Woodlands screen the Chester Valley Trail from adjacent US 202.
The 10- to 12-foot-wide asphalt path, which is open daily, 8 a.m.–sunset, has a slight uphill grade from King of Prussia to Exton. A couple of mild, short hills face travelers in Malvern and just past PA 29. The trail parallels US 202, which you’ll barely notice as you travel through a wooded corridor that opens up to farmland approaching Exton.
The route starts near a cluster of hotels in King of Prussia, a community named for a local Colonial-era inn built in 1719. The renovated and relocated inn, which contains offices for the local chamber of commerce, stands 0.3 mile from the current trailhead. The future path of the trail extension to Bridgeport will pass by the old inn named for Frederick the Great.
The current trail immediately crosses I-76 on a pedestrian bridge and heads west past retail centers and office parks along US 202. The rail-trail takes a straight shot across the landscape, except for turns to accommodate busy road crossings. In the less congested western end, the trail utilizes short tunnels to cross US 202 and Swedesford Road.
There’s no lack of fast food and restaurants in the retail centers along the eastern segment. You’ll pass several small parks with picnic tables: D’Ambrosia Park at 4 miles, Cedar Hollow Park at 6.6 miles, and Ecology Park at 10.1 miles. The landscape opens up beyond here, with more farms and less congestion.
While Valley Forge is located north of the trail, other historic locations of the Revolutionary War are closer by. One of those is Battle of the Clouds Park, located 1 mile past Ecology Park, where the trail crosses Phoenixville Pike. The park commemorates a Revolutionary War attack in 1777 that was foiled by a horrific thunderstorm that drenched the soldiers’ gunpowder.
Another 1.3 miles ahead is Exton Park, which covers 727 acres and features a pond, picnic sites, and trails. The rail-trail ends in another 2.4 miles after passing through the community of Exton.
CONTACT: chesco.org/1239/chester-valley-trail or chestervalleytrail.org
DIRECTIONS
To reach the eastern endpoint in King of Prussia from I-76, take Exit 328B. Merge onto US 202/W. Dekalb Pike. Go 180 feet, and turn right onto King of Prussia Road. Then go 0.2 mile, and turn left into the King of Prussia park and ride lot. The trail starts across the street.
To reach the western endpoint in Exton from I-76, take Exit 320, and turn left onto PA 29. Go 1.3 miles, and turn right onto Swedesford Road. Go 0.3 mile, and merge onto US 202 W. Go 2.9 miles, and exit toward US 30 W. Go 0.7 mile, and merge onto US 30/Exton Bypass. Go 1.6 miles, and exit toward PA 100 to Exton. Go 0.4 mile, and turn right onto Pottstown Pike. Then go 0.3 mile, and turn left onto PA 100/Commerce Dr. Go 0.1 mile, and turn left onto Main St. Look for parking on either side of the street. Sidewalks backtrack to the trail next to Commerce Dr.
7 Clarion-Little Toby Trail
Counties
Elk, Jefferson
Endpoints
Water St. and Center St. (Ridgway) to Seventh Ave. just south of McCullough Ave. at Taylor Memorial Park (Brockway)
Mileage
18.0
Type
Rail-Trail/Rail-with-Trail
Roughness Index
1
Surface
Crushed Stone
The Clarion-Little Toby Trail lets you venture on the wild side for 18 miles as it traverses remote state hunting grounds adjoining the Allegheny National Forest. You’ll likely see deer and other wildlife as you follow the Clarion River and Little Toby Creek. There are ghost towns to explore and an off-trail swinging bridge you can cross.
The trail consists of fine, well-packed gravel and is flat with the exception of a short hill near Ridgway. Although motorized use is prohibited, motorized wheelchairs are allowed.
The crushed-stone trail connects Ridgway and Brockway, two towns with historic districts that grew out of the early-19th-century logging industry. Both towns offer restaurants and grocery stores to stock up for your travels. The trail follows the former Ridgway and Clearfield Railroad, built in 1883 between Ridgway and Falls Creek to develop coal deposits in the area; the Pennsylvania Railroad acquired the line in 1911. The route fell into disuse between 1968 and 1972, and the Tricounty Rails to Trails Association completed the trail in 2003.
A center section of the Clarion-Little Toby Trail becomes rail-with-trail as it runs alongside active railroad tracks for almost 2 miles.
Because the trail passes through state game lands (Nos. 44 and 54), it’s a good idea to stay on the trail and wear brightly colored clothing during hunting season. At other times you might want to explore the sites of several ghost towns and other landmarks that are described by historical markers.
Starting in Ridgway, the trail soon joins the Clarion River, which was used to transport lumber downstream in the 1800s. In 1996 the Clarion River was named a national wild and scenic river, quite an accomplishment considering that it was once known as the state’s most polluted river due to acid-mine runoff and tannery pollution. At 2.5 miles, a 0.2-mile gap puts you on Portland Mills Road/PA 949.
One of the first trailside attractions—at mile 4.1—is the ruins of a dam destroyed by a flood in 1936. Just 0.1 mile beyond this point, you’ll find the ghost towns of Cherry Tree Flat and Mill Haven. At the 5-mile mark, you’ll see the trestle for the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad that crosses the river, and in another mile, you’ll ride alongside those tracks for 1.8 miles.
At 7.8 miles along the route, you’ll veer away from the tracks and the Clarion River, as you follow a barely perceptible slope upstream along Little Toby Creek toward Brockway. For the next 9 miles, you travel through state game lands.
Over the next 5 miles, you’ll pass old railroad abutments, the site of a Depression-era public jobs camp, ruins of a quarry and rock crusher, and the ghost towns of Grove and Shorts Mill.
The off-trail Blue Rock Swinging Bridge connects to another ghost town across Little Toby Creek at 12.2 miles. The footbridge, once the site of a road crossing between Blue Rock and Ellmont, has cables to steady yourself as you cross. You’ll pass a couple more ghost town sites over the last 6 miles before you arrive in Brockway.
CONTACT: tricountyrailstotrails.org/trails/clarion-little-toby-trail
DIRECTIONS
To reach the trailhead in Ridgway from I-80, take Exit 97 for US 219/Pittsburgh-Buffalo Hwy. Head north on US 219, and go 7.6 miles; then make a sharp right onto US 219 N/Main St. Go about 13.4 miles, and bear left to remain on US 219 N/PA 948. Go 4 miles, and turn left onto Water St. Go 400 feet, and turn left onto Center St. Turn left into the trailhead