Mallards, hawks, and swans O my!…read more I visited the Wissahickon Waterfowl Preserve this weekend which is connected to the Green Ribbon Trail (0.06 miles away) and it is a wonderful spot to observe birds and ducks by a freestanding island. There is even a pier where you can set up a scope or use binoculars and get magnificent visuals on these majestic creatures. Interesting tidbit which I observed this weekend, predator birds like hawks are actually chased away by non-predator birds, like the red winged black bird, as non-predator birds do like predator birds hunting on their land! I witnessed this myself and was instructed by our birding tour guide this happens with birds unlike land animals. The tour guide further explained not all predator birds eat other birds hence this behavior exists in nature. There is free street parking right next to the Wissahickon Waterfowl Preserve and the lovely town of Ambler can be explored after you are done with your biridng. As always people SYOY!!!

Fun trail to walk on, goes through the woods but it's mostly paved. We went some time ago and…read morehaven't been back, but would be fun to try again with the toddler. Looks mostly stroller-friendly, since the part we've been on is all paved. We've picked it up on Militia Hill Rd

X-posting a review from the Wissahickon Park page. This park is so good it deserves two 5-star…read moreratings. Hard to rate an entire park this massive, but all things considered, after 5 years of traversing the trails here, this is an awesome park. Note that I live in U-City, so the fact that such a massive trail system exists in only a ~20 minute drive, depending on which part of the park I start in, is a blessing and keeps my sanity. Friends of Wissahickon does a great job maintaining trails and even expanding the system over the past few years. I don't think I've ever observed an unseemly part of the park. Definitely unseemly times of year like the snow thaw or the time between the trees dying and the snow falling, but otherwise, this park is beautiful all times of year. I've never had a hard time parking, never even had trouble with crowds even around the most popular trails (ex. Forbidden Drive). Even the bikers are friendly and patient here! Would strongly recommend not only visiting but coming back to keep exploring! I'm still finding new gems in this massive trail system.

Today I decided to switch things up and take a trip to Valley Green in Wissahickon Park, Philly…read more I've always heard about Devil's Pool but had never been, so when I saw the trailhead, I figured--why not check it out? What I've known about Devil's Pool is that it's been a popular hangout spot, especially for teens and young adults--swimming, drinking, smoking, etc. But I wasn't prepared for how disappointing the trail would be. At nearly every turn, there was trash--plastic bottles, wrappers, and even entire black garbage bags just left behind. The closer I got to Devil's Pool, the worse it got. There are clear signs asking visitors to take their trash with them, yet so many clearly don't. It's really disheartening to see such a beautiful natural space disrespected like that. Instead of feeling peaceful or connected to nature, it honestly felt a bit unsanitary and neglected. Wissahickon Park deserves better. If you visit, please respect the space and take out everything you bring in.

We used to pass this park all the time but never turned in to check it out. This year, we finally…read moreturned in to look around and found that it has lots of picnic areas and an interesting birdwatching overlook. At that birdwatching station, they have an area full of birdbaths and other things to attract birds, so there were quite a variety of birds there. There's disc golf and a few areas for hiking as well, so it could be a nice place to continue exploring, especially since it's so close to home!

Took advantage of a beautiful autumn day in these times of COVID-19 and met friends for an…read moreafternoon hike in Fort Washington State Park. It was a pretty park with a nice lookout tower for birdwatching (birdfeeders are positioned to coax birds to stay for a bit) and plenty of hawks circling; however, it did seem more geared for picnicking/grilling and/or camping. There were no marked trails and we just kind of looped around until we hit a road and then looped back again. The park has plenty of parking and the restrooms were open and clean, even during the pandemic.

We'd passed by the sign near the CVS many times without knowing how to actually get to this place…read more Eventually we figured out (with some help from Google Maps) that the trailhead is at the far end of the parking lot. This became a go-to early in the pandemic, especially since not many people know about it, so it was never too crowded. After hiking through some woods, you find yourself on the other side at a farm with many horses in fenced-in sections. Very friendly horses. Last time we went, we had more trouble than usual navigating the woods (some areas were blocked, others too wet for our liking), but there are multiple paths to get through, so we did eventually find our way. After emerging from the woods, the horses weren't in the sections we'd been used to, so we were afraid we'd gone through it all for nothing! Fortunately, the horses were still out, just in a different area, so we got to interact with them a bit.

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.

Wonderful place, my pups have been going since they were young one is 3 and the white one is 1read more

Nice tree lined path in a residental neighborhood. Bicycle path is same as walking path.read more

Full disclosure: I didn't know that the organization called Natural Lands existed until I visited…read morethis site, so I didn't go in with any expectations shaped by that. My parents live nearby (and I grew up there), my girlfriend and I were visiting, we wanted to take an outdoor stroll and chose to take it at the Gwynedd Preserve. It served our purposes well. It had clean walking trails. The back part is near power lines, like the trail at Wentz Run Park, but it's otherwise clear/natural space. There are a few spots with especially nice views. Since I'm drawing some of the details from their own educational signs, I might be drinking their Kool Aid, but it looks like they're doing a good job preserving some local wetlands and keeping local drainage working in the process. From a practical recommendation standpoint, I don't know how one should choose among here, the Farm Park, the trail behind Wentz, etc., as places to visit. But, it's a pretty good place to walk.

Gwynedd Preserve was my 15th Natural Lands preserve of the 20 I've now visited. Of all the…read morepreserves, I have to say this one was by far the dirtiest with dog poo. Natural Lands provides a receptacle for dog droppings, AND bags to collect them. WHY would anyone have a reason not to clean up after their dog? Not only that, but I found FOUR PILES within the first twenty yards of the parking lot where all the dog poo stuff is located. This preserve is located in a very opulent and showy part of North Wales. The other visitors I saw were in flashy cars, and dressed like Martha Stewart. I didn't witness who exactly didn't pick up their dog poo, but I saw people with dogs, and the poo was fresh. It seems like the frequent visitors here believe themselves to be above abiding preserve rules to clean up after pets, which makes the preserve pretty disgusting for others. One dog crapped something white, green and blue, and it was extremely foul. It is a shame because Natural Lands doesn't condone this behavior, has rules against it, and needs to work on enforcement. It really put a damper on my experience because I do pick up after my dogs, and I don't like having to worry about stepping in someone else's mess when I am there to enjoy the day with my own pets and young child. Grossness aside, this preserve is a vast meadow, with some very pretty views. Log slab benches have been added with donor names credited, and little Martha Stewart-esque message boxes where you can write inspirational thoughts for the next visitor. There is a windmill in one meadow, just for show, which was interesting, however inauthentic. I had a good vibe here, overall. I don't know the history of the land, but it felt horse farm-y, like a lot of horses had lived good lives there. I normally always give greenspace a minimum of 4 stars for the fact of its existence. And I love to give greenspace 5 stars! In this case, the poo was so offensive, I can't give more than 3. It's not NL's fault, it's the gross visitors. But it mars the experience nonetheless. Hope the local peeps will want to clean up their preserve and do it proud so it can keep on par with all the rest!!!