The Chester Creek Trail, busy in early April.
The Chester Creek Trail is popular. So popular that the trail’s three parking areas are often filled to capacity, even on weekdays.
A recent survey conducted by the Friends of the Chester Creek Trail indicated that 84 percent of the respondents arrive by car. Reports on the Friends Facebook page indicate that some people of people have resorted to biking or walking to the trail on Knowlton and Creek Roads.
Getting to the trail by bicycle or foot is a challenge for most people, there are no sidewalks and only a handful of quiet streets that connect to nearby residential areas. The majority of people who live within biking distance often have to travel on high stress roads to get to the trail.
Parking off-site or taking public transportation are two options to avoid the chaos.
Middletown Trail network
Middletown Township has an expanding natural surface trails network. The Linvill trail skirts along the western edge of the Linvilla Orchards property and connects to the Chester Creek Trail. This is a much more pleasant alternative to taking Knowlton Road to the trail, experienced road cyclists with skinny tires would probably prefer to continue to ride on Knowlton. To our knowledge Linvilla has not put any restrictions on parking there. If you do park at Linvilla Orchards remember to thank them by visiting their market. Alternatively there is limited street parking along Spring Valley Rd. To access the trail look for the white blazes at the intersection of Linvill and Spring Garden near the Knowlton Swim Club.
SEPTA Bus Route 114
SEPTA runs hourly bus service 7 days a week between the Darby Transportation and the Granite Run Mall. You can connect with SEPTA’s Wilmington/Newark Regional Rail Line at the Chester Transportation Center. Beyond Chester, the bus runs parallel to the rail line train stations the most convenient transfers can be made at Crum Lynne or Glenolden.
You can also use the 114 bus as a parking shuttle. There are acres of unused parking spaces near Sears at the Granite Run Mall site. Look for the SEPTA bus stop sign is on the mall road between Sears and the stairway leading to the Acme parking lot. The travel time on the 114 to the Mount Rd stop is less than 10 minutes. Click here for information on taking your bike on a bus or train.