Brandywine Creek State Park is always well-maintained and there are plenty of resources online to help map out a day in the park. I like to do hikes closest to the nature center because it's a great meeting point. None of the hikes in the park are very long, but there are plenty of trails on all trails that help you to link existing trails together! This time of year is the best for hiking because it's still pretty cool and everything is green and lush! read more

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November 8, 2025 - Beautiful park. About a 2 mile paved walking trail. There are also natural trails off of the paved trail some go along the water. It had rained the night before so the trails were a little muddy and the wet leaves made things slippery so I stuck to the paved trail. One trailhead has restrooms and picnic tables. They allow bow and arrow deer hunting season but it is clearly marked. A family of deer crossed my path right in front of me. You can see one deer jumping across the path in one picture. The mom and baby crossed in front of me and I could hear rustling in the woods so I waited patiently for the dad to appear. Very peaceful. When the trails are not muddy, make sure you explore off on them. This is part of the Delaware Greenway system - make sure you check out all the other paths. read more

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I'm noticing a pattern here. My photos aren't uploading without a review. Please be mindful this was an overall review, simply to add these photos. read more

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We love going hiking here as a family with our little dog. This park is a nice hiking spot pretty much all year round. read more

Brandywine Creek State Park - Parks Near Me

We took our Scout troop on a hike here recently. We took the yellow and red trails, which connect, from the nature center downhill to the Brandywine Creek and then back up the hill into the meadow by the parking lot. The trail was well maintained and parking was easy. The trail was long enough to get a good hike in but would be easy enough with smaller kiddos. read more

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I think this park is pretty much the same as Alapocas State Park - just two different entrances :) There is a free parking lot by the baseball field, though it's a bit hard to find. They have a variety of different color-coded trails. Some dirt ones and some paved. A lot of them go down to the river, and that's what we decided to do :) Took us about 20 minutes to get down there, spent 20 minutes walking around and 20 minutes going back. Really nice fresh air, lots of trees - a real forest :) Close to the river there is a lot of trash, though :( Park is good for bikers too - saw lots of those there! :) read more

Hiked with a group for 10 miles-ish in mid-June and most trails were hidden somehow. We got lost at times, but eventually found our way back to the park. We passed by some houses, farms and horses. We took a break at a winery in the middle of the area and it obviously had some really fancy vinegar collection. Mostly level trails and shaded as well. read more

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Great place to take a shit. Every time I'm here, I get confused. Maryland/Delaware and by extension D.C. really blur together. I think we're kind of wasting precious time separating laws and land in states that could easily be swallowed by the leviathan that we call Texas. read more

This is TOTALLY one of my fav local spots! There are tons of running/walking trails that run out of this park. Some go right along the river and into the hills there in the area. You really feel like you're out in the wilderness. There are lots of little creeks and side trails. The park itself has an adequate parking lot, a few picnic tables and a place for people to park their bikes. There are eco-friendly restroom facilities there that have always been clean in my experience. Kayakers use this park as the final take-out for trips down the Brandywine. Personally, I use it as a put in for my marathon canoe. I will paddle upstream for 7 - 8 miles and then turn around and paddle back down to the park. (You have to watch water levels - the Brandywine in this location can be too low for upstream paddling sometimes). When sufficient water levels are present, the stretch of river is a fairly good technical paddle for marathon canoe (although not incredibly long unless you want to portage...). The park itself is clean and attended to by a park ranger. I have always been very comfortable leaving my car in the lot while I go out to play. People bring their dogs out on the trails and I enjoy meeting them as I'm running along. Some trails are designated for mountain bikes but most people do walk or run the trails. You may also meet people riding horses. Parking for in-state residents (Delaware) May through October is $2. For us out of staters, we got to cough up $6... But it's worth it. You have to pay for parking by putting your dough into an envelope and putting it in a drop-box. Then you display the stub on your dash. Word to the wise - make sure you pay the parking. They do check. It's a small price to pay for such a great resource. read more

Beautiful park that combines forests and creeks. There are numerous paths to bike or hike. Shaded areas for picnicing, dogs are welcome on leash. There is another entrance further down Route 100 that is my favorite for taking the kids because of the quick access to the creek and there are usually ducks to feed left over pb & j crust. I'm always tempted to climb the steep rocky wall whenever we come. read more

The daughter and I were killing time before our hotel check in in West Chester and she picked this off the Google maps - she was driving. It was the Brandywine Battlefield in PA. The countryside is beautiful as you drive through small towns to get there and the park itself was lovely and had lots of activities for kids and there was even raspberries to pick! It was very nice. read more

Awesome park with great trails and lots to see! The entire area is kept spotlessly clean and groomed. The nature center is so cute and the staff is very friendly. The trails are moderate difficulty due to the terrain and inclines so it is a good work out. One of my fav parks in the area! read more

Nice park. The hiking trails are nice. They are long enough to get a good hike in but not to long. Its very scenic. My only issue is the park office is randomly closed on certain days. read more

This is THE worst marked Battlefield I have ever gone to! I've gone to more than 50 battlefields worldwide and this was one of the worst. I think what made me more mad was that I paid for a horribly marked map which got my group lost and did not give a good description of the battle. Yes I know most revolutionary war battlefields are developed but seriously we got super lost looking for the main parts of the battle. What we thought was where the main body of the American army was just the opening skirmish and they map confused us on where the main part of the battle happened near Chadds ford and Birmingham meeting place. Granted, we were short on time but I've done quick tours of battlefields and near got this lost because the maps online or the ones we bought were excellent. I will give props for two things here...the historic houses are we preserved and the staff was friendly. If you want to visit this park for just the beauty and camping I'm sure it's a great place. In terms of a historians visit go online and study the maps very well because the one you have to buy for the driving tour is horrible. read more

Nice trails for walking and biking. People were fishing and kayaking. Dogs there too. Fun if you like all of the above :)

What a surprise ! Having spent 5 years in Santa Barbara where hiking trails were plentiful and gorgeous, I was still very impressed by this park. Beautiful and calm, cheap entrance fee ( $3 parking) , easy, short but scenic trails and an excellent trail guide available at visitors center. Went when fall colors were at its peak, so it seemed specially charming and refreshing. read more

Beautiful park and fantastic trails. It must be stunning in Spring and Fall. They actually filmed scenes from Dead Poet's Society and Shawshank Redemption here. If you rewatch Shawshank you'll recognize the location where he hides the letter in a box by a tree inside a stone fence. I only had time for one trail that goes down to the river (which is probably good since my legs are paying for it today), but I would like to hike around more in the future as the trails were excellent and had a fairy tale feel to them with lots of interesting looking and odd shaped trees. My dog also had the most fun of his life there. If you want some great exercise with some great views, this is the place. Or great if you just want to reflect on life and think a bit. There's a price at entry but it's well worth it and I think you can purchase a park pass which usually ends up being less if you frequent a lot of parks in the area. read more