Whenever the weather is pleasant, my family and I like to get outside and enjoy it as much as possible. Recently I took my wife and kids on a bike ride around Wissahickon Valley Park in Fairmont Park, Philadelphia. The locals know this seven-mile gravel road that follows part of Wissahickon Creek as Forbidden Drive.

Being the largest urban park in the country, 8,900-acre Fairmont Park will keep you busy with outdoor activities any time of year. This time of year, my family and I put on our sweatshirts and hats, threw our bikes on the bike rack and headed down to the Bell’s Mill parking area for our starting point. The path itself is wide enough for runners, bikers, hikers and even horse riders to share. My daughters were thrilled to see a few urban cowboys enjoying the day with their horses.

We made it a few miles down the path when my 8-year-old started to get a little tired. On our way back to the parking lot we spotted a steep, rocky ledge that looked like fun to climb. Being the biggest kid of them all, I ran to the bottom of the ledge and looked for a path up. I was surprised to see my 8-year-old daughter run after me, asking if she can climb, too. She’s usually a bit more reserved but was excited this time to take a risk. Following her closely up the steeper-than-it-looked rock face, I was more nervous than she was! It took a while, but we made it to the top, while my 4-year-old daughter cheered us on the whole time.

Now we had to find a way down — and once back on the ground, we finished our ride back to the car with my 8-year-old feeling proud of herself!

— William Papa, director of sales