Parking: free, multiple lots and parking wasn't an issue for us. There were also people constantly…read morecoming and going for turnover. Admission: free! no entrance fee to the park Rentals of paddle boards and kayaks: These have various costs depending on how long you want to rent. I chose 4 hours for $80 paddle board. I was able to pay with a credit card and there was no add'l fee (i.e. no transaction fee). They also held my driver's license to ensure I'd bring the board back. The guy who gave me the board was super nice and explained everything very well. He was much appreciated! My friend and I spent the afternoon at Marsh Creek state park. She brought her own board and I rented. We each had water proof bags and took our lunch way out on the lake and ate on our boards out in the middle of the water. There were places to stop on the edge of the water but we chose to eat on our boards. We had a lovely time enjoying the scenery and chatting with eat other. When I got hot, i took a quick dip in the water to cool down. We had no issues with 'the authorities' as many other people mentioned but my friend (who has been to this park many times) did mention they are strict about parking and following the rules. I would definitely recommend!

Many memories here. Gotta love this place. I've been coming here for 2 years now and it's great. I…read morewish you were allowed to swim in the water though. They should start checking the bacteria levels. Also the boats are really expensive. Those are just minor changes. Overall 4/5 stars. Well done Marsh Creek.

Drove about an hour to take my kids here. This is an awesome, free playground. The grounds are…read morebeautiful and clean. The castle is huge and freaked me out but my two older kids loved it. They have a lot of cool new equipment you don't see at other playgrounds. There is a smaller section was that was perfect for my 1.5 year old. It was pretty crowded even on a weekday, so I would recommend going during the week. My kids are already asking when we can go back.

Love this place! The whole playground is gated with only 1 entrance so u can let your kid run free…read moreand guard the entrance as needed. The castle itself is huge but quite cramped inside so it was alot of work following my 2.5 yo kid inside. The castle is targetted for 5yo and up. My toddler enjoyed the spiral slides. The rest of the playground is nice and clean as well. There's free parking available and the castle is a short walk from there. I went there on a Friday afternoon/evening in late august and it wasn't too crowded. I would come back again if I was in the area

It's the American dream, folks. The West Goshen Community Park - this is why our forefathers…read moreditched the British shackles and bad food... so their children's children could one day pile in a minivan and run around to their heart's content enjoying spiral slides, sandpits, super swings, and the all the sublime of suburban swag... (wow, I really didn't try the alliteration until I was halfway through the sentence). Sorry, I'm rambling... yet again... So I still give this lovely park 5 stars despite lacking one of those cool splash pads like some of the surrounding parks. Each area of this particular park is so carefully attended to... the picnic tables, pavilions, play structures (oops, there I go again). And the bathrooms are so clean! A sure sign of high performance parks n' rec. It's never overcrowded which is great. And we parents with kids are all civil and nice... it's like we all watch Daniel Tiger together or something. Haven't been to any concerts or big events. Big downside for me is that the running trail is only 9/10 of a mile which leaves a dunce like me who failed the fractions test in grade school completely clueless as to how many whole miles I've run. Just kidding... I don't run. Is that the ice cream truck I hear? Gotta run.

Great park and playground with lots of options. Bathrooms too and kids sandpit. Township hosts…read moreoutdoor concerts in the summer and activities throughout the year.

This place is a neat and sort of out of the way find located off of the main drag of Route 30 in…read moreGap. There is a nice small little playground for kids to play at along with basketball courts, two picnic pavilions, and tennis courts/hockey rink/baseball field that if you make a reservation they can be rented and the fields all have lights. (Yes I believe their sewage treatment plant is located right next to the park but mercifully it doesn't smell at all and you'll never know it's there if you don't look.)

Kilgore is a lovely place for an easy to moderate hiking trail. It's open daily but you need a…read morepermit on the weekends from Memorial day to Labor Day I believe. To get to the waterfall you have to walk a path that's about 10-15 minutes. You will have to climb over some rocks in the water in your travels, but once you get to the waterfall you will absolutely love it. *Please note* Wear comfortable shoes because there are some areas that could be potentially dangerous if you don't take your time.

[Coronavirus review] This is a small site auxiliary to Rocks…read moreState Park. Notably, the parking lot requires an advance reservation on peak dates, and this policy has been expanded to cover more dates due to the pandemic lockdown pushing people to spend their days outdoors. The trail is a short loop to the falls. Great Falls this isn't, but it's significant enough to generate a nice spray. A rather upset-looking fish flopped down shallow water as I approached. Upstream of the falls was a challenge. Few fords were viable, perhaps owing to heavy rain, and signs suggesting the area was blocked off were ignored by expeditions looking for better crossings. I made it across the stream and back, but I did get a little wet. The scenery isn't worth a long drive on its own, but paired with the other local park sites, it makes for good viewing, and in particular this space with its parking limitations can't get too crowded.

This is a perfect place for a quick-ish and relaxing hike. There are several different options and…read moremost of them loop. I did the red trail loop which is a bit longer. It's through some grass and along some private properties. I went on a Friday afternoon and there were not many people there. There are great views and clearly marked trails. Parking can be difficult.

A beautiful nature preserve found in West Chester. A friend of mine loves this place and I needed a…read morechange of scenery. They have four trails to choose from varies in levels of difficulty. I chose the red trail as it was the longest at 4.1 miles and most difficult, but still a moderate hike. It had some rolling hills and one sharp incline, but not too bad. Keep in mind not all of it is tree covered, so about 1.25 miles of the 4 was very sunny, so it was getting a little hot. However it's beautiful and when i was there on a Friday morning it was relatively quiet.

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.

Half decent scenic route. 4/10 in terms of difficulty-…read moretrail is pretty good workout for uphill and downhill 2/10 for trail management. The trails at certain points were extremely overgrown and poorly marked. Lucky there is cell reception and I could use it to navigate correctly. But certain areas are way too overgrown resulting prime tick habitats to the point where certain grass areas I can physically SEE ticks sitting on grass overlapping the trail.

Here's the official description: "Located along a 20-mile stretch of the Maryland-Pennsylvania…read moreborder, the State Line Serpentine Barrens, the largest occurrence of Serpentine Barrens in the eastern United States, contains some of the last major remnants of serpentine grassland and savanna in eastern North America. " But what this means to you and me is that its just a fantastic; eerie; unearthly natural environment to go seek out and hike in. Of especial interest to horticulturalists and wildlife biologists; students; geologists, arborists, sylviculturalists, ecologists--sure. It is all that. But just in general --a fun and free place to roam around if you're simply an outdoors enthusiast. There is no one here; its deserted; and filled with all sorts of strange trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, and lichens. You can really get your nature on; a really 1-on-1 experience.