NOTE: Google gives the address of "Spring Water Ln" for this preserve, however, the only access I…read moreknow of is off of 252 (explained below). I am not sure exactly when this land opened as a preserve, although by the new empty bulletin board, and lack of parking lot or signage, I am guessing it is pretty recent. I learned of Newtown Meadow Preserve only because I saw it listed as a location for twilight meditations through Newtown Square Friends Meeting. Ohhh, that's what that long driveway between Episcopal and Liseter is! This preserve is a 50-acre parcel that I guess was a conciliatory part of the agreement when the grotesquely large development of Liseter was approved. At the entrance, and at various points from the meadow trail, you can see the sprawl of townhomes, but deeper into the property, that view does fade into nature. The views of Episcopal, thankfully, fade too. (The trail that circles the perimeter of the Liseter development, does segue with the preserve, allowing residents easy access to it.) The preserve's trail is indicated simply by mowed lawn, amidst the tall wild grasses. There are small portions of gravel in places where terrain is difficult to navigate without it, or near any small bridge, etc. There is boardwalk area over wetland spots. Otherwise, this is a meadow walk on grass. I did not see any preserve rules, but I would assume bikes are not allowed. This is a field atmosphere, for sure, with very little tree cover, so be aware in the summer months, that you will be hiking in direct sun. While it's a bunch of meadows, they are hilly meadows, and you will be climbing some decent inclines. During bug season, there are BUGS! It would be nice if future plans included the release of nematodes or a bat house to control bug population. As mentioned above, the entrance I used was the long driveway directly off of Route 252 / Newtown Street Road, between Liseter and Episcopal. It gets tricky how to access it. - First, you cannot make a left into the driveway if you are headed north on 252. - Headed north, you will have to proceed to the circle at St. David's Rd, making your way around to the left, then under the overpass, then back onto 252 south. BEFORE your lane merges with 252, the driveway will be on your right. - Headed south on 252, you need to hang right at the split by Episcopal, down to the traffic light at St. David's Rd, and then proceed forward as though merging back onto 252. Again, as above, BEFORE your lane merges with 252, the driveway is on the right. - I recommend going slowly after the light at Episcopal. The driveway is EASY TO MISS if you are not familiar with the area. I have taken photos to show what you're looking for. Again, no signage as of the time of this review. - If you are familiar with the historic octagonal schoolhouse, the driveway is a smidge past that. There is currently no parking lot for the preserve. The road just dead ends, with preserve entrance on the left, and an access road for Episcopal on the right. I parked on the grass near the preserve trailhead, which is hard to see from the road, because it's behind a hedge of trees. As mentioned on the township's website, this land is part of the Ridley Creek State Park watershed, and is important to bird wildlife. The township plans to remove invasive species, with the aid of Simone Collins Landscape Architects. So, while open and available for use, this preserve is still in transition. Hopefully a parking lot and signage will happen in short order. NOTE: When exiting the preserve onto 252, you cannot make a left. If headed north, you'll have to turn around farther down the road. Not-so-fun Fact: This preserve is on the former John DuPont "Foxcatcher Farm" estate, where he resisted arrest after murdering Olympian, Dave Schultz, in 1996.

I love just about every Natural Lands preserve but this is one of my top picks!…read more There are trails on both sides of the road, and it's a huge preserve (520 acres) so I have yet to explore it all, but have been twice now and the meadow trail plus some of the woods I've explored have been great. No litter (NL preserves are always immaculately clean), trails all maintained and easy to navigate. And I don't want to jinx it but there were very few bugs even in June and July! This is a very picturesque property if you want an outdoor photo shoot! And the vibe is so peaceful, this is really energetically positive countryside!

I had a great time exploring this area today. I even brought my pup along and he had a blast…read more Trails range from beginner to slightly more advanced depending on which color trail you choose to follow. I mostly stayed on the red and purple trails. The red trail is definitely the most difficult with its dense forest and inclines. I didn't get the chance to explore all the area but we did hike 7 miles! Can't wait to come back

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

This is a lovely, shaded park I recently discovered with quaint boardwalks and wooded bridges that…read morecross over lush vegetation. There is a nice creek where my dog enjoyed stopping for a drink along the way. The path is well-maintained and peaceful. I walked the entire loop at a brisk pace in less than 9 minutes, making it a great spot for a quick walk in nature.

This is a pretty crappy little park, wedged between Rte 202 and Conestoga Road. It consists of a…read moresingle trail that starts and ends at the parking lot, winding through mostly wooded areas, but also over a fire swampy place. See the pictures for details. There is constant and pretty loud traffic noise from Rte 202, which is a highway in this area. The enclosed nature of this place means you won't see any of the deer that are across 202 near the abandoned Aegon office building (another review, another day) or any other significant wildlife. This place just seems like an afterthought, something to do with some undeveloped land, a place to eat your lunch or make out in your car with that certain special co-worker. What prevents a one-star rating? The trail does have inclines, so you can get a decent walk. You can do the whole circuit in less than 10 minutes at a brisk pace. That, and somebody made the effort to label some of the trees. Also, it's so close to my workplace that it's hard to ignore. There's a decent stream that winds its way around which is nicely distracting. Still, with the traffic noise, you can't really feel close to nature. Oh, btw, no bike riding allowed, or golf, pets, alcohol, and be gone by dusk. So if your hamster wanted to bike to the fireswamp area to practice his night putting with a sixpack of Bud Ice, consider finding a Plan B.

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.

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!

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!

Harmony Hill Nature Area is a loop trail through woods, with various inclines. There are some parts…read moreof the path that are covered in tree roots, and other areas with a lot of bedrock. There is a lot of mica along the trail if you are interested in this stone. A lot of bikers were using the trail while I hiked, and this got a little dangerous and frustrating because trails are too narrow for bikes to pass walkers without walkers needing to veer off the trail to allow room to pass. I was uneasy with my child and dogs in this situation. Luckily the bikers slowed down when they saw us, but there were some close calls. There are a lot of signs saying horses aren't allowed; I can only imagine how much more chaotic it would be to have to share the trail with horses too. Wish they'd consider widening the trails. I'm spoiled by Natural Lands' preserves. There is a ruins site by the stream, which is interesting to visit, and a picnic area close to the parking lot. The trailhead has an info board, list and found, bike station with some tools tied to a post, and a port-a-potty.

A favorite hiking/nature walk spot in the Philadelphia area. Check out AllTrails to discover the…read morevarious trails. Trails range from flat and paved, to hilly, winding trails. All trails are wooded. Parking is available at Skelp Level Road for the upper dirt trails. Parking off Harmony Hill Rd at the covered bridge offers easy access to the paved Brandywine Trail and the dirt trails off either side of the road. Parking lots off 322 at Sugars Bridge and the train trestle are located at either end of the paved Brandywine Trail. Additional dirt trails are located at either end of the Brandywine Trail. Port-a-pots are located at both Sugars Bridge and Skelp Level parking lots. Doggie bag dispensers are located at all 4 parking lots. I never had a problem with the mountain bikers. They are not often present.