Authored By: Circuit Trails Coalition

Step into spring and spring into action on Saturday, April 27, by spending time outside on the Circuit Trails during Celebrate Trails Day!  

Hosted on the fourth Saturday of April, Celebrate Trails Day is an annual spring celebration of America’s trails. Started by Rails to Trails Conservancy in 2013, the celebration encourages people across the country to get outside and enjoy the nation’s exceptional trails and trail systems.  

In the Greater Philadelphia and southern New Jersey region, we’re fortunate to have access to one of America’s largest trail networks. The Circuit Trails is a network of more than 411 multiuse trails weaving through the urban, suburban and rural areas of the region, offering scenic routes and providing safe spaces to get around and recreate that foster a sense of community. 

How you choose to participate in Celebrate Trails Day is entirely up to you—walk, run, ride or roll, the possibilities for fun are endless. Spending time outside on your local trails demonstrates the value of these spaces to decision-makers, whose support is vital to securing funding that will build new trails and maintain those that are currently available.  

We’re committed to completing 500 miles of Circuit Trails by 2025, and with a little more than a year to make it happen, we need your help! You can spring into action and call on your local elected officials to prioritize funding and the development of the Circuit Trails network. 

As you gear up to celebrate the trails you love on Saturday, April 27, check out some of the events you can attend #OnTheCircuit that are hosted by members of the Circuit Trails Coalition across the region. From cleanups to guided bike rides, birding walks, live music and crafts, there’s something planned for Celebrate Trails Day for everyone! Or, if you want to create your own adventure, you can view our itinerary videos for some inspiration. 

[Note: For the latest information about an event, including weather contingencies or other important details, please refer to the event’s respective link below.] 

EVENTS IN PENNSYLVANIA

Celebrate Trails Day Walk at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge 

WHEN: Noon to 1 p.m. 

WHERE: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 8601 Lindbergh Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19153-2501 

Take a guided walk with a ranger through John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Learn about and explore this hidden gem and its diverse ecosystem. 

Photo by Miko Quisumbing

Celebrate Trails Day for Adaptive Trail Users  

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

WHERE: Exton Park Trailhead of the Chester Valley Trail, 132 Church Farm Lane, Exton, PA 19341 

Head to the Chester Valley Trail for an inclusive celebration of trails and the people that use them! Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, IM ABLE Foundation, PA Center for Adapted Sports, Philadelphia Bike Expo and Varlo Sports will host adaptive cycling equipment demos and an expo with regional organizations supporting adaptive recreation. The event will also feature accessible activities to celebrate that trails are for everyone of all abilities. 

Ride Hatfield Trails 

WHEN: 4 to 6 p.m.
WHERE: 76 E Broad St, Hatfield, PA

Join Bike North Penn for a 6-mile group bike ride. The ride will begin at the Trolley Stop in Hatfield,  then head down a short segment of the Liberty Bell Trail. At Cowpath Road, the ride will transition to the Chestnut Street Trail and passthrough Hatfield Community Park. Bridging through a short section in a business area, the group will enter the back side of School Road Park and ride Frick’s Trail to its end. The pace will be beginner friendly with no one being left behind. Helmets are required. Details of the route can be found here.

Birds of a Feather 

WHEN: Noon to 4 p.m. 

WHERE: Tacony Creek Park, Whitaker Ave and Loudon St, Philadelphia, PA 19120 

Join TTF Watershed for its third FREE “Birds of a Feather” event to Celebrate Trails and Earth Day! Talented artists from the community will live-paint along the trail. The event will provide hands-on nature and water activities for people of all ages, as well as giveaways. Register here. 

Celebrate Trails Day at Cobbs Creek Park 

WHEN: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

WHERE: Cobbs Creek Trail 

This free, family-friendly event will kick off with two group walks from 8-10 a.m. Then, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., community organizations will line the trail providing free health and education resources, games and more. Free activities at the event will include horseback riding, a birding walk, plant identification workshop and raffles

Quest for the Golden Grabber 

WHEN: April 20 through 28 

WHERE: D&L Trail 

Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (DLNHC) invites you to celebrate trails by getting outdoors and participating in a community cleanup. For every bag of trash, TV, couch or tire collected and reported to DLNHC, sponsors will donate $5 to support DLNHC’s 165 Trail Fund. Prizes will be awarded for various levels of collection, including most trash collected, most tires collected, most electronics collected and the most interesting items (judge’s choice).   

If you’d like to host your own event and have questions, contact TCAssociate@delawareandlehigh.org to get connected with the local trail landowner, find out where to leave trash for pick up, and to get access to clean-up tools and trash bags stored at the National Canal Museum in Easton.

City Nature Challenge 

WHEN: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. 

WHERE: Lloyd Hall Recreation Center 

Disability Pride Pennsylvania in partnership with The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University will join cities around the world to collaborate and share observations of nature in the 2024 City Nature Challenge. The event will have two naturalists and will use the technology of two apps, Merlin and iNaturalist–as well as naturalist backpacks borrowed from the ANS–to guide and help enter nature findings for the challenge. More information here. 

Celebrate Trails & The Main Line Greenway 

WHEN: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. 

WHERE: Barmouth Trailhead at the Cynwyd Heritage Trail, 215 Belmont Ave, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 

Join affiliates Bike Delco and Bike Montco for a family-friendly social ride along the Cynwyd Heritage Trail and exploring several sections of the planned Main Line Greenway (MLG). The 7-mile ride will conclude back at Barmouth Trailhead and Laurel Hill West, where we will get a guided tour of some of the more interesting “residents” of the cemetery. RSVP is required. Register here. 

EVENTS IN NEW JERSEY

Stockton Park Day 

WHEN: Noon to 4 p.m. 

WHERE: Stockton Station Park, 325 N Dudley St, Camden, NJ 08105, United States 

Head over to Stockton Station Park to celebrate the growing trail network in Camden. Activities will include pony rides, free food, long-term bike loans from Camden Bike Share, bike tune-ups (BYO bike!), yoga for all ages, a scavenger hunt, games, arts and crafts, learn to ID tree species in Camden, prizes and community resource information. All activities are free of charge.

ArtWorks Trail Jam 

WHEN: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

WHERE: D&R Trail Entrance at the Trenton Battle Monument 

Artworks Trenton is excited to continue to engage the community in public art projects. The event will consist of a trail clean-up, cycling activities and art making!  

For more things to do along the Circuit Trails on Celebrate Trails Day and beyond, be sure to check out our Events Page!