Wissahickon Valley Park

Enjoy your summer outdoors!  Philadelphia is home to an historic and extensive park system.

By Daniel Ferrarello

Indian Statue at Wissahickon Valley Park. Photo by: Daniel Ferrarello

The Fairmont Park Commission oversees all of the City’s parks, from small neighborhood parks to the vast Wissahickon Valley Park.  It was the Wissahickon Valley Park that caught my interest yesterday.  I entered this park on Rex Street in Chestnut Hill and walked into a picturesque collection of streams and creeks, ancient stonework bridges and beautiful deciduous trees scaling the rugged terrain.  One could spend a whole day walking the paths in Wissahickon Valley Park with no purpose but to enjoy nature’s beauty.  Yesterday, however, I had a purpose.  I was decided to find the giant statue of the Lenne Lenape chief.  The statue is massive at fifteen feet tall, and sits hidden on one of the park’s cliffs.  Finding the Indian is a common activity for parkgoers, and the payoff is rewarding.  Standing on the edge of the cliff, dwarfed by the white marble man, one cannot avoid a sense of awe over the beauty of art and nature acting together.  There are many other interesting points to discover within Wissahickon Valley Park.  Other statues include the depiction of a Quaker man with the words “Toleration,” and the park is littered with old buildings and beautiful stonework.  When not trying to find pieces of Philadelphia’s rustic past, these woods are a great place for dog walking or mountain biking.  So next week, when the weather dips back down to the high 80’s, get outside and explore Philadelphia’s parks!

http://www.fairmountpark.org/