Schuylkill River Trail Wins USA Today 'Best Riverwalk' In Nation

PENNSYLVANIA — The Schuylkill River Trail, a crown jewel of southeastern Pennsylvania recreation that connects a series of riverside communities and miles of historic and environmental landmarks, is once again receiving some well-deserved national attention.

For the second time, the Schuylkill River Trail has been awarded best in nation status by USA Today. The trail earned the designation through the publication's 10Best Contest in the "Best Riverwalk" category, finishing third overall int he contest.

"The Schuylkill River Trail is truly a regional and national treasure," said Elaine Paul Schaefer, executive director of the Schuylkill River Greenways Heritage area, which manages parts of the trail.

The 75-mile trail was nominated to the list in January, alongside 20 other similar riverside paths. Readers from around the country then spent the next several weeks voting to determine the 10 winners from that list.

The Schuylkill River Trail also won the contest in 2015.

Other 2021 riverwalk winners included the Detroit International RiverWalk (first place), and the Wilmington Riverwalk (North Carolina; second place), as well as the San Antonio River Walk (fourth plans).

There are plans for the multi-use Schuylkill River Trail, which links up dozens of riverside communities, parks, retail centers, and historic areas, to ultimately run the river's entire 120-mile length. There are still significant patches in the western parts that need to be constructed, but the trail presently runs uninterrupted from Philadelphia to the Limerick area, before picking up again shortly thereafter in Pottstown.