Fort Washington State Park

Fort Washington State Park
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
Wissahickon Creek runs through Fort Washington State Park.
Location of Fort Washington State Park Fort Washington State Park (Pennsylvania) Show map of PhiladelphiaShow map of PennsylvaniaShow all
Location	Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Nearest town	Fort Washington and Flourtown
Coordinates	40°07′11″N 75°14′01″W / 40.11972°N 75.23361°W / 40.11972; -75.23361Coordinates: 40°07′11″N 75°14′01″W / 40.11972°N 75.23361°W / 40.11972; -75.23361^[1]
Area	493 acres (200 ha)
Elevation	328 feet (100 m) ^[1]
Established	1953 (1953) as a state park
Named for	The temporary fort built by George Washington’s troops in the fall of 1777, before heading to Valley Forge
Administrator	Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Fort Washington State Park
Pennsylvania State Parks

Fort Washington State Park is a 493-acre (200 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Springfield and Whitemarsh Townships, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is noted for the springtime flowering of dogwood trees, and is popular with families for picnics and hiking. It is approximately 17 miles (27 km) north of Philadelphia, 2 miles (3.2 km) from exit 339 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

History[]

Both Fort Washington State Park and the neighboring town are named for American defenses and encampment established here in 1777, during the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War.^[2] After Washington's defeat at the Battle of Germantown, his 11,000 troops were encamped in this area from November 11, 1777 to December 11, 1777, after which time they marched to Valley Forge for winter quarters. From December 5–8, 1777, the Battle of White Marsh was fought in the immediate vicinity. The park's Fort Hill marks the spot where a temporary fort once stood. The Pennsylvania Militia (under Generals Armstrong, Cadwalader and Irvine) held positions on what is today called Militia Hill.^[2]

The park was established by Philadelphia's Fairmount Park Commission in the early 1920s. The commission, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters, administered the park until 1953. That year, an act of state legislature transferred responsibility of the park to the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters (known today as the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources).^[2]

The observation deck at Fort Washington State Park overlooks the Wissahickon Valley, a National Natural Landmark.

Recreation[]

Recreational activities at Fort Washington State Park include Disc Golf, fishing, hiking, dog walking, bird and wildlife watching, sledding, cross-country skiing and picnicking. From September 1 to October 31, an organized "Hawk Watch" takes place in which viewers can observe all 16 species of raptors that migrate on the East Coast from the park's observation deck. Hunting is prohibited at Fort Washington State Park.^[2]

References[]

^ ^a ^b "Fort Washington State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. August 2, 1979. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Fort Washington State Park". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2006-07-11.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Washington State Park.

"Fort Washington State Park official map" (PDF). (153 KB)

Protected areas of Pennsylvania

Federal

NPS National Historical Parks & National Historic Sites	Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS Edgar Allan Poe NHS Eisenhower NHS First State NHP Friendship Hill NHS Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church NHS Hopewell Furnace NHS Independence NHP Steamtown NHS Valley Forge NHP
National Memorials	Benjamin Franklin Flight 93 Johnstown Flood Thaddeus Kosciuszko
National Battlefields and National Military Parks	Fort Necessity NB Gettysburg NMP
National Trails	Appalachian Trail
Other protected areas	Allegheny National Recreation Area Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area Middle Delaware National Scenic River Susquehanna National Heritage Area Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River
National Forests	Allegheny
USFS National Historic Sites	Grey Towers
National Wildlife Refuges	Cherry Valley Erie John Heinz Ohio River Islands

State

State Parks	Allegheny Islands Archbald Pothole Bald Eagle Beltzville Bendigo Benjamin Rush Big Pocono Big Spring Black Moshannon Blue Knob Boyd Big Tree Buchanan's Birthplace Bucktail Caledonia Canoe Creek Chapman Cherry Springs Clear Creek Codorus Colonel Denning Colton Point Cook Forest Cowans Gap Delaware Canal Denton Hill Elk Erie Bluffs Evansburg Fort Washington Fowlers Hollow Frances Slocum French Creek Gifford Pinchot Gouldsboro Greenwood Furnace Hickory Run Hillman Hills Creek Hyner Run Hyner View Jacobsburg Jennings Joseph E. Ibberson Kettle Creek Keystone Kings Gap Kinzua Bridge Kooser Lackawanna Laurel Hill Laurel Mountain Laurel Ridge Laurel Summit Lehigh Gorge Leonard Harrison Linn Run Little Buffalo Little Pine Locust Lake Lyman Run Marsh Creek Maurice K. Goddard McCalls Dam McConnells Mill Memorial Lake Milton Mont Alto Moraine Mt. Pisgah Nescopeck Neshaminy Nockamixon Nolde Forest Norristown Farm Ohiopyle Oil Creek Ole Bull Parker Dam Patterson Penn-Roosevelt Pine Grove Furnace Poe Paddy Poe Valley Point Presque Isle Prince Gallitzin Promised Land Prompton Prouty Place Pymatuning R. B. Winter Raccoon Creek Ralph Stover Ravensburg Reeds Gap Ricketts Glen Ridley Creek Ryerson Station S. B. Elliott Salt Springs Samuel S. Lewis Sand Bridge Shawnee Shikellamy Sinnemahoning Sizerville Susquehanna Susquehannock Swatara Tobyhanna Trough Creek Tuscarora Tyler Upper Pine Bottom Varden Warriors Path Washington Crossing Whipple Dam White Clay Creek Worlds End Yellow Creek
State Forests	Bald Eagle Buchanan Clear Creek Cornplanter Delaware Elk Forbes Gallitzin Loyalsock Michaux Moshannon Pinchot Rothrock Sproul Susquehannock Tiadaghton Tioga Tuscarora Weiser William Penn
Scenic Rivers	Bear Run French Creek Lehigh River LeTort Spring Run Lick Run Lower Brandywine Octoraro Creek Pine Creek Schuylkill River Stony Creek Tucquan Creek Tulpehocken Creek Yellow Breeches Creek
State Game Lands	12 13 14 24 25 26 28 29 30 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 47 48 49 51 52 55 58 60 73 80 97 104 105 106 108 110 115 118 137 147 148 158 166 173 182 189 203 226 247 249 256 259 261 274 280 285 287 314 315 324 329
Wild areas	Hammersley Quebec Run Quehanna White Mountain

Other

Other	Anders Run Natural Area Forrest H. Duttlinger Natural Area Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Hoverter and Sholl Box Huckleberry Natural Area Johnson Run Natural Area Stone Valley Recreation Area Trexler Nature Preserve Wykoff Run Natural Area
Hiking trails	Appalachian Baker Black Forest Central Mountains Shared Use Darlington Eastern Continental Five Star Glacier Ridge Great Eastern Greene River Horse-Shoe Indian Creek Valley Loyalsock Mid State Standing Stone Mason-Dixon North Country Ohio River Old Loggers Path Pinchot Potomac Heritage Quehanna Rachel Carson Sheepskin Susquehannock Thunder Swamp Tuscarora Valley Forge Historical West Rim Wissahickon Youghiogheny River
Rail trails	Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Beaver River East Coast Greenway Five Star Ghost Town Great Allegheny Passage Great Shamokin Path Greene River Indian Creek Valley Lebanon Valley Lehigh Gorge Liberty Bell Lower Montour Ohio River Palmer Bikeway Panhandle Perkiomen Pine Creek Plainfield Township Schuylkill River Sheepskin Struble Susquehanna Warrior Switchback Three Rivers Heritage York Country Heritage Youghiogheny River
Nature centers	Abernathy Field Station Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve Churchville Nature Center John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum Great Valley Nature Center Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center Jennings Environmental Education Center Kings Gap Environmental Education and Training Center Lacawac Lehigh Gap Nature Center Nescopeck State Park Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center Nurture Nature Center Shaver's Creek Environmental Center Tom Ridge Environmental Center Tyler Arboretum Welkinweir Whites' Woods Nature Center

Category
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Commons