Intro to Rock Climbing with Valley to Summit on September 18, 2022…read more This was my second trip to Chickies Rock with VTS and it was wonderful! There were only 5 of us, so plenty of time to climb. Our Guide, Bob, was so patient, engaged and informative. I learned a lot of great things that I had not known before about clothing, ropes and technique. Bob was so patient with me and was there with his " green pointer" to help me over the tough spots. You should know that I am 74 years old and tho I have climbed indoors for a few years, my stamina was not that of the youngsters who were there! Nonetheless, it was a great time! I highly recommend Valley to Summit, this being my 3 rd trip with them. They Rock!

Absolutely amazing professional guides!!…read more I hired this company to guide me through the winters treacherous water fall trails of Ricketts Glen that is normally closed off for hikers that don't have the explicitly specific required safety gear for winter hikes which this company provides. The guides were patient and helpful with the small group in getting gear on and going over all the safety equipment. They were never impatient with anyone and insanely kind. You could tell the guides truly enjoyed bringing everyone out to this amazing trail at Ricketts Glen State Park. I wasn't sure what to expect but OMG it was worth the money spent to have these guys/gals guide me through the trails. I took tons of pictures and was never rushed at all while taking in the views and photos. This company comes highly recommended amongst the hiking community even out of state.

Beautiful landscape horrible place to run. Should be called Rocky Trip Trail. Maybe it's because…read moreI'm a beginning runner but no way.

The lower part of this trail is fabulous. It is full of amazing hidden beauty…read more The northern section was more solitary while I was there. It takes you to Fair Acres and beyond. Parking is extremely limited at the Valley Road parking lot. One solution to not having a parking option there is to park at the YMCA. They have a long trail that leads from their property on to the Rocky Run Trail. But they don't advertise this. There is no signage. It's up to you to find the entry trail into the forest. How to do this: Simplest way is to park in the rear lot. Find the retaining wall. The entrance to the forest is there. Take the first trail to your left. Go beyond the picnic table area and bear left. Follow the trail until it intersects with the Rocky Run Trail. I recommend going leftwards. This will eventually take you past a small sewage treatment plant. Cross Valley Road and pick up the trail again. And this is where it gets really interesting.

Broken glass everywhere, stretching all along the trail. Dog owners and cyclists beware!!read more

Having now visited 11 of 20 Natural Lands preserves, I am noticing a pattern emerge. Many…read moreproperties are former farms, with old stone house and barn, and then hundreds of acres around them. Others are misfit plots of land that can't otherwise be developed or used for some manmade presence, or geographical reason. For example, there are a lot of power lines running through the Green Hill Preserve, and the Sharp's Woods preserve is largely swamp alongside a stream in a narrow strip between housing developments. The Wawa Preserve follows the geographical quirk pattern. It is a long narrow strip through a valley in Glen Mills, stretching from the Wawa plant to the Rocky Run YMCA. While the land is a Natural Lands Preserve, the trail itself is a Middletown Township-maintained nature trail, called "Rocky Run Trail." The trail runs along a stream through the valley too steep to be buildable, and include a road. So its current use and purpose suits this place well, and as always I am grateful for this free greenspace! Like all Natural Lands preserves, this place is spotless clean, not a spec of litter, although in a hike after a snow, there were dog droppings that someone didn't pick up, which is always gross. This is an ongoing issue I know Natural Lands is aware of, and trying to do something about (that, and enforcing the leash rule no one seems to honor). So that's not on Natural Lands, it's on the entitled local who thinks they're above rules and hygiene. As always, bags and a dog poo receptacle are available near the parking lot. The trail is a decent hike through a pretty and peaceful valley; quiet, with good vibes. It meanders by the stream, has a stream crossing with stepping stones, and then winds up along the SEPTA regional rail line.

This is a great little park to explore if you're not looking to hike too much. You have to look out…read morefor it while you're driving because it is right up a hill and in a tricky spot if you're not keeping an eye out. You also have to walk across a field to get into the hiking trail. If you make a right as you enter, keep walking until you reach a waterfall. It is a beautiful view! It is safe enough to walk up the rocks too. It is good for exercise and picnicking. Be sure to look at the weather beforehand though because it could get muddy.

Years ago I lived on West Street where this park is located and visited it nearly every day. In the…read moremany years since I have gone back 10 or 20 times per year. its a gem of a park that most people aren't even aware exists in Media. Glen Providence is good for exercise, picnicking, communing with nature if you don't mind walking down a very long hill to see other parts of the park. Just remember you must make the hike back up

Crum woods is a lovely area to take a stroll; walk or hike through! I saw bicyclists; families…read morewalking their dogs and swimmers in the creek! Crum Woods has something for everyone! I enjoyed coming upon the outdoor amphitheater during my exploration..but I will see this be prepared for the different elevations on your walk! Be prepared and be agile! Overall, it is a great area to enjoy nature!

This probably belongs in "hiking" and "parks" and "pets" if there is such thing…read more.. We were looking for good places to take the dog where she could run around (preferably off leash) in grass or leaves or something. There's a website, believe it or not, for hiking with your dog, and this spot was in the top ten. I was semi-familiar with Swarthmore as a college, but had no idea they had all of this random land quasi-on-campus that was available for public use. Bonus: apparently it's Swarthmore spring break. Empty campus + lots of available visitor parking + relatively empty woods = dog in overjoyed exhaustion. There seem to be plenty of visitor-access parking lots around, we basically found the first one on campus and wandered over to the Scott Amphitheater. Our limited information indicated that there would be some kind of network of trails in that general region and that once we hit said trails it was kosher to let the dog off leash as long as she was under "voice control." As we made our way toward what looked like the beginning of a trail, we met a very nice woman and her very nice collie. The collie was on leash, but had clearly just enjoyed a nice dog-exhausting walk. We wandered a few yards down the trail and let her loose: bliss. There isn't really a single trail to a destination or a loop or anything like that. We took several forks, backtracked, wandered down what might have been a trail or might have been just random leaves having fallen in a semi-path, etc. There's plenty of space to explore and the trails range from 100% level and easy going to a bit more rocky and climby oriented. I didn't see any maps or other signs of civilization/development, but we followed various trails to what I think might have been the edge of Scott Arboretum. (Five different specimens of twelve different kinds of holly -- all labeled -- tipped us off.) Near that area is a pretty big meadow/clearing with some random stone-henge-looking arrangements that made a good place to stop and play fetch for a bit. The review we read on the dog hiking site seemed to indicate drinking fountains and dog bowls, but I didn't see anything like that, so if it's hot and/or you plan to be out for a while, bring water (your dog will be fine though, as there's a fairly clean looking stream/creek right alongside many of the paths). We ran into five or six other dogs -- all off leash -- during the approx. three hours we wandered around. Everyone was super-friendly and their dogs were excited to enjoy some random play as well. It's a bit of a hike from Philly (too bad Septa won't allow dogs), but worth it for some non-dog-park variety, I think.

It was a chilly fall morning to take a hike around Taylor Arboretum! This was a perfect COVID…read moreactivity..very few people out and enough room to social distance from others! We took the walk along the creek and stopped along the way to observe all the different types of trees--it was nice to see the holly trees still had berries that the deer didn't eat up! I like this area because it seems that it is a quiet place to enjoy in all seasons!

Taylor Arboretum is a hidden gem that isn't very busy. You can walk around the woods, along the…read morewater, or in open grassy areas. There are many birds to be seen, especially along the water, and it's just a very relaxing place to take a hike or a walk. Or have a picnic! Parking is ample. I do not believe they have restrooms, and if they do then they are easy to overlook. I will definitely be integrating this location into my birding rotation. It's definitely an overlooked spot.

An easy way to find the parking lot is just to take Darlington Road off of Route 1. As soon as you…read morecross the bridge over Chester Creek, the parking lot will be immediately on your right. Like with the Rocky Run Trail, parking is very limited. An alternative is to park on Stephen Drive and enter the Cornucopia Trail. Stephen Drive is in a nice residential area. Your car is probably a little bit safer there. The Cornucopia Trail merges with the Darlington Trail. Wherever you begin to explore, it's going to be a big walk with various kinds of terrain and vistas. My favorite part is where Darlington Trail goes into the forest along the Rocky Run Creek. If you encounter a black Labrador while nearing a home that borders the trail, don't worry about him. He's got one of those shock collars on. He just likes to run around and make a lot of noise.

Nice wide trail to walk at an easy pace. A meadow at the top with a bench to rest if you choose so…read morewith access to Chester Creek below. Connects with Rocky Run Trail.

Our family has enjoyed tubing on the delaware every summer for years. It's a great way to spend an…read moreafternoon in nature

Honestly, I don't know why this place got such few stars? The four stars that I've assigned as well…read moredeserved. I visited on a weekday and perhaps that made all the difference in the world. My experience form beginning to end was fantastic. I think one thing that seems to bother most people is the BBQ lunch. The BBQ lunch was apart of my package and when I arrived they were just loading the buns to be taken out on the river. I'm getting a little ahead of myself here but you'll understand in a minute. When I arrived, there were already several eager adventurous folks checking in, buying waterproof items for sale, collecting their water rafts and some even already on the water. I checked in with my Groupon and as directed, I left my keys - collected my Kayak and proceeded to the bus. Please note, the rule is, everyone must wear a mask until you're actually on the water; great rule as it gets crowded in the shop as well as on the bus. It keeps everyone safe. I chose the kayak experience which was awesome but the real fun is in a tube. After my journey down the river, I immediately purchase another Groupon just so that I could come back and have a tubing experience. So, back to the BBQ lunch. By the time I paddles my way down (a few signs for the waters edge for direction) to the BBQ shack on the water, they were still setting up. I guess I paddle too fast. I decided to keep moseying down the river as I had already packed a lunch just in case after reading the reviews about the BBQ shack not being up and running. Oh well, next time I'll enjoy a burger. Again, this is the perfect mid week escape. The ride outside of NY is quick and there's plenty of parking. Although it says Delaware tubing it's actually located in New Jersey; well at least the border between the two. I would recommend going early and taking as much time as you like in a tube with family and friends. I would also recommend bringing children as they will develop a lifelong love of being on the water. I'm a big fan now and I can't wait to return in a few weeks. P.S. I was told by my bus driver, they offer a fall foliage experience where they only allow kayaks on the river.