Pennsylvania trails · Schuylkill River Water Trail
Schuylkill River Water Trail
A 144.3-mile network in Pennsylvania, with 793 ft of climbing. Reaches Schuylkill River Reservoir and other lake/pass/viewpoint/waterfall destinations. Managed by Pennsylvania DCNR.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 59% of the ascent, between mile 103.6 and mile 155.5.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Schuylkill River Reservoir (lake)
- Schuylkill Canal (lake)
- New Kernsville Lake (lake)
- Black Rock Lake (lake)
- Falls of Schuylkill (waterfall)
- Stairway Lake (lake)
- Schuylkill Rowing Basin (lake)
- Schuylkill Gap (pass)
- Hamburg Borough Pool (lake)
- Gustine Lake (lake)
Heads up
Getting there
Schuylkill River Water Trail access — parking nearby. 40.79590, -75.96623 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:01 a.m., the sun rises at 6:29 a.m. and sets at 7:38 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:06 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 09 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 144.3-mile route works out to roughly 53 h 51 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Nearby trails
- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Trails — 11.2 mi
- Appalachian Trail — 17.0 mi
- D&L Trail — 26.2 mi