Horse-Shoe Trail in Valley Forge National Historical Park.jpeg
Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Catfish Island–Baptist Road, 7 sights is a 13-mile out-and-back in Valley Forge National Historical Park near Chesterbrook, PA. The route reaches Catfish Island. It climbs 591 ft. It scores 0/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: paved and peopled.

Elevation

0 mi59 – 272 ft14.7 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Yellow Spring Trail 40.08341, -75.45707
Nearest town Chesterbrook, PA

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Catfish Island–Baptist Road, 7 sights

13 mi · ▲ 591 ft · 4 hr 38 min

Elevation 58–272 ft

Out & Back · Valley Forge National Historical Park

Trailhead: Yellow Spring Trail · 40.08341, -75.45707

Weather Sep 6: sunrise 6:35 AM · sunset 7:27 PM

Toilets at the trailhead · Drinking water at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start on Yellow Spring Trail, heading N.
  2. 0.2 miSharp right onto Library Lane, heading SE.
  3. 500 ftTurn left, heading SE.
  4. 100 ftTurn left, heading SE.
  5. 200 ftTurn left onto Knox Trail, heading E.
  6. 300 ftBear right onto Knox Tindle Road, heading N.
  7. 0.1 miContinue straight onto Joseph Plumb Martin Trail, heading NE.
  8. 350 ftTurn left, heading E.
  9. 0.2 miTurn right onto Mt. Joy Trail, heading N.
  10. 0.1 miContinue straight onto Joseph Plumb Martin Trail, heading NE.
  11. 250 ftContinue straight onto Baptist Road, heading NE.
  12. 0.4 miTurn right, heading N.
  13. 0.6 miBear left, heading NE.
  14. 100 ftTurn right, heading NE.
  15. 0.4 miBear left, heading N.
  16. 350 ftTurn right, heading N.
  17. 400 ftSharp right onto Joseph Plumb Martin Trail, heading NE.
  18. 0.6 miTurn left, heading NE.
  19. 50 ftContinue straight onto Sullivan's Bridge Trail, heading NE.
  20. 0.1 miContinue straight onto Schuylkill River West Trail, heading SE.
  21. 50 ftBear left onto Sullivan's Bridge Trail, heading SE.
  22. 0.2 miSharp left, heading NE.
  23. 350 ftTurn right, heading N.
  24. 0.4 miPass Catfish Island.
  25. 0.1 miBear right, heading W.
  26. 150 ftBear left, heading NW.
  27. 50 ftBear right onto Fatlands Trail, heading W.
  28. 1.1 miTurn right onto Commissary Trail, heading W.
  29. 0.3 miTurn left, heading SW.
  30. 0.8 miBear right, heading N.
  31. 50 ftTurn left onto River Trail Connector, heading N.
  32. 0.1 miTurn right onto Fatlands Trail, heading N.
  33. 0.3 miReach Catfish Island, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  34. 0.3 miTurn left onto River Trail Connector, heading SW.
  35. 0.1 miTurn right, heading N.
  36. 50 ftBear left, heading N.
  37. 0.8 miTurn right onto Commissary Trail, heading SE.
  38. 0.3 miTurn left onto Fatlands Trail, heading S.
  39. 1.1 miBear left, heading E.
  40. 50 ftBear right, heading E.
  41. 0.6 miTurn left, heading E.
  42. 400 ftSharp right onto Sullivan's Bridge Trail, heading E.
  43. 0.2 miBear right onto Schuylkill River West Trail, heading NE.
  44. 50 ftContinue straight onto Sullivan's Bridge Trail, heading NE.
  45. 0.1 miTurn right onto Joseph Plumb Martin Trail, heading E.
  46. 0.6 miSharp left, heading S.
  47. 400 ftTurn left, heading S.
  48. 350 ftBear right, heading S.
  49. 0.4 miTurn left, heading W.
  50. 100 ftBear right, heading SW.
  51. 0.6 miTurn left onto Baptist Road, heading SE.
  52. 0.4 miContinue straight onto Joseph Plumb Martin Trail, heading W.
  53. 250 ftContinue straight onto Mt. Joy Trail, heading W.
  54. 0.1 miTurn left, heading SW.
  55. 0.2 miTurn right onto Joseph Plumb Martin Trail, heading W.
  56. 350 ftContinue straight onto Knox Tindle Road, heading SW.
  57. 0.1 miBear left onto Knox Trail, heading NW.
  58. 0.1 miTurn right onto Library Lane, heading S.
  59. 50 ftTurn left, heading S.
  60. 0.1 miSharp left onto Yellow Spring Trail, heading S.
  61. 50 ftArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

35% dirt25% gravel22% paved18% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 6:35 AMSunset 7:27 PM

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 5.8 mi in (~151 min). Leave by 4:37 PM for the 7:27 PM sunset. Back at your car by 10:16 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Toilets at the trailhead
  • Drinking water at the trailhead
  • Parking lot at the trailhead

More from Yellow Spring Trail Trailhead