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Chester Creek Trail
Rail Trail in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
About the Chester Creek Trail
The Chester Creek Trail is a rail-trail in central Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Southeastern Pennsylvania. The trail follows Chester Creek along the Civil War-era Chester Creek Branch line of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
When complete, the trail will run from the former SEPTA Wawa R3 station to Upland, PA. The middle section of the trail, consisting of 2.8 miles through Middletown and Aston townships, was the first to be completed in late 2016. An official ribbon cutting ceremony was held on April 8, 2017 for Phase I. Engineering design work for the next phase, which will bring the trail further into Aston township, began in early 2019.
Latest News
Residents of Aston Township: The Friends of the Chester Creek Branch (FOCCB) are asking for your support to move forward with Phase 2 of the Chester Creek Rail Trail. Please attend the next Board of Commissioners Meeting and let your voices be heard! Many of our residents use the Middletown section of the trail (Phase […]
The minutes from the August 12, 2024 can be found here
History
The first known human inhabitants of the area where the Chester Creek Trail is located today were the Lenni-Lenape people, who were pushed out of the area by European settlers. The region was granted to William Penn in 1681 by King Charles II, and townships were organized in the following years. Middletown Township was established in 1686 or 1687. The town of Northley was established in what is now Aston Township in 1682 and Aston was incorporated as a township in 1688. Delaware County was separated from Chester County and became a county in its own right in 1789. Chester, a bustling center of commerce on the Delaware River, was the county seat until 1850, when a new and more centrally-located town called Media was built to replace it.
The Chester Creek Trail is a proud member of the Circuit, a 750-mile network of bicycle and pedestrian trails connecting people to jobs, communities, and parks in the Greater Philadelphia Region. For more information, visit: http://www.circuittrails.org/
Support & Donate
Donate
Your membership helps maintain the Chester Creek Rail Trail today as well as contributing towards future miles of connected trails in our community.
Please “like” us on Facebook, share the news about the trail’s progress, join us at upcoming volunteer events, and support your trail financially. While federal, state, and foundation money is often available for design and construction, Friends of Chester Creek continues to assist with maintenance and trail improvements. In the past two years, your support has enabled us to install over $30,000 worth of trail improvements, including benches, landscaping, a bike repair station, and dog waste bag stations. With your help, we’ll continue making improvements on the existing and new sections of trail.
If you prefer to send a contribution by mail, checks can be made out to “Friends of the Chester Creek Branch” and mailed to: PO Box 2313, Aston, PA 19014.
Friends of the Chester Creek branch is a registered 501c3 Charitable Organization.
Tributes or other contributions are very welcome, just indicate details in the contact form. FOCCB is eligible to receive matching gifts, too.
If you prefer to print out and mail a paper form along with your check, click on the Physical Membership Form link.
T-Shirts and Hats For Sale:
If interested, send an email to info@chestercreektrail.org with your name, phone number, and desired item/size, and we’ll contact you.
- T-Shirts: $15
- Long Sleeve Shirts: $25
- Hats: $15
Happy Trails
The Chester Creek Branch
Location and Parking
The Chester Creek Trail is located in the heart of Delaware County, Pennsylvania in Middletown and Aston Townships. The currently constructed Phase I is 2.8 miles in length and follows the bed of the former Chester Creek Railroad between Lenni Road and Creek Road in a roughly NW-SE direction. The trail parallels and crosses Chester Creek multiple times with many water views as well as woods, cliffs, open farmland, and glimpses of the residential and industrial areas neighboring the trail.
Parking along the trail is extremely limited and may be unavailable at peak hours. Additional parking will be included with subsequent phases of the trail, which are in the planning and design stages; updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
Two parking areas are currently available:
- Knowlton Road, north of the intersection with Creek Road. Coordinates are 39.8768262,-75.4167702,222; use 249 W. Knowlton Rd, Media, PA 19063 with Google Maps. Paved, 10 parking spots including one handicap spot.
- Informal parking made available by Middletown Township, on Mt. Alverno Road north of Route 452 (Pennell Road). Coordinates are 39.8814655,-75.4269466; use 649 Mt. Alverno Road, Media PA 19063 with Google Maps. Approximately 20 parking spots on unpaved gravel, not fully handicap accessible.
The parking area on Lenni Road is no longer available as it is SEPTA property and being actively used for construction operations on the Wawa extension. When complete in late 2021, the Wawa Station will have a 600-car lot.
Contact
For the most recent updates follow us on Facebook!
Send us an email: info@chestercreektrail.org
Email any of the board members (emails in Board and Governance Page)
Send us snail mail: Friends of the Chester Creek Branch, PO Box 2313, Aston, PA 19014