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

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.

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.

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.

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 absolutely loved hiking here. The Ollie's playground for kids was the cutest thing and so much…read morefun. It was clean and quiet and overall, a really nice trail.

ChesLen is relatively HUGE compared to other Natural Lands preserves. 1282 acres of Wyethesque…read morelandscapes everywhere you turn! Ironically, for the size of this place, it had one of the smallest parking lots I've seen at any of the other Natural Lands preserves I've visited. A rain storm cut my visit short, but I did get close to an hour of the meadow trail. If you visit on a sunny day, be ready for extreme sun exposure because there is very little tree shade along the trails I walked. Also, the mowed meadow terrain is lumpy and uneven in spots, and I'd have appreciated my hiking boots over the sneakers I wore, for ankle support. Again, I can't speak for the full 1282 acres, but the ambiance closest to the parking lot and trailhead, is pretty but lacks the variety and depth of character that many other Natural Lands preserves possess. It's kind of just plain old field. I appreciate plain old field, but having been to other preserves, I prefer the ones with woods and clearings, stream crossings, hills and valleys, etc. But, if you want to paint a Wyeth scene, this is certainly your place! It is a popular occurrence at Natural Lands preserves for locals to visit with their dogs off leash (in discordance with preserve rules). This preserve was no exception. In fact, it is so casually disregarded, Natural Lands was recently looking to hire someone, specifically, to visit all of the preserves and enforce the leash rule. As a dog mom, I understand the desire to not have to fuss with leash tugging, and be able to watch their furry joy running "free," but these rules are in place for everyone's safety, including your own (and your dog's). ChesLen is great for hiking boot walks, dogs on leash, and birding or butterfly watching. It is not accessible for handicapped people, strollers, bikes, etc. Babies have to be carried (as in backpacks) if in attendance. While more rugged in a countrified way, the land itself is peaceful and serene, and fun to photograph or paint!

I cannot overstate what a hidden gem this park is. Almost totally cell dead (which I love for…read moreconnecting with nature) but also, their programming is top notch. Most recently I did the paper mill tour but the mansion, murder mystery, and full moon hike events are also well worth the (minimal) cost. Theresa (park interpreter) is phenomenal. Go go!

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.