Preserves
The Association’s mission is to preserve the quality and the beauty
of the Wissahickon Creek. The founders of the organization realized that
the best way to protect the water was to protect the land that drained
into the water. They began an ambitious program to preserve a riparian
buffer along the length of the Wissahickon.
By the late 1990’s the Green Ribbon was nearly complete, and
substantial parcels of natural open space in the Watershed were becoming
very rare. The Watershed Association began a concerted effort to protect
environmentally important properties situated farther uphill from the
Creek, each of which served to buffer significant amounts of storm
water. By the year 2007, WVWA had protected more than 1,100 acres of
open space in the Watershed.
Note: The maps presented on this page are interactive. You can
pan, zoom and turn on satellite or terrain imagery. The satellite
imagery is particularly useful to identify fields, woods, hedgerows and
other major features. If you click on
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version which includes a legend and other useful tools, like getting
directions by right-clicking on a map feature.
The Association has preserved nearly 200 acres of land immediately
adjacent to the Wissahickon Creek through conservation easements or
outright ownership of the land. These parcels now constitute the upper
two-thirds of a “Ribbon of Green” from the headwaters of the Creek in
Montgomery Township to Forbidden Drive on Northwestern Avenue in
Philadelphia.
The Watershed Association and Montgomery County maintain trails
through the Green Ribbon Preserve for the enjoyment of the citizenry.
The trail from Upper Gwynedd to Fort Washington State Park is a natural
trail, suitable for walking. The trail from Fort Washington State Park
to Stenton Ave is a hardened trail, suitable for walking and biking.
Green Ribbon Trail, North: A map of the trail in Upper
Gwynedd and Lower Gwynedd.
Green Ribbon Trail, South: A map of the trail in Ambler
and Fort Washington.
Wissahickon Trail: A web page provided by Montgomery
County with information about the trail from Fort Washington State Park to
Northwestern
Ave.
Hawks and foxes make their homes on this preserve, which is one of
the most visible tracts of preserved open space in the watershed. More
than eighty acres were preserved through the creative efforts of the
heirs to the estate, the Natural Lands Trust, the present owner of the
adjacent horse farm, and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association.
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Access: On Cathcart Road between Morris Road and Township
Line Road in Whitpain Township.
Parking: There is a small parking lot about mid-way on
Cathcart Road.
Habitat: Meadows, Woodland. Several acres are being
allowed to progress through natural succession. This area is
surrounded by a deer exclosure.
Trails: A 1.5 mile walking and riding trail begins from a
parking space off Cathcart Road. In some places, the equestrian and
pedestrian trails diverge. Please remember you are sharing the
trails, and do not approach the corrals.
Amenities: none
Dogs should be kept on leashes.
This was the Association’s first nature preserve, donated by Judge
Benjamin Dintenfaas and his wife in 1965. The seventeen acres of wooded
land along the Wissahickon is located in Lower Gwynedd Township, and is
adjacent to Penllyn Woods, a seventy-seven acre community park that was
protected from development by the citizens of Lower Gwynedd in 1994.
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Access: Entrance is on Lantern Lane, off Penllyn Pike.
Size: 17 acres
Parking: Park on shoulder of Penllyn Pike, walk up Lantern
Lane to Preserve entrance.
Habitat: Woodland. Spring wildflowers are abundant.
Trails: There is a 0.6 mile loop trail on the western part
of the Natural Area. What is not as well known is that WVWA also has
the east side of the Creek, where a 0.4 mile section of the Green
Ribbon Trail winds its way north to Penllyn Woods Park. The Green
Ribbon Trail continues, uninterrupted by water or roads, all the way
upstream to Plymouth Rd.
Amenities: Interpretive signs, resting bench.
Bluebirds, hawks and foxes may be seen in the 58-acre Armentrout
Preserve, which is adjacent to Camp Woods. Preserved in partnership with
Whitpain Township.
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Access: End of Beale Road off Penllyn Blue Bell Pike in
Whitpain Township.
Size: 58 acres (20 owned by WVWA and 38 owned by Whitpain
Township)
Parking: Gravel lot at end of Beale Road
Habitat: Meadows, woodlands
Trails: Natural, unpaved trails, shared by walkers and
equestrians. Some wet spots. Hilly terrain. Good exercise walk.
WVWA’s Armentrout loop trail is 0.7 mile; the Horseways/Whitpain
trail through woods is just over 1 mile. The Armentrout loop trail
connects with Camp Woods trail (see below).
The WVWA Armentrout trail begins on the east side of the parking
lot and goes toward Morris Road. The Armentrout trail connects with
the Camp Woods trail via an easement across a private driveway at
410 Morris Road. Please do not follow the driveway, but follow the
trail signs and stay on the trail.
The Horseways trail begins on the west side of the parking lot
and goes toward Skippack Pike, along the tree line separating the
preserve from a private home.
Amenities: Picnic table, interpretive signs.
Dogs must be kept on leashes.
This preserve includes one of the few stands of mature forest in the
Wissahickon watershed. The towering Beech and Oak trees have not been
cut since the Revolutionary War when Washington’s troops bivouacked here
in 1777 after the Battle of Germantown. Generals Washington and
Lafayette were headquartered in an adjacent residence known as
Dawesfield.
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Access: (1) From Armentrout Preserve, follow the trail
nearest Morris Road as it crosses a private driveway and enters Camp
Woods. (2) Lewis Lane to Miles Drive to Mason Drive in Whitpain
Township. Access to the Preserve is marked by a sign at the edge of
the woods. From the end of Mason Drive, walk straight back to the
sign. The property owner has granted an easement for the purpose of
public access to Camp Woods. Please be mindful that you are walking
on private property.
Parking: On Mason Drive or Harrow Lane
Habitat: Mature forest
Trails: Natural, unpaved trails, shared by walkers and
equestrians. Some wet spots, hilly terrain. Trails within the woods
and in adjacent meadows total 1.4 miles. Connects with Armentrout
Preserve trails (see above).
Dogs must be kept on leashes.
Pastures and woodland provide habitat for many species of birds, fox,
deer, and coyotes, all of which share this preserve with horses. This
109 acre preserve was a gift from a family with a deep love of the land
and the creatures on it.
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Access: Off Butler Pike in Broad Axe, at the rear of the Citizen’s Bank
parking lot.
Parking: Citizen’s Bank parking lot.
Habitat: Retired pastureland that is succeeding into
forest, woodland, some active pastures.
Trails: Willow Lake is crisscrossed by 2.4 miles of
woodland and meadow trails. Please stay clear of the pastured area,
as it is leased to the horse farm that adjoins the Preserve. A loop
trail begins at the Citizen’s Bank parking lot. The walking trail is
marked.
Amenities: Interpretive signs.
Dogs must be kept on leashes.
Four Mills Nature Reserve is the 52-acre site of the headquarters of
the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association. Purchased from the Natural
Lands Trust in 1976, this land was once part of the country estate of a
Philadelphia businessman. Four Mills Barn was built in 1871, and is
believed to have been designed by Horace Trumbauer, noted Philadelphia
architect. The Wissahickon Creek runs through the Reserve. You will
observe birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians as you walk along
the trail.
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Access: From the parking lot of WVWA at 12 Morris Road.
Parking: WVWA parking lot
Habitat: Woods with stream; some wet areas.
Trails: Two loop trails, each about 0.5 miles in length,
take you along the Creek and into the woods. Two steel bridges with
steep steps cross the Wissahickon from WVWA headquarters barn.
Interpretive signs help you understand what you are observing.
Amenities: Headquarters building is open Monday – Friday 9:00am
to 5:00pm with access to restrooms and information. Interpretive signs
along loop trails. Picnic tables at headquarters building.
Dogs must be kept on leashes.
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