Landscape Information
Formerly known as the Upper Wissahickon Drive, this 5.4-mile greenway was once an active turnpike through the industrial Wissahickon Valley, dating to the early 19th century. The utilitarian route provided access to the mills and factories dotting the banks of Wissahickon Creek, a tributary of the Schuylkill River. The land flanking the watercourse’s gorge was acquired by the Fairmount Park Commission in 1868, the factories closed and demolished in order to curb the pollutants dumped in the city’s water supply. By 1907, the route became a popular and scenic drive lined with a wooden, split-rail fence and gas lampposts. Automobile traffic was prohibited from 1923, hence the nickname “Forbidden Drive.”
The generous gravel road follows the western bank of the creek through the length of Wissahickon Valley Park, and is open to pedestrians, bicyclists, and equestrians. Historic stone and concrete bridges span the creek along the densely tree-canopied route, as does the wooden, covered bridge on Thomas Mill Road, built in 1737 a rare surviving landscape feature in an urban setting. The bridge was restored in 1938 by Works Progress Administration laborers, who also erected the 13 rustic shelters along the drive between 1935 and 1943.
