Norristown Farm Park for first-timers - the working farm you're allowed to walk

If you've lived in Montco for more than a week, you've driven past Norristown Farm Park on Germantown Pike and seen what looks like nothing but fields. That's kind of the point of the place. It's a real working farm, owned by the state and run by the county, and you're allowed to walk right through it for free from sunrise to sunset. Early November is my favorite time to go. The fields are cut back and it gets dark early, which is exactly when the park starts running owl walks.

This is the guide I'd hand a neighbor who has never been.

Getting in

The main entrance to Norristown Farm Park is at West Germantown Pike and Barley Sheaf Drive. The county lists the address as 2500 Upper Farm Road, Norristown 19403. Once you turn onto Barley Sheaf, the county says to keep right and follow the signs to the park office or the pavilions. The park is open every day from sunrise to sunset, and it closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. There's no entry fee.

You'll see different acreage totals depending on which government page you read, so I'm skipping that number. The one I like better is on the state's history page anyway. About 450 acres here are still farmed by a tenant farmer, which is why the place still looks and smells like a farm.

What to do on a first visit

Start on the pavement. Norristown Farm Park has more than eight miles of paved trails, per the county, plus a few rustic nature trails for when you want some roots under your feet. The paved loops are the easy way to see the fields and the old buildings in one walk, and they're wide enough for bikes and strollers.

Bring the dog, on a leash. The county lists controlled pet walking. Bring binoculars too. The park ran a community nature count on iNaturalist, and the county says last year's version logged 578 species from 40 observers.

If you fish, there's a stocked trout stream. The park is also a Fishing Gear Loaner Site through the PA Fish and Boat Commission, so you can borrow a rod and a tackle box, and there's fly fishing gear as well. You set that up ahead of time by emailing the park's environmental educator, who's listed on the county page. Anyone 16 or older needs a fishing license.

The November owl walks, plus a few more

This is the real reason to go this month. Every program below is on the county's public programs page, and the page says all of them have limited space and need registration. Sign up before you show up.

• Fri Nov 6, 4:50pm: Owl Prowl. Adults only, free. You walk the property looking and listening for owls, learn some basics and get to touch feathers. Bring a flashlight and wear sturdy shoes.
• Tue Nov 10, 8:30am: Bird walk. All ages, free, good for beginners. Meet in parking lot #3 by the pavilion. The listing says "registration required" and "no registration required" in the same entry, so register to be safe.
• Fri Nov 13, 6-7:30pm: Owl Prowl with Elmwood Park Zoo. $5 a person, registration required. Zoo educators lead a night hike, and you get a close encounter with one of their ambassador owls.
• Sun Nov 15, 6:40am: Sunrise walk. A short walk up the hay barn hill to watch the sun come up over the field. Bring a chair if you want one.
• Mon Nov 23, 4:40pm: Full Moon Hike. Nearly two miles with a park ranger. The front gate closes 10 minutes after the start, so be on time.

My pick for grown-ups is the Nov 6 Owl Prowl. If you've got kids, go with the zoo night on the 13th, since a wild owl might stay hidden but the ambassador owl definitely shows up.

The farm before the park

Once you're out walking, it helps to know what you're looking at, because Norristown Farm Park is old ground. The state's history page says this was Lenape land first. In 1704 William Penn Jr. sold it to Isaac Norris, the man Norristown is named for. James Shannon bought it in 1744 and built the Shannon Mansion in 1764. That house still stands near the park entrance, with a springhouse from around the same time. The Getty Cottage right behind it went up in 1802.

The Castner House at Norristown Farm Park is from 1802 too. It was built by John Castner, a shoemaker, and on its south side there's a date stone with a boot on it. Go find the boot. It's the best scavenger hunt in the park. Back in 1777, the state says, the British marched through and burned several spots in what's now the park, including a gunpowder mill and some homes. The newest of the old buildings is the Doctor's House, from 1900.

The hospital years

The next chapter of Norristown Farm Park is one to tell plainly, because it's about real people. In 1876 the legislature let the state buy land for hospitals, and this ground became the farm for Norristown State Hospital. Until 1975, the state's history says, patients worked the fields and raised animals as part of their treatment. The farm also trained farm managers and hosted conscientious objectors doing alternative service. After 1975 the state changed its policy. It said the farm work didn't actually help patients recover faster, and that buying food was cheaper than growing it.

The Department of Agriculture held the land once the farming program stopped. DCNR took it over in 1987, and in 1992 Montgomery County leased the land from the state and opened Norristown Farm Park. The county still runs it for DCNR today.

Know this before you go: deer season

The county runs a regulated archery deer hunt at Norristown Farm Park every season, and this year's runs through the last week of January. Twenty archers picked by lottery hunt in two remote areas of the park, and every other area is off-limits to them. The county says there's no impact to park visitors. I'd still stay on the trails, follow any posted closures, and wear something bright if you like walking at dawn or dusk.

Small stuff that helps

The park office keeps county hours, 8:30am to 4:15pm on weekdays, and the park line is 610-270-0215. There are pavilions and picnic tables, and groups can rent the pavilions through the county. Bigger events need a special use permit. If you leave the pavement, wear real shoes.

The short version

Norristown Farm Park, at Germantown Pike and Barley Sheaf Drive, is a working farm you can walk for free from sunrise to sunset, with eight-plus miles of paved trail and houses from the 1700s. Book the Nov 6 adult Owl Prowl or the $5 zoo owl night on Nov 13, and stay on the trails during deer season.