Hiking at Valley Forge Historical National Park

In the fall of 1777, after failing to hold the Continental capital of Philadelphia, General George Washington began his search for winter quarters. His selection of the tiny village of Valley Forge, named for an ironworks built along the Valley Creek in the 1740s, bore scars both political and military.

Washington had been informed that his support from the Pennsylvania militia, upon whom he depended heavily, would evaporate if he retreated more than 25 miles from British-occupied Philadelphia. Valley Forge, 18 miles northwest of the city, was close enough to harass the invaders, yet far enough away to remove the threat of British surprise attacks. In addition Washington could place his army between the British and the temporary headquarters of the Continental Congress in York, Pennsylvania.

Nearly 12,000 Continentals, weary from marching and battlefield setbacks, struggled into Valley Forge on December 19, 1777 as snow began to fall. Immediately they set to fortifying the defensive position and sheltering the troops. Washington protected himself to the rear with the Schuylkill River and dug miles of trenches along the high ridges facing Philadelphia. Within a month more than 1,000 wooden huts had been built for the men.

Although the winter was comparably mild more than 2,000 men perished in the primitive conditions. Promised provisions from Congress never arrived and rations from the individual states were sporadic. The Colonials survived by scavenging the countryside while the British wintered comfortably in Philadelphia. Only the men's fierce loyalty to Washington held the army together, eventually welding into a formidable Continental Army that marched from Valley Forge on June 19 to pursue the British across New Jersey and drive them away from the colonies.

The main trail at Valley Forge is a paved, five-mile loop that visits most of the major historical attractions in the park. In addition to hikers the trail is popular with cyclists, rollerbladers and baby carriages. The primary access to the trail is from the parking lots at the Valley Forge Visitor Center although there are auxiliary lots providing access as well. The trail circumnavigates the outer- and inner-defensive lines of the Valley Forge encampment, visiting reconstructed huts, the National Memorial Arch, and the Isaac Potts House which Washington used as his headquarters. There are long vistas of the rolling Chester County countryside, including an overlook of the Grand parade grounds where the raw American volunteers were drilled into a professional fighting machine.

Another marked trail is the Valley Creek Trail, a flat, linear 1.2 mile walk along Valley Creek, past the original Upper Forge site which gave the area its name. The Valley Creek Trail is at the base of Mount Misery the highlands that served as the natural western defensive barrier for Washington's troops at Valley Forge. The Valley Creek Trail joins the Horse-Shoe Trail near the eastern terminus of its 133-mile journey to the Appalachian Trail in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Segments of the Horse-Shoe Trail have been in use since the mid-1700s, beginning as a trail linking the numerous iron ore forges and furnaces along its route. Established in 1935, the Horse-Shoe Trail ("Horse" for riders, "Shoe" for hikers) is unique in that it was built for equestrian and pedestrian travel.

Washington's troops at Valley Forge were protected from the north by the Schuylkill River. As Valley Forge camp and its surrounding support village burgeoned in size to 20,000 - it was the third largest city in the American Colonies during in the six months of its existence - fresh campsites spilled across the Schuylkill River to the countryside to the north. These auxiliary sites are also part of the hiking experience at Valley Forge National Historical Park.

The Schuylkill River Trail begins in Valley Forge National Historical Park and extends 22 miles to the Philadelphia Art Museum in Philadelphia. It is a paved, multi-use trail that begins at the Betzwood Picnic Area, across the Schuylkill River from the Visitor Center. Turning west from the Betzwood Picnic Area, the trail is a dirt path that stretches three miles to the Pawling's Parking Area at the far perimeter of the park. This trail is flat and travels at water's edge the entire way.

In the far northern reaches of the Valley Forge National Historical Park is Walnut Hill. Of limited historic interest, this undeveloped area is seldom visited by visitors but a boon to hikers. The trails here traverse scrub woods, wetlands and fields. The terrain is flat, save for an elevated berm which separates the wetlands and fields from the Schuylkill River. In addition to these several marked trails, there are miles of unmarked trails at Valley Forge National Historical Park. Come for the history, stay for the hiking.