Located between the Ellis Preserve and the new Leister development, this gravel trail (not paved)…read moreruns along Goshen Road, just West of route 252. Parking is available at the trail head, which begins at the John West House (aka Square Tavern), located on the corner of 252 and Goshen Road (you enter the lot from Goshen Rd). This is convenient for a short walk, mostly for locals, not really a destination point for people looking for a new trail. It is wooded along the side that abuts the Ellis Preserve business campus; the other side runs along Goshen Rd. This trail is most convenient for walkers or joggers. It is really not wide enough for cyclists or people with pets to give fair clearance to others. (We are pet people so I say that coming from the side of those with pets. It really is appropriate to leave pets and bikes at home, and be fair to others.) It is roughly 0.48 miles (2500 feet) long. The length of the trail will not afford you the kind of walk you can get at nearby Ridley Creek park, nor the peace offered there, because there is a lot of traffic noise on Goshen Road, and the road is visible the whole length of the trail. As mentioned, this is best used by those with headphones looking to get some quick exercise and not looking to spend hours walking or sightseeing. It is more functional than decorative.

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.

We have one of the Pennsylvania Parks Passports so we try to visit new parks to explore and also…read moreget passport stamps. Today was Ridley Creek. It's a nice park with lots of trails to explore and we did the 4-point-something mile white trail loop. We enjoyed it though the trails are busier than the ones we're used to. It's close to Philadelphia, which makes it attractive for hiking, but also more crowded. Is this park worth the two-plus hour drive for us? Well, yes, to get a passport stamp and explore someplace different. Would we come back? Probably not because we saw nothing remarkable and the trails were busy. But any state park with decent trails is worth four stars so four it is!

I came here for a hike yesterday on the Yellow Trail and it was beautiful! This time of year…read moreeverything is green and the forest is full. The wildlife are out and about creating a great sound to complete the scene. The Yellow Trail is the longest in the park (about 7.5 out and back) and takes you through the woods and crosses the paved path a couple times. The trail has a few small hills in it that make the hike a little more interesting and fun. In some parts the trail is narrow and the trees are hanging over, but it is nothing unmanageable. The trails are marked throughout the park, but we did find that these markings could have been improved with more arrows when two trails intersected. The best method for making sure you stay on the right trail is to look at the color markings on the trees. However, the marked trees may be several yards down the path. Just keep walking until you see the marking and then turn around if you need to. I would definitely recommend checking out Ridley State Park for a hike, or even a picnic, as there were plenty of areas to do so. I would love to come back and see other areas of the park or even do the same hike again!

Trail = 5 stars! Not…read moresure why Yelp combined all access points for this trail into one listing??? Not allowing multiple listings for different access points prevents those unfamiliar from knowing there are other areas to park. The Knowlton Rd lot is already problematic and constantly full, so whatever, I tried to provide listings for the other lots. Annoying, Yelp, and not in service to the community. Try Mt. Alverno Rd near Iris Lane (toward the Pennell Rd end) Or in Lenni lots of people park at the top of the trail off Lenni Rd near Station Ln

Great running/bike/walk path! From what I saw, there are a couple designated parking lots which…read moremade it accessible. The parking lot was very full, but I guess that is to be expected on a Sunday morning when it's 55 degrees out in January. The path was about 3 miles long and paved the entire way. It also had some nice rolling hills and was quite scenic as well.

Oooh, I can't and don't want to imagine where our life would be without The Hollow. It saves our…read moredogs from cabin fever by getting their minds and bodies active. No walk can compare to running around on these off leash trails. It is a great place to take them in the summer because they can splash in the stream too. Best of all, after over a year of going to The Hollow at the least once a week, I still haven't met a dog nor person that hasn't been friendly. LOVE this place! When you get your exhausted but happy pups back home they will be comatose in their contentment.

The walks were cool. The water was peaceful. It's beautiful. People and their dogs were so nice…read more The nature was cool. And the hike was so so so so cool. Written by my 7 year old.

When I heard my library had the Brandywine Museum and Conservancy pass available, I contacted the…read moreconservancy office to ask if preserves are accessible with this pass. Happily, they are, and I was finally able to explore this place without trespassing (which I don't do). This is right around the corner from my home, and fills the gap of wilderness between developments along the Easttown Township, and Newtown Township border. The entrance is off of Waterloo Rd., down a gravel driveway, to a parking lot. There are three trail loops, which connect, and can form a larger perimeter loop, if you want the full tour. I did that full circumference of the property, merging the outer paths of all three trails from their map. My pedometer said it was about 2mi for that outer loop. I discovered two bridges along Darby creek, some woods, and a lot of meadow. It is a serene and picturesque preserve. Over Labor Day Weekend, after some rain, I felt that cold air coming up from the ground, that dissipates into humidity in the warm upper air. It's an interesting and connecting feeling with nature, that is a lot more pronounced when seasons change. Years ago, I was a guest on some of the land closer to the St. Davids Rd end of the preserve, when it used to be farmed, before most of it became a development, so knowing that history, why there are a lot of clearings, it surprised me to find some random tree species, like Walnut, Catapala, and Paw Paw, but maybe that is more because my nearby property is covered in Tulip Poplars, and little else. Point is, this variety of tree species was a fun surprise, and I am sure there are a lot I missed, and will find in subsequent visits. Waterloo Mills is open until dusk, and I went around sunset, which made some beautiful colors in the sky. No one else was there, and this time of evening, I saw a lot of activity from rabbits and deer. If you visit after a rain, there are a couple of lower lying areas that got a little squishy, so hiking or rain boots are recommended when wet, but otherwise, this trail is very walkable in sneakers. I much appreciate that the paths are very wide, keeping me and my little one safe from ticks, and offering plenty of space for my toddler to play around as we walked. There were definitely mosquitoes, though. Despite bug lotion all over us, the mosquitoes were still everywhere. If you keep moving they won't bother you, but if you pause for anything (a photo, a deep breath, etc.) you will be eaten! So in warm months, beware. I did notice a lot of bird houses, which I'd hope helps, but I think they need some bat houses to really combat the mosquito issue (and/or nematodes). Dogs are not allowed at this preserve. While I understand many reasons behind such decisions (protection of wildlife and terrain, and liability, are probably the biggest), I cannot give a full 5 stars because dogs are part of my family, and it can't be a full family walk without them. That said, I do understand how unscrupulous and downright abusive many dog owners have been in recent years at preserves, parks, and other places that do allow dogs. For example, dog families have allowed them off leash, when not permitted; they have failed to clean up waste; and I have even been to a number of parks (from NJ to FL) where dogs are expressly NOT allowed, and people bring them anyway. So I fully understand why this rule happens, but as someone who makes the effort to follow rules, who leashes/cleans after my dogs, etc., I wish things could be different. All in all, this is a very well maintained, completely litter free preserve, that is protecting some valuable greenspace near my home, and I am so grateful to Brandywine Conservancy for doing so! Join Brandywine River Museum, or check out your library passes to give them a visit!

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.

Visited as part of a group with kids. Ample parking for our large group even with a free concert…read morehappening, although concert audience was sparse and police were there to direct lawn parking if the need arose. Friends told us it gets a lot more crowded when the concert is packed. Explored the stream, played on the playground and had a game in the field as well. Good drainage after recent rains. Bumped into other friends who happened to be there for the concert. After group activities, went to check out the concert and noticed the public bathrooms and tennis courts adjacent to the amphitheater area. It would be super fun to play tennis with the music going. Found a robust black cherry tree and some other cool species thriving in the park. Look forward to returning.

Very nice trail. Not only do you get exercise but the view is breathtaking. I am amazed at the…read moreamount of people who take advantage of this hidden gem.