Really lovely setting, several good parking areas which are not obvious from the map description so…read moreyou can park off of Swedesford or go down Church Farm school Lane to a parking spot or continue to the main entrance to get towards the children's park. Nice views. A couple of picnic tables at the top of the hill. The low lands are wet... So be careful if you decide to walk through the field. Also appears to have easy access to the Chester Valley bike trail.

Nice place to take a short walk for fresh air. It's just West of Church Farm Ln, the parking lot &…read moreTrail Head is on the South side of Swedesford Rd. Its a nice grassy path around a small lake and a large farm field. No hiking boots required.

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.

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.

Beautiful spot. Huge park…read more Multiple play grounds. Chambers lake- public access Camping Well maintained clean bathrooms Volleyball courts Lots of trails Horse trailer parking to ride horses through the trails

Do not camp here. They lock the gates so it's impossible to leave in emergency or for any reason…read more Gates are secured shut with 2 padlocks. Only way out is to call 911. Incompetence at its finest. Pending lawsuit is underway due to this negligence.

Stunning Preserve & amazing trail to walk on that is over 300 acres. Great for kids, horseback…read moreriding...or just beautiful peaceful walks. You can see short video's on my personal youtube and get a feel for what it is like. https://youtu.be/-nRcjGKmIck https://youtu.be/u1ru5yL754s

While this preserve is members only, you may visit with a pass you can borrow for free at many…read morelocal libraries. The preserve is maintained by Brandywine Conservancy, so if you obtain the free visitor's pass for Brandywine Museum and Conservancy at the library, you may access any of their preserves and/or the museum (and the trails on the museum grounds). Because The Laurels is a private, members-only preserve, there is not major signage for it out by the road. They are down a pretty nondescript long driveway, which I'd never know was a preserve if I hadn't been looking for it, AND read all their navigation details on the website in advance. They are located in what I'd call Unionville, but their mailing address is Coatesville. The parking lot and driveway are all gravel/dirt, so you might want to note this for winter months, depending on how your vehicle handles snow. Their main trails are basically dirt roads connecting forests and meadows, with a meandering creek, and cool old covered bridge. Since they're wide as roads, the trails are very safe to keep a distance from places where ticks hang out, and allow safe distance from others (COVID), and other leashed dogs if you bring your dog(s). The scenery changes a bit, for interesting sights, and great photo opportunities. There are open spots of sun, as well as canopied forest shady areas. I didn't walk the whole preserve but did a couple miles, and did not feel anything was a challenging incline or anything too rigorous. I also pushed my toddler's stroller for him to get in and out as he pleased, and I had no problem navigating on the paths. Note: I had a hard time finding directions. I had best luck using this "address": Doe Run Rd & McCorkles Rd, West Marlborough Township, PA.

The Willisbrook Preserve is a large serpentine barren in the middle of Malvern housing…read moredevelopments. From what I've read about serpentine barrens, there is bedrock close to the ground's surface, with only a shallow layer of soil on top. This prevents growth of deep rooted vegetation, and typically causes some desert-like conditions. There was also information about Native Americans setting controlled burns of expanses of land in the Mid-Atlantic region, to create hunting grounds, and this too, helped caused the desert-like serpentine barren conditions. I am not an expert, so that's my summary from my tired mom brain, of what I read a couple years ago. But the gist was interesting to me, and I made a trip down to some serpentine barrens in the very south portion of PA to see them. It wasn't what I expected, and little did I know that this barren was minutes from my home! I was able to identify the geology and vegetation described in my research a lot better at Willisbrook, than I could at the other preserve. While not all of this preserve is representative of "PA desert," it was really neat to find the parts that are. I have one photo that gives a close up of the ground, where you can hopefully see what I mean. Ironically, much of the terrain held standing water (opposite of desert), and there was a significant amount of mud on the trails. It was miserable trying to walk it with a small child, and for those who don't want muddy dogs in their car, either don't bring them, or bring towels! All in all, this is a really neat place, but not fun if it's recently rained. Also, there were dogs off leash, which was super annoying, and their families were less than accountable for breaking Natural Lands rules. As I've mentioned in other NL reviews, I know this is a concern they are addressing, and it's not NL's fault. But it's annoying to those of us who love visiting, and DO follow rules. As with all NL preserves, this place is pristine clean, no litter anywhere, and free!

Beautiful location for a hike and all of the preserves in the area are absolutely gorgeous but I…read morereally like this one because the paths are always pretty clear.

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.

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