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!

Crum woods is a lovely area to take a stroll; walk or hike through! I saw bicyclists; families…read morewalking their dogs and swimmers in the creek! Crum Woods has something for everyone! I enjoyed coming upon the outdoor amphitheater during my exploration..but I will see this be prepared for the different elevations on your walk! Be prepared and be agile! Overall, it is a great area to enjoy nature!

This probably belongs in "hiking" and "parks" and "pets" if there is such thing…read more.. We were looking for good places to take the dog where she could run around (preferably off leash) in grass or leaves or something. There's a website, believe it or not, for hiking with your dog, and this spot was in the top ten. I was semi-familiar with Swarthmore as a college, but had no idea they had all of this random land quasi-on-campus that was available for public use. Bonus: apparently it's Swarthmore spring break. Empty campus + lots of available visitor parking + relatively empty woods = dog in overjoyed exhaustion. There seem to be plenty of visitor-access parking lots around, we basically found the first one on campus and wandered over to the Scott Amphitheater. Our limited information indicated that there would be some kind of network of trails in that general region and that once we hit said trails it was kosher to let the dog off leash as long as she was under "voice control." As we made our way toward what looked like the beginning of a trail, we met a very nice woman and her very nice collie. The collie was on leash, but had clearly just enjoyed a nice dog-exhausting walk. We wandered a few yards down the trail and let her loose: bliss. There isn't really a single trail to a destination or a loop or anything like that. We took several forks, backtracked, wandered down what might have been a trail or might have been just random leaves having fallen in a semi-path, etc. There's plenty of space to explore and the trails range from 100% level and easy going to a bit more rocky and climby oriented. I didn't see any maps or other signs of civilization/development, but we followed various trails to what I think might have been the edge of Scott Arboretum. (Five different specimens of twelve different kinds of holly -- all labeled -- tipped us off.) Near that area is a pretty big meadow/clearing with some random stone-henge-looking arrangements that made a good place to stop and play fetch for a bit. The review we read on the dog hiking site seemed to indicate drinking fountains and dog bowls, but I didn't see anything like that, so if it's hot and/or you plan to be out for a while, bring water (your dog will be fine though, as there's a fairly clean looking stream/creek right alongside many of the paths). We ran into five or six other dogs -- all off leash -- during the approx. three hours we wandered around. Everyone was super-friendly and their dogs were excited to enjoy some random play as well. It's a bit of a hike from Philly (too bad Septa won't allow dogs), but worth it for some non-dog-park variety, I think.

Easy and beautiful trails with great scenery. Once you've passed the blue route, the noise of…read morenature takes over. Deer, chipmunks and squirrels are frolicking around. Disc golf course can be "human loud" on the weekends.

Fun fact: Decades ago, this property was the site of the Haverford State Mental Hospital, which…read moreoperated from 1964-1998. In 2006 Haverford Township sold the property to a developer with requirements that part of the land be kept for public recreation. These 5 miles of trails are the result, along with a rec center, dog park and athletic fields. On an unusually warm winter day Sheba and I went for a hike along the trails. We entered by the rec center, then followed the creek bed to the meadow & back. We passed a pollinator garden and some disc golf sites. It's a lovely hike any time of year. Trail markings are minimal, this would be the principal reason for a 4 star review. We could see the heavy autumn rains have taken a toll in a decent amount of trail erosion, leaving mazes of roots spread across the paths. As the property borders a busy highway we never quite got to the peaceful sounds of the deep woods. I highly recommend you have a photo of the trail map with you as it's not hard to get turned around. Wear good sturdy shoes, and a walking stick is not a bad idea. We swill definitely be back.

Large lake and great for kayaking! Clean restrooms and plenty of parking. Boat launch area is…read moregreat!

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.

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.

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.

A nice walk in the woods. I enjoyed an early spring walk there. Blue Jays and Robins were…read morenoticeable as were a group of turtles sunning themselves on a rock in the lake. Very glad I found this place

We really enjoyed this trail today, first time there!…read more The trail is relatively flat and very well maintained. There is a big loop around the lake that my dogs and I took, which is nice because it's a good walk without being too long or too short and you don't need to turn around. Lots of winding path areas so you feel pretty secluded. If you have reactive dogs you can easily step aside in many areas to let others pass. I'm excited to bring my dogs back here.

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!