The Newtown Rail Trail Still Stops at Bristol Road. Here's How to Spend a Southampton Fall at Both Ends.

"The County is still wrapping up final design and permitting of Phase II of the Newtown Rail Trail. We are currently anticipating this process to be concluded by November."

That's from the Bucks County Planning Commission's update dated September 29, 2026. The same note says the county still plans to pick a construction consultant by the end of the year, and it expects construction to begin in January 2027, weather permitting. An earlier update had expected design and permitting to finish by the end of September. The newest one moved that to November but kept the January target.

For anyone in Upper Southampton planning October and November weekends, that means one more autumn with the trail working in a single direction. Walk it from Tamanend Park and you can go south toward Montgomery County and Philadelphia without leaving a path. Head north and the path runs out at Bristol Road. Churchville Nature Center, the place Phase II is meant to reach, has a full fall program schedule, and getting there this year still takes a car.

What the Existing 2.5 Miles Actually Connects

Upper Southampton Township describes Phase I as a shared-use path of roughly 2.5 miles between County Line Road and Bristol Road. It is 10 to 12 feet wide, with both granular and paved surfaces. The Newtown Rail Trail group lists the length as 2.55 miles. Bucks County and the township give April 27, 2022 as the opening date, so this is the path's fifth fall.

The southern end is the useful one. The township says the path connects with Montgomery County's Pennypack Trail. Past that, the 0.45-mile Fox Chase–Lorimer Trail opened in 2024. It meets the Pennypack Trail at the Philadelphia and Montgomery County line, according to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. On a fall Saturday, a Southampton walk can head off-road toward Lorimer Park and the city edge. A walk north toward Churchville can't do that yet.

The township lists these access points:

• Byberry Road, at the Pennypack Trail head
• The former Southampton Train Station, which the trail group places at 613 Second Street Pike near Knowles Avenue
• Tamanend Park, at 1255 Second Street Pike, reached by a paved connector
• Bristol Road, which has access but no parking area, according to the township

The trail group's 2022 guide once mentioned a church lot near Bristol Road. That offer is four years old, so ask before you count on it. For now, the township's three parking spots are the ones to plan around.

Tamanend Park Is Where October Happens

Since Tamanend is both a trailhead and Upper Southampton's main park, it's the obvious base for a trail weekend this fall. Three dates on the Parks & Recreation calendar stand out.

Lil' Explorers, Friday, October 23, 11 to 11:30 a.m. This is a short nature hike for young children through different parts of the park. Groups meet at the Carriage House at 1255 Second Street Pike, and the listing says families may spot bugs, deer, squirrels, snakes and frogs along the way.

Night with Poe in the Park, Thursday, October 22, 5 to 9 p.m. It's on the Tamanend calendar under that title. The listing has no description, organizer or fee, so call Upper Southampton Parks & Recreation before you build an evening around it.

Halloween Pumpkin Mash, Saturday, October 24, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free family event features hayrides, face painting, sand art, a creepy-crawly bug exhibit, music and games, and costumes are welcome. Vendor registration is open for the same event.

Those three dates make October 22 to 24 the busiest stretch of the season at the trail's middle access point. If you'd like to park once and walk, the Pumpkin Mash fits well with a morning out-and-back on Phase I.

The 1.8 Miles That Aren't Built Yet

Phase II is what connects the two halves of this post. The planning commission describes it as a 1.8-mile extension from Bristol Road to Churchville Nature Center along the former Fox Chase–Newtown SEPTA rail corridor. The county breaks it into three pieces:

1. 0.32 miles to Bustleton Pike, through a residential part of the Churchville Historic District and past the former Churchville Station.
2. 1.14 miles across the Churchville Reservoir, ending near the nature center connector by Elm Avenue and Aqua Drive.
3. A 0.3-mile connector behind 11 homes on West Patricia Drive and into the center, using a mix of new crushed-stone trail and existing asphalt trail.

The reservoir crossing is the longest piece, and it will make the biggest difference. It would turn Churchville from a drive into a walk from Southampton. Once Phase II is done, the Tamanend calendar and the Churchville calendar will sit on one continuous path. Until then, they're separate outings.

Churchville's Fall Calendar, Reached by Car This Year

Churchville Nature Center's Fall 2026 schedule runs on the same weekends as the Tamanend events. Every public program below requires online registration.

Set this against the Tamanend dates and a few combinations stand out. October 23 has a children's hike at Tamanend in the late morning and the Nocturnal Creatures Campfire at Churchville that evening. On October 18, the Composting Workshop and the free Autumn Changes Nature Walk fill a Sunday at Churchville. That works well the week before the Pumpkin Mash weekend. Churchville's schedule runs into November with the Glow Night Hike, the free mid-month autumn program and the ornament workshop the Saturday before Thanksgiving week.

Churchville's cancellation policy matters for the paid evening programs. A 10% fee, with a $1 minimum, comes off any paid program canceled at least a week ahead. Requests made less than a week before get no refund or credit. If a program is full, the center takes waitlist requests by email at [email protected].

The Roads Between the Two Ends

The drive between Tamanend and Churchville has some work going on this fall. PennDOT scheduled weekday utility closures on Maple Avenue between Street Road and Second Street Pike, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., running from July 27 through Monday, October 19. Local access is maintained. Weekend events at either end fall outside those hours, and the Friday Lil' Explorers hike on October 23 comes after the closures are scheduled to end.

Further out, Upper Southampton's September 22 notice says the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission expects to start replacing its Buck Road bridge in early 2027, with more details expected toward the end of 2026. That puts it in the same season the county expects Phase II construction to begin.

The trail's plans also go beyond Churchville. DVRPC's 2026 awards list shows a $400,000 grant to Bucks County for Newtown Rail Trail Phase 3. In an update dated July 23, 2026, the trail group says Phases 3 and 4 were included in the draft 2027–2030 Pennsylvania Transportation Improvement Program. It describes Phase 3 as Churchville Nature Center to Village Shires and Phase 4 as Village Shires to Newtown Borough. For this fall, the useful dates are November for the end of permitting and January 2027 for groundbreaking, with the Tamanend and Churchville calendars filling the weeks before then.

If you're in Upper Southampton and wondering how the trail's next phases might affect homes near Second Street Pike or Bristol Road, Dawn Little is glad to talk it through with you, calmly and with no pressure. When you're ready, request your free home valuation and we'll start from your street.