Wild Wonderful Wissahickon - Wissahickon Valley Park
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- My tribute to my "home" park, which I simply refer to as the "Wissahickon." It's quite hard to fathom that this 1800 acre park lies entirely within the borders of the city of Philadelphia. It is a true treasure of the region, and beloved by many. I firmly believe the park can stand on its own merits as one of the top 10 best scenic destinations in the entire state! Miles of trails, old growth forests, fishing, horseback riding, bouldering... Waterfalls, geological formations, historic buildings, bridges , and structures, public art, caves, meadows... all set within a scenic gorge. The list is endless. Traveling thru the Wissahickon for me is like reconnecting with an old friend. There is a comforting familiarity, and yet always something new to learn. This film is a bit of an experimental piece, I hope you enjoy.
YES! Back in the early 60', my buddy and I, growing up together in Lafayette Hills, would spend countless hours walking through the park. Quite often, we would pack a lunch, strap it on our bikes, and trip all the way down to where the East and West River Drives could be seen. We actually made it to the Philly Art Museum. Sooooooo many memories. Thanks friend!
I grew up riding my bike to the Wissahickon. You've captured the beauty of the park. Thank you❤
I have spent many days there as well, it's a special place to many people...
YES! Back in the early 60', my buddy and I, growing up together in Lafayette Hills, would spend countless hours walking through the park. Quite often, we would pack a lunch, strap it on our bikes, and trip all the way down to where the East and West River Drives could be seen. We actually made it to the Philly Art Museum. Sooooooo many memories.
@@bluenoteone the memories are priceless. We would spend the entire day looking for minnows in the three pools❤
I was lucky enough to grow up with this in my backyard quite literally around the Wissahickon Ave/Walnut Lane intersection. I live in Central PA now around similar scenery and growing up exploring the woods here is a big reason why. You never know you're in the middle of a huge city. Whenever I've had the chance to bring visitors to Philly I show them this and it immediately erases any preconceptions they had given the stereotypes. Thank you for this video!
It's definitely my favorite place within the city, and is a refuge for so many people, plants, and animals in the urban metropolis... The Wissahickon is special to many people.
Can you see the Tolerance Statue on this hike? Thanks! Wonderful video!
Not on this particular loop, that statue is a bit further downstream. Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment!
Its wild and wonderful too
It's an amazing trail system, in the heart of the 5th biggest city in America. I consider it a border top 10 scenic attraction in the entire state of PA. Happy hiking, my friend...
QUID PRO Quoo
Wow! This was gorgeous. A tremendous tribute to a beautiful place tucked into Philly. This is just up the road from me (1 hour) and I've been wanting to check it out for a while now. This film convinced me. You picked the right time of year and time of day to film this. Wish I could get up as early as you do. Seems Iike that's the perfect time to hit the trail.
If someone dropped you into the middle of the Wissahickon Park, you would never believe you were entirely within the city limits of Philadelphia. It's a really cool place with impressive nature, history, and public art. I have been all through that place many times, yet every time I seem to discover something new. As far as hitting the trails early, I typically wake up at 430 am for work everyday so It's kind of natural for me. The soft morning light also works to create some beautiful visuals and the air is cooler and trails less crowded. Cya on the trail my friend!
Thanks! I’m always visiting one particular area , never got to see any other areas 💛
Thank you so much for watching and commenting. The Wissahickon is an amazing place. It truly is a blessing to have such an awesome location nearby to hike, explore, and enjoy nature. Happy hiking my friend!
MASTERPIECE
Thankyou kindly, I am trying to bring the best quality, hiking/nature films that I can.
wow, you covered so much ground in one hike!!! Last time I was only able to cover from Lincoln Dr. to the Finger-span Bridge... planning to shoot the Wiss at peak foliage soon! Wish me luck!
Thank you JerriBerriw, I know you will make a beautiful film I have seen some of your work!
@@WALTERZOLNA that's so nice of you to say that! I am looking forward to more hikes on your channel too!
I went here on Saturday with Mommy, her friend Georgia, and my little brother Seth. Seth and I both got hungry on the ride here, so Georgia drove us to Michael's Water Ice, where Seth and I ordered hot dogs. I had a plain hot dog. He had a hot dog with ketchup and mustard. I paid for our dinner. When we got here, we began walking the trail. Mommy and Georgia were talking. Seth and I sat on a bench to finish our dinner. I took lots of steps that day. We saw a deer, we saw other people, and we saw a family with a baby.
That's awesome Hannah, hope you had a good time!
@@WALTERZOLNA Thanks. We had a great time. We also saw someone's name on a bench. It was a person who died in 2020.
yo this is amazing, the most beautiful footage of the crick!
Thanks so much for that kind comment. The Wissahickon never ceases to amaze me, it's a truly unique and beautiful place. It's hard to believe the park is contained entirely within the 5th largest city in America!
Which trail do you recommend for a first timer? Going at the end of august.
I would recommend parking at the Valley Green Inn, crossing the stream and on the stone bridge then walking downstream on the orange trail to the next stone bridge which is about a mile and a half. Then returning upstream on forbidden drive to your starting point. Or parking at the northern end at Bells Mill Road walking downstream to Valley Green on forbidden drive then crossing the stone bridge and returning upstream on the orange trail back to Bells Mill.
@@WALTERZOLNA thank you so much for this. Totally appreciate it. One more question 😅, how much time should I give myself to do this?
@@jessirarragorri317 each of the two options is about a 3 to 4 mile loop, of pretty easy terrain. Forbidden Drive is a crushed stone road that is closed to vehicles but very popular with runners, bikers, walkers etc. that is very easy to navigate and follows directly along the creek. The trails on the other side of the creek are hiking trails and that is the more scenic side in my opinion. So I guess however long you think it would take you to do that kind of mileage. A couple other reminders about Wissahickon park. It is an urban park, so while it is safe to navigate, it can get very crowded, your best experience would be to get there as early as possible, and you may find a bit of trash and vandalism in some spots especially in the heart of summer.
Wonderful video, as all of yours are! I am going to take the drive over from nj to hike here next wk, which trail or trails would you suggest for the views along the creek and possibly less crowded areas? Thanks again for all the videos and inspiration!
You have to consider that Wissahickon is an urban park, and as such you will never feel a real sense of isolation or wilderness. Weekends will be very crowded with most people sticking to forbidden drive, a wide gravel road used by walkers, runners, and bikers. The trails on the other side of the creek are more natural trails. You would probably want to make a loop hike starting on one side and follow the stream on one side and than cross a bridge and return coming back on the other side. For my hike I started at Bells Mill parking area headed downstream for several miles, than returned via forbidden drive, probably was about a 5 mile loop.
@@WALTERZOLNA thanks so much! ill def try that! was lookin at the trail maps and was thinking that would be best but didnt know what would be a good start/end point. ill def try to go early one am during the week to try to avoid the bigger crowds. once again, thanks!