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.

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!

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!

Heinz Park is a wonderfully well managed clean environmentally friendly refuge area. It has well…read moremarked trails; strategically located observation platforms, bridges and marshlands throughout. The Heinz is suitable for biking. Jogging, hiking, dog waking, nature and bird watching. This community resource is multifaceted, providing options for all ages and interests, don't miss it when in the area.

Good spot, easy to forget it's still in the city…read more I've been here a handful of times, usually after work or on weekends when I need to get outside for a bit. Once you're on the trails it gets surprisingly quiet. Like, noticeably quieter than you'd expect from somewhere still technically inside Philadelphia. The paths are mostly flat gravel so it's not a hard walk at all. I tend to stop on the boardwalks and just look out over the marsh for a few minutes. Last time there were a few turtles lined up on a log, and I'm pretty sure I spotted a couple of herons near the water too. You do hear planes since the airport's close by, but it doesn't really bother me. Kind of adds to the strangeness of the place in a way I actually like. One thing worth knowing: the mosquitoes are no joke. I skipped bug spray once and regretted it pretty quickly. If you're going in summer, just bring some, especially if you're planning to hang around near the water.

Super nice walking trail. The Haverford College Nature Trail is a 2.2 mile loop around the campus…read more The trail is very well maintained, the majority of dog owners are responsible and have their dogs on leaches and they pickup after them... It is a really nice little hidden secret in this part of Delco. It's good for running, walking, looking at nature, chatting with friends, or finding a bench and just having a sit. There are also ample trash cans, in the event you take your dog and they decide to go number 2. What's more - it's free. Haverford College has a beautiful little campus, and they take care of it all free of charge, so please be respectful when using the trail.

This on campus trail system on the campus of Haverford College is an oasis that is scenic, safe and…read moreinformative. Trees across campus are tagged. Thornless Honey Locusts are just on deciduous tree tagged, know what it looks like? Dogs, joggers, picnickers are all welcome. If you have kids or grandkids seek out the mini playground with the famous climbing tree!

2.4-mile long one way…read more Multiple entrances. Parking varies based on when you enter. Friends of Radnor trail park is a good entrance with parking and a dog park. Bathrooms available there too. Wayne art center has parking. There's also a small lot off of Conestoga road by the curve across from Brookside Ave. Trail ends at Radnor Chester road and Sugartown road. Radnor Chester is a bit dangerous of an entrance. No parking available there. Parking at the shopping center across the street from the Sugartown entrance. Multiple other entrances have parking lots throughout the middle of the trail. Entrance also available from the apts by the township building and accessible from the township driving range off of Iven ave. Trail isn't flat. Has a slight tilt toward the edges. Occasional benches. Entrance by the art center is beautiful and always decorated by local art. Nice and quiet. Beautiful nature escape in the middle of a town. Mile markers on the side. Gets pretty busy when it's nice out and on afternoons. The local high school often uses the trail for cross country practice in the fall.

This past weekend, it was a nice day out, so my wife wanted to get outside. We decided to try a…read morenew semi-local trail and parked at the Radnor Trailhead. We spent some time walking towards Strafford and enjoying the nice weather. This trail seemed well maintained, but was completely asphalt. Perfect for anything with wheels. There were interesting things along the way, a larger "Friends of Radnor Trail Park", with a lot of dog activity. The Wayne Art Center had some art work lining the fences of the trail. One area of the trail even had a small community garden, where the walkers could help themselves to anything that was growing. It's a nice place to be outside,but you are basically walking in an alley between back yards. Well not an alley, because an old railway was here. The trail had some interesting information about where each stop was along the trail. A great way to reclaim land from those tracks. Additionally, there were port-a-potties along the path. A nice day out, but I don't know if we would ever return.

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.

Great hidden park! The turn in is tight and can be easily missed but the trails and creek access…read moreare great! Trails are at the beginner level, great for my 5 year old.

Cool and nice place to be wish it was a little bit cleaner from trash but nice off-road trailsread more

Truly enjoyed the serenity and bliss of walking the paths. It is good for an intimate stroll with…read morekin or romantic escape for lovers. Definitely Recommend.

Hildacy Preserve is one of now 20 (and growing) preserve properties maintained by the Natural Lands…read morepreservation organization. Hildacy is 55 acres located in Media, near the Springton Lake Reservoir. The address for Hildacy is also where the admin offices for Natural Lands are located, but note that the preserve is its own separate entity. The entrance is well marked, and a lot easier to find than I thought it would be. Their parking lot is nice and new, with ample spaces, and didactic info all over to help you get your bearings. Dog poo stations and trash cans are very obvious, and super helpful! Yes, bring dogs, but keep them leashed, and clean up! This place used to be a farm for race horses and German Shepherds, so the dog spirit is all over! I got a great feeling at Hildacy. The meadow is the walk we did on our first visit. They removed a non-native species (70 paulownia trees, which are native to China) which created this huge meadow, now planted with tall grasses that look like golden waves in the wind, very neat to watch! I would have liked to see at least ONE of the paulownia trees. I understand the biopolitical cause of the native plant movement, and as an allergy sufferer, I notice the impact of recent developments near me, with their crazy influx of landscaped fruit trees, all bearing flowers (to look pretty), and TONS of pollen in the spring. This is NOT NORMAL, I get it. At the same time, could not just one tree be left as a nod to the history of the property? A tree, and a panel to explain, would be all I need to understand what it was like when Hilda and Cyril Fox lived here. IDK, maybe they'd have wanted it this way? Again, it's my historical accuracy thing, about honoring a property as it was when lived in by the benefactors. We had a nice sunny day when visiting, and had the property almost completely to ourselves, except for a couple who had a male dog, the same breed and coloring as ours, and they both had the same name! They had a fun meeting in the meadow! Note that there was controlled HUNTING going on in the preserve when we visited per posted signs (see my pics). We neither saw nor heard any trace of hunting while there, except for a hunting stand tied up against a tree near the meadow. We did notice that deer had conveniently retreated to the residential lawns bordering the property. Jerks! Speaking of Hildacy's neighbors, there is an amazing huge old stone structure (house? barn? harn?) adjacent to the meadow. It is private property bordering the preserve, so look, don't enter, but it is worth a gawk just the same because it was so cool! As always with a Natural Lands preserve, this place is FREE!!!!! Visit for a minute, visit for a day, you pay nothing but time breathing fresh air, so go check it out!

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.

Nice park with a decent amount of play equipment. Stuff for bigger and littler kids. There is also…read morea basketball court and tennis court.