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The Chester Valley Trail provides opportunities for recreation and alternative transportation in the congested commercial center at the northern edge of Greater Philadelphia. The paved rail trail rolls for just under 19 miles between Exton and King of Prussia, encouraging a variety of users, such as stroller-pushing parents, colleagues on a walking meeting, or cyclists seeking a quick 40-miler. The Chester Valley Trail is also part of the Circuit Trails, a developing 800-mile urban network of trails in Greater Philadelphia, of which about 350 miles are complete.
About the Route
The 10- to 12-foot-wide asphalt path, which is open daily, 8 am–sunset, has a slight downhill grade from Exton to King of Prussia. A couple of mild, short hills face travelers in Malvern and just past PA 29. The trail parallels US 202, which trail users will barely notice as the trail cuts through a wooded corridor, open to farmland through Exton.
The Chester Valley Trail’s western endpoint leads trail users 2.4 miles through the community of Exton. This connects to a 0.8-mile spur trail with access to the Exton SEPTA/Amtrak Station, which splits from the main route at the intersection of Commerce Drive and S Pottstown Pike/Main Street. Another 1.3 miles east is Exton Park, which covers 727 acres and features a pond, picnic sites, and trails.
In the less congested western end, the Chester Valley Trail utilizes short tunnels to cross US 202 and Swedesford Road. The route continues as a straight shot across the landscape, except for turns to accommodate busy road crossings. The rail trail passes retail centers and office parks along US 202 before crossing I-76 on a pedestrian bridge. Entering Bridgeport, the route curves east and then north as it meanders through 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 miles from the trail.
Along the eastern segment of the trail, the landscape opens up, with more farms and less congestion, as well as an abundance of fast food and restaurants in the retail centers. Trail users will pass several small parks with picnic tables including Ecology Park, Cedar Hollow Park, and D’Ambrosia Park.
At its eastern end, the rail trail connects to the Schuylkill River Trail in Norristown. Crossing the river via a protected pedestrian/bike lane on the Norristown Dam Bridge, the Chester Valley Trail winds through Bridgeport and passes an old inn named for Frederick the Great.
Trail History
The trail uses the corridor of the Chester Valley Branch of the Reading Railroad, which was completed between Bridgeport and Downingtown in the 1850s; the line hauled freight into the late 20th century (passenger traffic ended in 1935). Work by Chester and Montgomery Counties began in 2009 to convert the railbed into a trail.
Valley Forge National Historical Park is located nearby, in addition to other Revolutionary War historic sites including Battles of the Clouds Park. The park commemorates a Revolutionary War attack in 1777 that was foiled by a horrific thunderstorm that drenched the soldiers’ gunpowder.
Connections
At its eastern end, the Chester Valley Trail connects to the Schuylkill River Trail in Norristown.
The Chester Valley Trail runs between Whitford Rd. (Whitford) and E Lafayette St. (Norristown).
Parking is available at:
There are numerous parking options along the route, please see TrailLink Map for all options and detailed directions.
Very nice trail- lots of little crosswalks but well marked and felt safe crossing. Well kept trail
This is a local trail for me. I used it twice a week when working in West Goshen, Chester County. The trail is in very good shape and Chester County is to be commended for the trail. Today I use the trail to go deep into the hills of Chester County on my roadbike and get back to where I live not far from Valley Forge.
The good: It provides non-car connectivity! The surface is very good and provides the ability to get in and out of the area without cars. The canopy of trees as you get towards Montgomery County is great on hot days.
The not so good: There are a significant number of road crossings. The trail also parallels US 202 and is noisy in many spots.
I can't wait until the trail is extended further into beautiful Chester County. It is a shame it doesn't connect directly to Malvern, Paoli or Downingtown Boros.
When I lived in Malvern I was on this trail every day. Four years - every day, no exaggeration. Rain, 30 degree weather, 100 degree weather, hot sun, complete darkness (with all the bugs and knats of various sizes illuminated by my bike lights lol) and it was fine. Some reviewers on here complain about the fact that cyclists have to exercise caution at intersections and might need to stop if there is traffic. Yes, that can be annoying but it’s part of the trail. Other reviewers mention the fact that it is noisy towards KOP because it runs adjacent to 202. I can’t imagine being bothered by something like that enough to stop using this trail and I believe that the extension from KOP to Norristown has finally been completed, so I think that adds another few miles each way (awesome!)
If you can’t already tell, the CVT is like a friend to me. I was extremely lucky and grateful to live in a place where I could throw my bike onto the rack and drive to the Exton entrance in 5 minutes; I took advantage of this fact as much as possible!! In addition to the outdoor recreation it provides, there are certain stretches of this trail that are absolutely beautiful. My phone is full of pictures from my rides, which I’ll include with this review :)
It is also very well maintained. As I said, I ride in all weather (except snow) and leaves, debris, twigs and branches after a storm… anything that could pose a threat to safety was always promptly cleaned up. Always. If I have one complaint regarding safety it would be that the lights inside the two tunnels were rarely ever turned on after dark. I’m not sure why that was.
The reason for the 3 star review is for things beyond anyone’s control, but they’re enough to seriously affect someone’s ride, and since these are daily ongoing occurrences they should be mentioned. One is that all the people that live near this trail and walk their dogs on it pick up their dog’s poop and put it in the little biodegradable green bags that are provided all along the trail. This is great, but then they don’t take it to the trash cans to dispose of it - they leave those bags, tied up, all along the sides of the trail. 😅😅😅 Everyone does this. It’s amusing until it’s not, and now that I’ve moved out of the area (which is great, don’t get me wrong) and have found a new trail in my new state, I don’t ever see anything like this. It’s nice.
The other reason for the 3 stars is that these same people like to mess with cyclists by acting confused when you call out “on your left” , which it is advised to do. They either spilt up (if there are two people) and go on either side forcing you to ride between them (somewhat awkwardly sometimes) or they jump in front of you. I was never able to really determine if this is done on purpose or if they legitimately get that deer in the headlights panic that actually causes them to confuse which way they should move with the way they actually do move, but this is something else I haven’t experienced outside on other trails, which, again, is very nice. Kind of a relief, actually.
All that said, if you like outdoor recreation, this is an amazing trail, and you can do it twice or three times on the days when once isn’t enough. It’s a fun and free way to stay fit!
The Chester Valley Trail now extends 5 miles east in King of Prussia to Norristown where it connects to the Schuylkill River Trail.
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