Philly BTers - Fairmount Park + bike permit??

They might be talking about mountain biking in the trails off Forbidden Drive...you need a permit for that (it was "free" after my $20 donation). I can't imagine you would need a permit for road biking.

Correct, you need a trail to mountain bike on any of the trails off that spur off of Forbidden Drive in Wisshahickon parlk. You can do a google search for "Fairmount Park Commission" and you shoudl eventually find a download-able form.

Heres a hint: Its going to take a couple of weeks for them to process and send you your permit, which is nothing more then a plastic bracelet that you can attach to your bike or camelback.

In the meantime, keep a copy of your permit with you. In the past, I have been stopped by the Rangers by the Inn. They will accept your application as proof that you are waiting for your permit.

Additionally, they only check for permits by the Inn, and usually on weekends in the summer when its super crowded.

Lastly, I see this error often. Fairmount Park isnt one single entity; its the entire park system within Philadelphia County. The individual parks have names - i.e. Belmont PLateau, Wissahickon, Penny Pack, etc.