Walk the Alverthorpe Park loop this week and you may find a posted closure where a crew is taking down a tree. Cross over to Baederwood Park on Highland Avenue and the path runs downhill from the parking lot toward Tookany Creek, which is exactly where the township plans to send its newest grant money. Up at Lorimer Park, Montgomery County's draft plans for the 230-acre park keep coming back to arrival points, trail surfaces and creek crossings.
Three parks, three different owners and budgets, and the same priority. Abington's park investment right now is going into the ground under your shoes. New paths, sturdier trails, and slowing down the water that crosses them come first. Here is what that means at each park, and what you can still get out and do before the season turns.
Alverthorpe: clearing the trail edge
The most immediate change is the smallest one. Abington Township posted a notice on October 9 that Corbo Tree Service would begin removing dead and diseased trees along the trail in Alverthorpe Park starting Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The township says trail and amenity closures may happen while the work is going on, and any closures will be posted in the park itself.
No end date has been announced. If Alverthorpe is part of your morning routine, check the signs at the trailhead before you commit to your usual loop. The township's news page is where updates like this go up first.
It is routine maintenance, and it is aimed at the trail corridor, which is also where the money at the next two parks is going.
Baederwood: a grant aimed at the paths and the creek
Baederwood is where that priority comes with a dollar figure. On September 17, 2026, Abington Township announced a $922,822 award from the Commonwealth's Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery program for infrastructure work at Baederwood Park, 754 Highland Ave.
The township traces the project back to Hurricane Ida in 2021, which washed out existing paths and flooded the playground area. Tookany Creek runs through the park.
The announcement describes three pieces of work:
- New foot trails throughout the park
- Slowing stormwater as it runs from the parking lot down the hill into Tookany Creek
- Riparian buffer restoration with plantings meant to reduce flow speed, sediment and nutrients reaching the creek
Look at what's on that list. Nearly $923,000 goes to trails and to managing how water moves across the hillside. There's no new building or flashy amenity in it. The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed supported the township's application, which the township says helped show the project matters to the wider watershed.
The township also thanked Senator Art Haywood, Representative Ben Sanchez and Representative Nancy Guenst for supporting the request.
The announcement doesn't include a construction schedule or a detailed design yet. Baederwood is open as usual for now, and the trail changes are still ahead.
Lorimer: the same priorities on a much bigger scale
Baederwood shows the pattern in one park. The Lorimer Park master plan shows it across 230 acres, with years of public input behind it.
Lorimer, at 183 Moredon Road in Huntingdon Valley, is Montgomery County's oldest county park. It dates to 1938 and sits in Abington Township. Its features include the Council Rock outcropping, forest and open meadow, and two waterways, Pennypack Creek and Harpers Run. The county credits the Pennypack Trail, which opened in 2009 on SEPTA's former Fox Chase-Newtown Line, with raising interest in the park. That former rail line is now a 6.2-mile crushed-stone trail alongside the park.
What the public asked for
The county ran an online survey from July to December 2024 and got 434 responses. The improvements people asked for most were trail connections and surfaces, restrooms and water, and information about Pennypack Creek.
Trails top that list too. The county's own findings help explain why. The 2024 existing-conditions boards report chronic flooding, streambank erosion, invasive plants and soil disturbance from recreation. The 2025 recommendation boards add unclear or unsafe arrivals, conflicts between cars and people on foot, high parking demand, poor ADA access, and a collapsed Shady Lane bridge.
What the draft plans propose
The trail recommendations call for a clearer trail hierarchy, better links to the Pennypack Trail, new ADA-accessible routes, removing low-value interior trails, and widening and stabilizing the trail near Harpers Run. On top of that, the county presented two alternative concepts for the rest of the park:
| Concept A | Concept B | |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | Redesigned, expanded Moredon Road lot with revised traffic flow, tree islands, stormwater management, ADA parking and drop-off, and an entry plaza | Entry plazas with seating and bike repair |
| Ranger station | Relocated | New station outside the floodplain; old stone ranger station becomes a children's playhouse |
| Restrooms | New elevated restrooms | New restrooms outside the floodplain; existing restroom becomes program space |
| Trails and creek | Accessible park route, new Pennypack Trail trailhead, fine-gravel paths, some paved service roads removed, creek overlooks and access points | Meadow and wetland habitat, stormwater capture |
| Historic buildings | Farmhouse stabilized and refurbished | Farmhouse restored for staff and meeting use; maintenance barn replaced |
Both concepts move restrooms and the ranger station up and away from the water, and both rework where and how you enter the park. Parking also got its own study. The boards lay out four possible off-site parking options and say that talks with property owners, and possibly land purchases, would be needed.
Where the plan stands
These are draft concepts, not approved projects. The second public open house was held April 14, 2025, at Rydal East Elementary School, as Glenside Local reported at the time. The finish date has slipped more than once. A county capital-budget page last updated in December 2025 said the plan would be finished at the end of 2025 and early 2026. The county's master plan page still describes the plan as underway and links the boards from both public meetings. Those boards are the best way to see the concepts for yourself.
In the meantime, one current rule matters if you drive to Lorimer. The main gates by the picnic area and bathrooms are closed to most vehicles on weekends and major holidays during daylight saving time, from March through November. Vehicles with registered handicap tags are the exception.
Out on the trails before the season ends
With all of this in motion, the trails are still open for the rest of the fall, and a few scheduled programs make good use of them.
- Friday, October 23, 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.: "Slugs, Spiders, and Sorcery" at Briar Bush Nature Center. You'll meet animal ambassadors that often get called spooky or slimy, take a guided night hike to look for them, and finish with s'mores around the campfire. Cost is $17.50, $15.75 for Abington residents and $14 for members. It runs rain or shine, the campfire depends on the weather, and adults must register with any children. Registration closes at noon that day. Confirm the time on the Briar Bush programs page before you go, or call 215-887-6603.
- Saturday, November 7, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.: "Outdoor Survival" at Briar Bush. Cost is $15, $13.50 for Abington residents and $12 for members.
- Tuesday, November 17, 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.: Abington Bird Town bird walk at Lorimer Park. Meet at the Moredon Road lot, 183 Moredon Road. The walk is free, needs no preregistration, welcomes all experience levels, and uses the Pennypack Trail and connected trails. Binoculars are available to borrow. The county posted the bird walk schedule as a PDF.
The November 17 walk starts at the same Moredon Road lot that Concept A would redesign and covers the same Pennypack Trail connections the plan wants to make clearer. It's a chance to see the park as it is now, before any of those changes happen.
Living near a park that has work coming up can raise questions about your own plans, whether you're thinking about a sale someday or just want to know how a project could change your block. The Britto Group can walk you through what's been announced near your street and what it could mean for your home. Let's Connect.
