Search for things to do in Huntingdon Valley PA, and the results often flatten the area into separate lists of parks, restaurants and historic sites. A better plan starts with the feature that connects much of the weekend: the Pennypack corridor.
The county’s Pennypack Trail provides the spine. Lorimer Park, the Pennypack Preserve, Bryn Athyn’s historic sites, local food stops and Masons Mill Park give you reasons to step away from it. Once those pieces are placed on the same map, a full weekend becomes easier to plan without spending two days rushing from stop to stop.
There is one distinction to understand first. The county Pennypack Trail and the trails managed by the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust are related, but they are not interchangeable. They have different hours, surfaces and rules for pets and bicycles. Getting that detail right makes the rest of the weekend work.
Start with the right Pennypack
The Montgomery County Pennypack Trail is a 6.2-mile crushed-stone rail trail. It runs from Rockledge Park north to the Bucks and Montgomery county line and is open from sunrise to sunset. Walking, bicycling, birding and controlled pet walking are permitted.
The Pennypack Preserve offers a different experience. Its trail system includes short meadow and woodland loops, longer creek routes and rolling terrain. Preserve trails are open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk, but dogs and bicycles are not allowed from Trust headquarters. Their use is limited to designated multiple-use trails elsewhere in the preserve.
| If you want to… | Start with… | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Walk or ride a broad, level route | County Pennypack Trail | Crushed stone, sunrise to sunset |
| Bring a pet | County trail or a designated Preserve route | Check the posted rules before entering Trust land |
| Take a short nature walk | Pennypack Preserve | Chickadee Loop is 0.8 mile |
| Add more varied terrain | Pennypack Preserve | Coyote Loop is 3.1 miles with rolling elevation changes |
| Speak with Trust staff on a summer weekend | Preserve headquarters on Saturday | The visitor center is open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed Sundays in July and August |
That choice is the hinge for the weekend. Use the county trail when wheels or a pet are part of the plan. Choose the Preserve when the trail itself is the main event.
Saturday: Start at the Preserve, then follow the pike
Pick up breakfast before the trail
Be Well Bakery & Café at 2651 Huntingdon Pike opens at about 7:30 a.m. daily and offers advance mobile ordering. That makes it a practical first stop when you would rather carry breakfast or coffee than wait for a table before an early walk.
From there, make Pennypack Trust headquarters at 2955 Edge Hill Road the morning anchor. Saturday is the better day for this stop because the visitor center is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Summer Sunday hours are more limited, with the visitor center closed on Sundays during July and August.
Match the loop to the morning you actually have
The Pennypack Preserve trail system now gives residents several clearly defined choices:
- Chickadee Loop: 0.8 mile through meadows and older woods
- Blue Stem Loop: 1.6 miles through wetlands, grasslands and woods
- Labrador Loop: 2 miles on a level gravel route
- Coyote Loop: 3.1 miles with rolling changes in elevation and creekside habitat
- Creek Trail: 2.7 miles along the length of the preserve, with links to county trails
The Coyote Loop is the most demanding route from headquarters. It also received fresh attention this summer when a July 2026 Trust-led hike used it as the start of a four- to six-mile outing.
Do not bring a dog or bicycle through the headquarters entrance. The Trust limits both to designated multiple-use trails and asks visitors to follow the signs posted at each trailhead. That rule protects the preserve and saves you from discovering halfway through the morning that you started in the wrong place.
Make lunch and dessert one stop
Cafe Carmela and John’s Water Ice share the address at 2975 Philmont Avenue. Cafe Carmela draws on Italian cooking and South Philadelphia roots, while John’s provides the clear summer finish. John’s lists hours until 10 p.m. on Saturdays, so this combination can work after lunch or later in the day.
The point is not to collect every named stop. It is to keep the morning outdoors and the afternoon flexible.
Use Bryn Athyn as the optional afternoon branch
The historic sites in Bryn Athyn are close enough to work as an afternoon change of pace, but they should be treated as a driving detour. Do not assume the Pennypack Trail provides a fully protected walking route to every property.
Choose one site rather than trying to fit all three into the same afternoon:
Cairnwood Estate
Cairnwood Estate offers guided history tours Tuesday through Sunday at 11 a.m. Tours last about 90 minutes and cover three floors of the main house, the tower chapel, family gallery, servant areas and carriage collections. Advance tickets are strongly recommended because private events can prompt short-notice closures.
Glencairn Museum
Glencairn Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 1 to 4:30 p.m. First-floor self-guided access costs $5. Guided tours cost $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors, with reservations required.
A temporary accessibility change applies July 20 through July 24, 2026. The historic elevator will be unavailable, guided tours will use stairs, and wheelchair access will be limited to the first floor during that period.
Bryn Athyn Cathedral
The Bryn Athyn Cathedral grounds are generally open from sunrise to sunset, except during services and special events. The property remains an active place of worship, so quiet and reflective use is expected. Animals, food, alcohol, chairs, blankets and sports activities are not permitted on the grounds.
The Small Chapel is normally open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., subject to church services.
Saturday night has a newly reopened option
Iron Hill Brewery reopened at 785 Huntingdon Pike on June 22, 2026. The return restored the location’s beer garden and introduced Hop Chase, an IPA brewed specifically for Huntingdon Valley.
That reopening matters because it gives the Huntingdon Pike portion of the weekend a current endpoint rather than another errand stop. Dinner can also be paired with a movie at nearby Penn Cinema. Movie schedules change frequently, so check same-day showtimes rather than planning around an older listing.
Sunday: Use the county trail as the main route
Sunday is the day to use the broader county trail. Three official access points make the plan easy to adjust:
- Lorimer Park: 183 Moredon Road
- Welsh Road trailhead: 800–804 Welsh Road
- Byberry Road trailhead: 1750 Byberry Road
The county parking guide identifies the Moredon Road lot as the largest.
For a shorter outing, begin at Lorimer Park
Lorimer Park gives you woods, meadows, creek views, picnic areas and access to the level crushed-stone trail. It works well when the group wants a walk and picnic without committing to several hours on the rail trail.
The official mileage chart places Welsh Road 1.7 miles from the Moredon Road trailhead. Traveling to Welsh Road and back creates a route of about 3.4 miles, before adding any of Lorimer Park’s connected paths.
For a longer outing, begin at Welsh Road
The Welsh Road trailhead offers a useful middle starting point:
- Bryn Athyn Post Office area is 0.7 mile away
- Byberry Road is 2.7 miles away
- County Line Road is 3.5 miles away
A Welsh Road to Byberry Road out-and-back is about 5.4 miles. Continue to County Line Road and return for a route of about 7 miles. Those distances make it easier to select a route before anyone is tired, rather than deciding at the far end of the trail.
For lunch near the northern end of the corridor, Ben & Irv’s Delicatessen & Restaurant is at 1962 County Line Road. It offers dine-in, takeout and deli service and is open Sundays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Finish at Masons Mill Park, but do not assume a protected connector
The Byberry Road trailhead is near Masons Mill Park, which makes the park a logical final stop. Still, the available information does not establish a fully signed, traffic-free connection between the trailhead and the park. Plan that transfer separately rather than treating it as part of the rail trail.
Masons Mill Park has its own 0.72-mile fitness trail with 18 stations, a 30-acre nature walking area, picnic facilities, playground equipment, sports courts, restrooms, a fishing pond and a concert gazebo.
Upper Moreland’s remaining 2026 summer concerts are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on:
- July 19
- July 26
- August 2
- August 9
- August 16
- August 30
August 23 is listed as the rain date. The township recommends carpooling and asks attendees to bring a chair or blanket. Pets, alcoholic beverages, smoking and vaping are prohibited. Check for weather updates before leaving.
Check the Moredon Road access before you go
Official county information about the bridge near Lorimer Park has not been fully consistent. An April 2026 update projected a May reopening, while another recent county handout continued to describe the bridge east of the park entrance as closed.
The practical response is simple: check the Montgomery County trail alerts before starting. If construction restrictions remain, approach Lorimer Park from Huntingdon Pike or Old Ford Road.
The weekend works because it can contract or expand
A useful Huntingdon Valley plan does not depend on perfect weather or a full day of open time. The same corridor supports several versions:
Two-hour plan: Breakfast, Chickadee Loop and a water ice.
Half-day plan: Lorimer Park, the county trail to Welsh Road and lunch.
Full Saturday: Pennypack Preserve, one Bryn Athyn historic site, dinner and a movie.
Full Sunday: Welsh Road to Byberry Road, a northern lunch stop and a Masons Mill concert.
That flexibility is what makes the Pennypack corridor more useful than a standard list of local attractions. The trail supplies the structure. Huntingdon Valley’s parks, businesses and cultural sites let residents set the pace.
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