This is one of my new favorite hiking spots. Private parking spot (small) but your car is safe away…read morefrom the road. They have four trails, blue, yellow, white and orange (which is the Conestoga Trail). We hiked the yellow and blue. Each is on either side of the creek. The trails follow the creek out to the Susquehanna. When you are nonspot hiking takes between 1-2 hours to finish the whole thing. It is so beautiful here. The path directly follows the river and it varies in difficulty from flat ground to stepping over rocks to boulder climbing. It is fantastic! You can cross various fallen trees to get to the other side of the creek (it is safe the trees are stable and huge). So peaceful and quiet, until you hear the many waterfalls and rapids! Definitely going back to cheek out more trails. Only downside is limited parking. Went on a cloudy day.

This is an amazing place! So very peaceful the trail is challenging enough not like you are…read moreshuffling down a mountain. Beautiful birds and the sound of rushing water early in the morning was awesome! I cant say enough about this place only downside is lack of parking but it's worth getting up bright and early to catch a spot I will definitely be back

Peacedale is a rolling countryside, meadow preserve, with a portion of woods trails too. One can…read moreeasily walk just the meadow and get a nice long walk. It is mowed very wide, for easy access to everyone, and may even accommodate disabled people. This is definitely a good preserve for a simple walk, great for kids and dogs to navigate. Be aware that deer hunting happens on site, and signs are posted alerting visitors. The hunting is restricted to certain areas, not the meadow or obvious visitor spots, but we could hear gunshots, which was scary for my son and dogs. Otherwise, this is a very picturesque and peaceful preserve in southern Chester County. It is extremely clean (litter free) like all Natural Lands preserves. No dog mess anywhere.

Beautiful area and nicely cleared paths! No serious inclines to mention!…read more There was a part of the path that led to the road and then kind of ended which caused some confusion but I ended up using AllTrails to get back on track. Wooded and some creeks along the way! Nice fall stroll!

What a gem, smack dab in the middle of Newark Delaware. I've been a semi frequent visitor to the…read morearea since 2017 when my folks relocated from NYC to here. Anyway, a head clearing hike / walk was necessary the other day and my sister recommended the park as a place that could accommodate that. I have to say, it's a great place. The park is fairy extensive and, you quickly get the feel that you are in a very rural area even though you are in a densely populated college town. It was a gorgeous morning Wednesday when I walked the Pomeroy trail which is about three and a half miles round trip from where I parked my car. There were a few runners out, along with some dog walkers and the occasional deer. Overall it was peaceful and quiet. If you happen to be in the area and need a respite, definitely check this place out!

Sadsbury Woods is deep into Chester County, PA. The entrance to this preserve is clearly marked,…read moreand there is a gravel parking lot. Trail is well maintained, and the preserve is extremely clean (litter free), as are all Natural Lands preserves. I did not walk a great deal of the preserve, but the trail I walked was relatively flat, but had various rocky portions, which are best traveled with hiking boots. There are some swampy areas, which probably generate a lot of bugs in the warm months (I visited in winter). As far as I walked, it was a fairly easy hike, but could be difficult for young kids or pets in certain areas with the rocky and swampy (muddy) terrain.

I pulled over at this preserve on a whim to look for Horned Larks. I didn't find any, but I did see…read moresome Killdeer and other birds. The parking lot for this location is a decent size but the trails are not paved, so you'll want to wear hiking shoes, especially if it's rained recently. You have field-views and wooded-views, depending on what you like. If I had more time to kill and was located closer to this preserve I'm sure that I'd be out here taking walks, watching birds, and playing with my dog.

Stunning Preserve & amazing trail to walk on that is over 300 acres. Great for kids, horseback…read moreriding...or just beautiful peaceful walks. You can see short video's on my personal youtube and get a feel for what it is like. https://youtu.be/-nRcjGKmIck https://youtu.be/u1ru5yL754s

While this preserve is members only, you may visit with a pass you can borrow for free at many…read morelocal libraries. The preserve is maintained by Brandywine Conservancy, so if you obtain the free visitor's pass for Brandywine Museum and Conservancy at the library, you may access any of their preserves and/or the museum (and the trails on the museum grounds). Because The Laurels is a private, members-only preserve, there is not major signage for it out by the road. They are down a pretty nondescript long driveway, which I'd never know was a preserve if I hadn't been looking for it, AND read all their navigation details on the website in advance. They are located in what I'd call Unionville, but their mailing address is Coatesville. The parking lot and driveway are all gravel/dirt, so you might want to note this for winter months, depending on how your vehicle handles snow. Their main trails are basically dirt roads connecting forests and meadows, with a meandering creek, and cool old covered bridge. Since they're wide as roads, the trails are very safe to keep a distance from places where ticks hang out, and allow safe distance from others (COVID), and other leashed dogs if you bring your dog(s). The scenery changes a bit, for interesting sights, and great photo opportunities. There are open spots of sun, as well as canopied forest shady areas. I didn't walk the whole preserve but did a couple miles, and did not feel anything was a challenging incline or anything too rigorous. I also pushed my toddler's stroller for him to get in and out as he pleased, and I had no problem navigating on the paths. Note: I had a hard time finding directions. I had best luck using this "address": Doe Run Rd & McCorkles Rd, West Marlborough Township, PA.

If you like history you will like touring the fort. The staff are incredibly knowledgeable,…read morehelpful and willing to tell you about the fort and the way people lived on pea island. I had no idea the fort served as a prison housing confederate soldiers during the civil war and the replica prison barracks were interesting. Bring sunscreen and insect repellent. The mosquitoes are fierce if there's no wind. Repellent is sold in the visitor center and the shop if you forget it. Worth visiting and I'm glad we did.

This was a really cool park, and you get to (have to) ride a boat to it. There was a decent amount…read moreof parking near the visitor center, but there were other events in the area, so it could vary. It's a small gift shop and a place to buy tickets, and then the boat leaves on the half hour to the fort. This is a lesser-known Civil War site because it didn't see any battle action, but it was a great representation of an army strong hold + POW encampment. My favorite part was the reenactors who are in period dress and are there for discussion of life on site in 1864. These actors are incredibly knowledgeable, and when I went it wasn't crowded, so it allowed for a good discourse asking them about their occupation and role at the fort. Then there are plenty of rooms to walk through with self-guided signs. Restrooms and a small shop for souvenirs/water is available. There is also a midday boat ride to Fort Mott, but I didn't have the time to travel there. A tram gets you to and from boat to fort. If you keep an eye on the time, it's very reliable. Every employee seemed very enthusiastic about the site, which helped make the experience special. It was a great historic site and one I hope more people go visit.

This is a truly delightful park, combining elements of forest, water, and, of course, a the former…read moremine site. A favorite spot was the small dock where one can sit and watch the river's rapids. It was also heartwarming to see generations of families fishing together. A very nice place for a weekend stroll!

(This visit was made during the times of Covidious in January. When things return to a look of…read morenormality - your experience likely will vary.) On one hand Silver Mine Park looks more or less like any other smaller rural Lancaster County park yet on closer inspection you can see that it's more like two separate parks at one location. Let's call things the upper part of the park and the lower part of the park. In the lower part you've got a small parking lot along the Pequea Creek that leads to most of the trails in some form or other. While we didn't walk all of the trails, we got to most of them and they are fairly flat and benign. The upper part of the park starts with a small square stone parking lot next to a baseball field and what looks like a soccer field. Next to that is a larger rectangular lot that is close to some playground equipment and a large pond which you can fish (catch and release?). Now this is where it gets good (Dork! Alert!). Just down Silver Mine Road on the left side is another smaller parking lot which leads to a trail. This is the Geology Trail (yellow one on the below map) which is fairly flat and runs along a small stream. Along the trail you'll find an old kiln and the actual silver mine for which this park is named. www.pequeatwp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2012-08-29_Walking_Trails_Map_Kiosk_web.pdf Obviously you can't see or tour the mine (although that could change - link below) at this time but the trail will take you to the mine's front entrance and up to a few of the gopher holes were you can see that actual activity was occurring at various times over the past 150 years. lancasteronline.com/news/local/ambitious-plan-could-open-pequea-silver-mine-park-to-tours/article_89aba0c2-7995-11e8-90b4-f76ee454223a.html In principle the only way to get between the two halves of the park is to drive from one lot to the other unless you walk the Poplar Grove Trail which is a large half-loop that goes from the end of the Geology Trail to the almost beginning of the Red Trail. While I saw one or two people walking along Silver Mine Road, I wouldn't recommend it as there are one or two hills with a few blind spots where drivers wouldn't be expecting a pedestrian on the side of the road. Overall Silver Mine was a neat little find that I could see us definitely coming back to visit the next time we're in the area. A+ unchartedlancaster.com/2020/03/20/side-quest-explore-the-300-year-old-pequea-silver-mine/

At 8am every Wednesday morning from April to December, Ian and crew are banding and recording data…read moreon wild birds! This is a very cool process to witness up close if you're a nature or bird lover! I finally got to visit after 2 years trying to coordinate a trip! Today was a sunny November morning and we arrived an hour late, so we did not see many birds banded this day, but even one was exciting. There was a group of Audubon members present to watch and see who they could spot. These are avid birders, so take note, this is a hotspot for rare finds! Ian has banded over 80 species of birds! An Audubon member tipped me off on late September as the best time to catch a variety of migrating birds to see a volume and variety get banded. Noted for next year! Ian also let us know that the earlier you arrive, the more birds you will see (so get there at 8am sharp!) and overcast weather is ideal for catch-and-release because the birds can't see the nets and are more easily trapped. Visitors have naturalists and Ian on hand to answer questions. They are very experienced and knowledgeable. If quiet, you may follow Ian to check his nets for specimens, and he'll take them to his banding station to band, measure, photograph, and record any other notes in the data. Then you can give birdie a little gentle pat, and off it goes. It is a very fun, up-close experience, and a great way to learn bird identification. Note: this is not a preserve where you show up to hang out whenever. You must have an invite or have contacted them ahead for a planned activity.