The Best Day Trips from Philadelphia for Nature Lovers

Philadelphia is a vibrant metropolis with loads of tradition, historical past, and leisure. However typically, you may wish to escape the city hustle and bustle and revel in some recent air and pure magnificence. Fortunately, there are a lot of wonderful locations inside a brief drive from Philly that supply simply that. Whether or not you might be on the lookout for mountaineering, biking, kayaking, wildlife watching, or just enjoyable in a scenic setting, you will see one thing to fit your style.

Listed here are a number of the greatest day journeys from Philly for nature lovers, together with what makes them nice and what you’ll be able to anticipate to see and do there.

Ringing Rocks Park – Bucks County, PA

Distance from Philly: 60 miles, 1 hour and quarter-hour

Ringing Rocks Park is a singular geological marvel that can delight nature lovers of all ages. The park options a big subject of boulders that produce a metallic sound when struck with a hammer or one other rock. The rationale for this phenomenon continues to be a thriller, however it’s enjoyable to experiment with totally different rocks and listen to the totally different tones they make. The park additionally has an exquisite waterfall, a mountaineering path, and a picnic space. You possibly can carry your personal hammer or borrow one from the park workplace. Simply watch out to not harm the rocks or your self whereas exploring this fascinating place.

Marsh Creek State Park – Downingtown, PA

Distance from Philly: 35 miles, 45 minutes

Marsh Creek State Park is a superb vacation spot for water lovers, because it contains a 535-acre lake that provides boating, fishing, swimming, and windsurfing. You possibly can lease a kayak, canoe, paddleboard, or sailboat from the park’s concession stand, or carry your personal. The lake can also be residence to quite a lot of fish, equivalent to bass, walleye, catfish, and trout. When you choose to remain on land, you’ll be able to benefit from the park’s 18 miles of trails that wind by forests, fields, and wetlands. You can too spot wildlife equivalent to deer, foxes, birds, and turtles. The park has a seaside, a playground, and a picnic space to your comfort.

Longwood Gardens – Kennett Sq., PA

Distance from Philly: 30 miles, 45 minutes

Longwood Gardens is a botanical paradise that showcases the sweetness and variety of crops from around the globe. The gardens span over 1,000 acres and have greater than 11,000 kinds of crops, flowers, and timber. You possibly can admire the beautiful shows of colour, perfume, and texture within the out of doors gardens, the historic conservatory, the meadow backyard, and the water backyard. You can too benefit from the musical fountains, the youngsters’s backyard, the bonsai assortment, and the seasonal reveals. The gardens additionally host occasions, courses, and performances all year long. Longwood Gardens is a must-see for anybody who appreciates nature and artwork.

John Heinz Nationwide Wildlife Refuge

Distance from Philly: 10 miles, 20 minutes

John Heinz Nationwide Wildlife Refuge is the proper place to get pleasure from nature with out leaving the town. The refuge is positioned close to the Philadelphia Worldwide Airport and protects the biggest freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania. You possibly can discover the refuge’s 10 miles of trails that supply views of the marsh, the Darby Creek, and the wildlife that inhabits them. You can too go fishing, boating, or birdwatching on the refuge. The refuge is residence to over 300 species of birds, in addition to mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. You possibly can go to the customer middle to be taught extra in regards to the refuge’s historical past, ecology, and conservation efforts.

Delaware Water Hole Nationwide Recreation Space

Distance from Philly: 80 miles, 1 hour and half-hour

Delaware Water Hole Nationwide Recreation Space is a shocking pure space that spans the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The recreation space encompasses 70,000 acres of forests, mountains, rivers, and waterfalls alongside the Delaware River. You possibly can get pleasure from quite a lot of out of doors actions on the recreation space, equivalent to mountaineering, biking, tenting, kayaking, canoeing, rafting, swimming, fishing, and searching. You can too go to historic websites, equivalent to previous villages, farms, mills, and bridges. A few of the highlights of the recreation space embrace the 40-mile Delaware Water Hole, the 100-foot Raymondskill Falls, and the 28-mile McDade Leisure Path.

Wissahickon Valley Park

Distance from Philly: 10 miles, 20 minutes

Wissahickon Valley Park is a hidden gem in Philadelphia that provides a peaceable escape from the town noise. The park covers 1,800 acres of woodlands, meadows, and streams alongside the Wissahickon Creek. You possibly can hike, bike, or horseback trip on the park’s 50 miles of trails that vary from straightforward to difficult. You can too benefit from the scenic views of the creek, the cliffs, and the historic buildings, such because the lined bridge, the mill, and the statue of William Penn. The park can also be a terrific place for birdwatching, because it hosts over 200 species of birds all year long.

The Brandywine River Museum of Artwork and Nature – Chadds Ford, PA

Distance from Philly: 25 miles, 40 minutes

The Brandywine River Museum of Artwork and Nature is a singular museum that celebrates the artwork and the surroundings of the Brandywine Valley. The museum is housed in a transformed Nineteenth-century mill on the banks of the Brandywine River and contains a assortment of American artwork, with a give attention to the works of the Wyeth household. You can too discover the museum’s nature trails, which provide views of the river, the wildlife, and the historic buildings. The museum additionally gives excursions of the close by studios and houses of N.C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth.

Tyler Arboretum – Media, PA

Distance from Philly: 20 miles, half-hour

Tyler Arboretum is among the oldest and largest arboreta in the US, with a historical past courting again to 1681. The arboretum covers 650 acres of woodlands, meadows, wetlands, and gardens, and options over 1,000 species of crops and timber. You possibly can wander by the arboretum’s 17 miles of trails, which provide alternatives for mountaineering, biking, birdwatching, and images. You can too go to the arboretum’s historic buildings, such because the Painter Home, the Barn, and the Lachford Corridor. The arboretum additionally has a butterfly home, a tree home, and a fairy backyard for kids.