We absolutely loved hiking here. The Ollie's playground for kids was the cutest thing and so much…read morefun. It was clean and quiet and overall, a really nice trail.

ChesLen is relatively HUGE compared to other Natural Lands preserves. 1282 acres of Wyethesque…read morelandscapes everywhere you turn! Ironically, for the size of this place, it had one of the smallest parking lots I've seen at any of the other Natural Lands preserves I've visited. A rain storm cut my visit short, but I did get close to an hour of the meadow trail. If you visit on a sunny day, be ready for extreme sun exposure because there is very little tree shade along the trails I walked. Also, the mowed meadow terrain is lumpy and uneven in spots, and I'd have appreciated my hiking boots over the sneakers I wore, for ankle support. Again, I can't speak for the full 1282 acres, but the ambiance closest to the parking lot and trailhead, is pretty but lacks the variety and depth of character that many other Natural Lands preserves possess. It's kind of just plain old field. I appreciate plain old field, but having been to other preserves, I prefer the ones with woods and clearings, stream crossings, hills and valleys, etc. But, if you want to paint a Wyeth scene, this is certainly your place! It is a popular occurrence at Natural Lands preserves for locals to visit with their dogs off leash (in discordance with preserve rules). This preserve was no exception. In fact, it is so casually disregarded, Natural Lands was recently looking to hire someone, specifically, to visit all of the preserves and enforce the leash rule. As a dog mom, I understand the desire to not have to fuss with leash tugging, and be able to watch their furry joy running "free," but these rules are in place for everyone's safety, including your own (and your dog's). ChesLen is great for hiking boot walks, dogs on leash, and birding or butterfly watching. It is not accessible for handicapped people, strollers, bikes, etc. Babies have to be carried (as in backpacks) if in attendance. While more rugged in a countrified way, the land itself is peaceful and serene, and fun to photograph or paint!

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

The Willistown Serpentine Preserve is nextdoor to Natural Lands' Willisbrook Preserve…read more I was introduced to Shagbark Hickory and Willow Oak at this preserve and went straight home to order some of these trees for my home! The trees here are happy and thriving, and the variety is incredible. There was a maple with purplish-green leaves (like a Cherokee tomato skin) that was probably a standard maple but man how cool is that mutation! Lots of blooming rhododendron this time of year, those too are thriving in the shaded underbrush. A Japanese Maple grove was beautifully surreal with soft light green grass growing under the canopy. Someone has to be maintaining this with painstaking work! There were few vines, weeds, or invasive junk trying to crowd this forest. So many beautiful sights, very quiet and peaceful. I saw a Cardinal but not much birdsong, though it was close to dusk. There are some picnic tables, a port-a-potty, and a nice open field. Grass is mowed. Parking is a gravel lot.

This park is very dear to me. Mostly because my maternal grandfather was commissioner of Aston…read moreTownship and took pride in helping and serving the lifelong members he grew up with. He would say what an honor it is to see three generations raised here. They would keep the businesses' back here in Rockdale booming and profitable. Always keeping employment by word of mouth. Jobs handed down to good, hardworking members of the community. I grew up in Lenni my whole adolescent life, and I will someday inherit my father's house where i grew up and hope to see my grandchildren play on the same playground. I hope i get to see their smiling faces as they play in the same creeks as we did, ride bikes down the same hilly streets and see them attend my childhood church, St. Francis De Sales Church. It gives me such honor to tell you this park was named after my grandfather, my hero, and role model, Robert Poore. This park will always be remembered with laughter and love in honor of him. Love you grandpop!! Vincent R. Carter

Small, but clean and parky. One simple bench, sturdy swings, plasticy jungle gym, full asphalt…read morebasketball court, parking for 3-4 cars, a little bit of grass, and a noisy creek just on the other side of the trees.

I wasn't expecting much when I saw this was a 12-acre park, but, wow, 12 acres never looked or felt…read moreso big! Wide open greenspace, very picturesque and beautifully designed. The park has ball fields, picnic pavilion, playground, chess table, 1/2 mile walking trail, bridge over a stream, port-a-potty, dog bags, water fountain with dog bowl, etc. This is a beautiful spot! It's located behind the Westtown Train Station Gallery and the Salty Cow (formerly Goose Creek Grill). New township building being built adjacent to the park behind aforementioned businesses. They all use the same entrance from 926/Street Rd.

Great spot! Play area for kids. Open lawns for running around. creek with bridge. Volleyball court.read more