Partially complete as of 2018, the trail is ultimately planned to run about 140 miles (230 km) from the river's headwaters in Schuylkill County to Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia.

Parts of it belong to the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile trail system connecting Maine to Florida.

It appears that both options may eventually be built, with the Chester County trail proceeding first and carrying the main SRT designation.

In 2019-2020 the sidewalk was replaced with a 10 foot wide, barrier protected trail segment, officially closing the gap.

This section follows much of the filled portion of the Oakes Reach and is paved except for a gravel segment of about half a mile (which also includes a short trail detour).

To cross the three streams in this section, two new culverts were constructed and the trail temporarily routed over a historical aqueduct from the Canal at Crossman's Run.

It was expected that the towpath restoration itself would commence in the fall of 2010,[9] but Montgomery County put the project on hold due to budget constraints.

On entering Conshohocken, it passes through industrial areas, under Interstate 476, and intersects the local Cross County Trail.

It runs beside the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial and Boathouse Row before following the Azalea Garden behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art and next to the Fairmount Water Works.

After passing under the Spring Garden Street Bridge and West River Drive Bridge, the trail runs along the riverbank on the west edge of Center City, Philadelphia as a waterfront park named Schuylkill Banks.

The project is being designed by AECOM, built by PKF-Mark III, overseen by the Streets Department and PennDOT, owned by the City of Philadelphia.

[21] A related project involves the conversion of an abandoned railway swing bridge to a pedestrian and cyclist swing bridge connecting Grays Ferry Crescent to Bartram's Mile: a park on the west side of the Schuylkill River, north of Bartram's Garden.