The thaw of winter is in the rearview mirror, and the temperature fluctuations of early spring are giving many of us the itch to escape to the Schuylkill River Trail. SRG maintenance staff are eager to get on the trail as well, so you may begin noticing staff and volunteer groups hard at work along the trail this spring. Please be patient and provide plenty of space as they prepare the trail for the official trail season kickoff at the Frick’s Lock Trailhead on April 11.

Get more information about the Trail Opening Celebration and sign up for a tour: CLICK HERE

Our Schuylkill River Trail staff were especially busy last fall making improvements, including resurfacing projects on the Thun Trail section near the Birdsboro, Charlie Marshall, and Brentwood trailheads. They also cleared drainage ditches, managed trailside vegetation, and removed dead or hazardous trees along both the Thun and Bartram Trail sections in Berks County and Schuylkill County. They have done an exceptional job of keeping the trail safe and improving the experience for the thousands of visitors who will use the trail this year.

We are also working hard to expand the Schuylkill River Trail in Berks and Schuylkill Counties. With project partner Barrio Alegría, creative public meetings began this past February to reimagine the Reading Gateway Bridge. Barrio has invited local communities to help design a bridge that reflects pride, identity, and spectacle at the SRT gateway into Reading. This gateway bridge project complements the many other projects SRG is currently advancing in Reading, including the nearby South Front Street connector project, which will link the trail through the Reading Area Community College campus and the downtown district. SRG is looking forward to getting South Front Street project shovel-ready by the end of the year.

Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media for more updates! See you on the trail! —Kent Himelwright, Trails Director