LONG HIKE - 13 Miles
800-900 Feet of Elevation!
I don't know about you, but I'm out of shape. After 9 months of sitting on the couch I need to rebuild my stamina and my overall fitness. If you find yourself in the same boat as me, or you just want to keep your current good fitness level up, then join me on this long, but relatively easy hike as we explore the trails that wind their way through both the East and West sides of Philadelphia's Fairmount Park.
Yes, we do a lot of these trails on our weekly evening circuit...HOWEVER I know folks can't or don't want to hike on Wednesday/weekday evenings so this is also a chance for members that can't/don't get out to our weekly hikes to check out these awesome trails as well as some cool stuff in Fairmount Park.
We will explore the Boxer's Trail and Lemon Trail on the East side of the park. Going around the world famous Philadelphia Museum of Art, yes we will stop for pictures, twice!, we will make our way across the Schuylkill River up the beginning of Martin Luther King Drive. Diving into West Fairmount park we will swing by some iconic museums and statues before making our way to the Belmont Plateau where we will get an opportunity to see one of, if not the best view, of downtown Philly. Then it's on to the now growing in fame trails of West Fairmount Park including the Kitchen Sink and Trolley Trails. Crossing back over the river we will head down Kelly Drive for a short while before making our way back to the starting point in East Fairmount Park. If time allows perhaps we can explore Laurel Hill Cemetery for a bit - but we'll decide as a group.
Overall this should be a relatively easy long hike - though we'll keep a good pace and there is some elevation involved - AllTrails estimates it at about 800 or so feet, so figure 900 max. But it's fairly spread out throughout the hike so this is a GREAT opportunity to build muscle and conditioning while increasing your stamina.
OBSTACLES & HAZARDS
- This hike includes some obstacles and hazards, including small jumps, hiking on railroad tracks (freight line - they go slow!), and possibly having to run across Kelly Drive where there's no light/stop sign. Additionally there will be a mix of urban/woodsy obstacles such as root/rock infested trails, traffic, broken sidewalks, etc. While it's all safe, be prepared for some fun and offroad adventuring!!
BASIC INFO
- DAY & DATE: Sunday May 19th
- START TIME: 10:00 AM (AND WE START ON TIME!)
- LOCATION: Laurel Hill Mansion
- ADDRESS: 3487 Edgley Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19121
- LENGTH: 13 Miles +/-
- ELEVATION: 800-900 Feet
- END TIME: 4pm (hike done)
GEAR:
- Hiking boots
- Water
- Sunscreen
- Appropriate clothing
- Towel & a change of clothes for after (your discretion)
- I also advise people bring hiking bags - it's good to get used to having your hands free for when we do hikes involving climbing and/or rock scrambling.
- Snacks (as you see fit)/lunch for our break. A beer or two is encouraged
PARKING
- Parking is free anywhere along Edgley Drive. Just obey all posted traffic signs. The PPA does check the park - especially on weekends. Give yourself an extra 5-10 minutes in case you need to park a little ways away from our gathering spot.
- Do not leave valuables in your car and do not leave anything visible in it.
BATHROOMS
- While we're technically hiking in the city, this is a "nature hike" - there are two or three places along our route where we can check for public bathrooms, I can't guarantee what will be open and what condition they'll be in. So treat this like a woodsy hike in terms of your food/liquid intake.
BREAKS/LUNCH
- We will stop a few times for pictures as the route goes by some amazing places with great vistas of the city's skyline as well as some very cool, very iconic, and very weird attractions. Depending on the weather we will stop about 50% of the way for a longer break/lunch - but it's a judgment call. Bring portable snacks/lunches that you can eat on the go, especially if the weather is inclement.
AFTERWARDS
- After the hike anyone interested can join us for food/drink nearby either in Fairmount or East Falls. Will have specific location chosen and included in logistics email that goes out the day before the hike.
CANCELLATIONS
- I do not cancel hikes for inclement weather. It must be dangerous conditions and/or dangerous travel. If I do need to cancel or postpone I do so as early as possible.
- You may cancel at anytime up to and including the start time of the hike. Cancellations without contacting me after the start of an event counts as a no-show. More than 3 no-shows gets you removed from the group.
