Philadelphia is home to numerous rivers, and now a group of advocates hopes to transform the city’s waterways into its next great playground, writes Kyle Bagenstose for Grid Magazine.
Adam Forbes, founder of Discovery Pathways, wants to provide current and future generations of Philadelphians with opportunities to boat, fish, and perhaps one day even swim in local waterways.
“It’s a city of rivers,” said Forbes. “There are lots of possibilities to get out on water. But there are very few established access points. And the biggest thing we deal with historically is people think of the Schuylkill and Delaware as dirty.”
Forbes is one of several advocates who envision a Philadelphia with significantly more water-based recreation than exists today. They hope to see cleaner waterways and more boat launches, giving residents easy access to a wide range of affordable water-based activities.
Stefanie Kroll, director of Riverways Collaboration, a consortium of groups devoted to connecting people to local waterways, said many Philadelphians who want to kayak end up leaving the city to do so.
“We need access points, and we also need signage,” said Kroll, “routes that we could publish, the same way as the Circuit Trails. People could leave a car and grab a bus, paddle back, you know?”
Read more about how advocates are looking to transforming Philly’s waterways in Grid Magazine.
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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on PHILADELPHIA Today in August 2025.
