
Moderate:
Wissahickon Valley Park
Wissahickon Valley Park has over 50 miles of trails featuring all different types. It is a huge park therefore it can be accessed in a few different points depending on where you are coming from. From Center City Philadelphia it takes us about 25 minutes to drive to the Valley Green Inn to park and start hiking.
The popular Forbidden Drive trail is completely flat and runs along the Wissahickon Creek. You will see many people out enjoying this trail, however, there are so many other more strenuous hikes that Wissahickon Valley Park has to offer!
We have also hiked the White Trail and the Orange Trail to make about a 6 mile loop. This hike was significantly more steep than the previously mentioned hikes. The path was much less even and very rocky in some spots that we were thankful to have on traditional hiking shoes as opposed to just sneakers.
- While not all trails are moderate (the Forbidden Drive is definitely easy), we would say generally many of the trails that gain in altitude along the gorge are more strenuous due to the steepness.
Hike Grade: Hike the White Trail for moderate difficulty (some steepness) and almost no other people
Difficult:
Mount Tammany
Mount Tammany is located in New Jersey along the Delaware Water Gap about 1 hour and 45 minutes from Philadelphia. While we know that is not technically in Philadelphia (or all that close) this hike is definitely worth the drive! It is about 1.2 miles up the Red Trail and 2.3 down the Blue Trail totaling roughly 3.5 miles. While it may not sound like a lot, the Red Trail is very steep!
The Red Trail, known as the more challenging trail, requires climbing up approximately 1,250 feet in altitute to get to the top. The top of Mount Tammany rewards you with amazing views of the Delaware Water Gap and across to Mount Minsi. The Blue Trail is less steep than the Red Trail and is significantly more gradual than the Red Trail which makes the Blue Trail less challenging but longer in length.
If you are training for any other type of strenuous hike, Mount Tammany is a really good hike as there are not many other local hikes where you gain that much altitude that quickly. We have done this hike quite a few times and even with the long drive, we continue to want to get in the car to do it again!
Hike Grade: Very steep (expect to be using your hands to climb up rocks at points), Amazing views at the top
Did we miss any other hikes near Philadelphia? Let us know!
