places where you won't be able to wipe the wag off your dog's tail - Mont Clare PA
The Park
Pennsylvania’s first canal system was cobbled together in 1815 using 120 locks to stretch 108 miles from the coal fields of Schuylkill County to Philadelphia. Railroads began chewing away at canal business in the 1860s and the last coal barges floated down the Schuylkill River in the 1920s. Today, the only sections of the canal in existence are at Manayunk and Lock 60, built by area name donor Thomas Oakes, at the Schuylkill Canal Park. In 1985 the Schuylkill Canal Association formed to keep the canal flowing and maintain the lock and towpath. In 1988, the area was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Walks
You can either enjoy the flattest walk in Montgomery County here or the steepest. The peaceful canal towpath covers 2 1/2 miles from the Lock House, built in 1836, to the eastern end of Port Providence. Across the canal are houses and town buildings looking much as they did throughout the canal era. Upstream from Lock 60 are the Ravine Trail, with three ascents to the 100-foot high rock bluffs overlooking the Schuylkill River, and the Valley View Trail, which deadends - for dog-walking - at the Upper Schuylkill Valley Park. No dogs are allowed in that park. There is also an 8-station self-guided nature walk from the Lock House to Route 29.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Soft dirt and rock-strewn dirt
Workout For Your Dog - Almost all flat save for the climbs to the bluffs
Swimming - Fantastic swimming for your dog in the Schuylkill River or in the canal
Restrictions On Dogs - None
Something Extra
After years of fundraising and handiwork volunteers have rebuilt Lock 60 and it is now in operating condition. You can see it work during Canal Days in June.
Phone - None
Admission Fee - None
Directions - Mont Clare, Montgomery County; on Route 29 across the Schuylkill River from Phoenixville. Crossing the river on Bridge Street, make a left at the end of the bridge onto the entrance road for the upstream parking area. To reach the downstream parking lot, make the right at the light onto Port Providence Road and follow it through town and past the Container Corporation of America to the lot on the right.
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