Date of Hike: May 23, 2015
Total Distance: 3.05 Miles
Avg speed: 1.95 MPH
Avg moving speed: 2.11 MPH
Moving Time: 1:26:49
Total Time: 1:33:35
Conditions: Sunny, 66 Degrees
Difficulty: Easy, Moderate, Difficult*
*There wasn't much for difficult hiking at the Okehocking Preserve but there was one hill that provided a good challenge. For the most part, this hike I would consider to be a moderate challenge.
This is preserve number three and the final one I visited for the day. The other two I was at were the Kirkwood and Rushton Woods Preserves, both of which are a short distance from the Okehocking Preserve. In my opinion, this was the best hike of the day and the most challenging of the three. Rushton Woods comes in a close second best though, they have the wildflower gardens which are well worth checking out and taking pictures of.
The Okehocking Preserve which is owned by Willistown Township and managed by Willistown Parks and Recreation, is a total of approximately 180 acres. Surprisingly, in such a small space, there are said to be about five miles of trails. You can obtain a copy of the trail map here. If you're interested (I wasn't), you can take a self-guided tour to points mentioned on the map. There are a total of 11 of them.
For this tour, I parked in the parking lot located on Delchester Road. There's another Parking lot off West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) as well.
Approximate address:
949 Delchester Rd
Newtown Square, PA 19073
GPS: 39.972526, -75.476791
Note that on the sign for the entrance to the preserve on Delchester Road, it states 996 but for reference to the location of the parking lot, I used 949 since 996 will place a marker in the middle of the preserve.
If you want to park in the main parking lot of the preserve, that address is:
5316 West Chester Pike
Newtown Square, PA 19073
39.96932,-75.485447
As already stated, the address for Delchester Road is 996. I don't think you'll have much trouble finding the parking lot if you plug either address into your GPS though.
Alongside the fence that I was walking next to, these signs are posted throughout the area. I never knew what a water reclamation area was and since I spotted this sign, I decided to find out.
According to the EPA, "Water recycling is reusing treated wastewater for beneficial purposes such as agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processes, toilet flushing, and replenishing a ground water basin (referred to as ground water recharge)."
Learn something new every day. What I don't know however, is how extensive the process is at the Okehocking Preserve. If you search for pictures of water reclamation, there are buildings with machinery used to remove solid waste materials, some of which look to be pretty large which you won't see at the preserve.
I looped around the fenced in water reclamation area and was now heading south.
The trail splits off in two different directions, one of which continues in a southerly direction and the other turns to the west. I took the trail heading west (to the right).
As you get to the treeline you see in the above picture, there's a small stream crossing named Delchester Runn.
Once you cross over Delchester Runn and pass through the grove of trees, the trail then spits off again, one of which is heading southwest (left) and the other continues west (right) up the hill I was looking at earlier and the trail that I took. I'm always up for a challenge and this hill was a pretty decent one, although not the toughest one of the day.
I wanted to check out what I thought was a lake/pond so I turned to the southeast to get a closer look. Unfortunately, it's fenced off so you can't walk alongside it but the view was still pretty nice. This body of water is one of two different water filtration ponds which make up part of the water reclamation process.
Once I was done checking out the first water filtration pond, I turned back to the northwest and headed back up the hill I had walked down.
After a short distance, the trail turns to the southwest and where you'll find the second water filtration pond, this time with what I thought to be fountains (at the time). If you look closely though, you may notice that the water had a divider in it and was a different color on either side. Had I actually read the information on the provided trail map, I would have known what the two ponds were about before I arrived at the preserve!
After shooting pictures of the water filtration pond, the trail turned from open field to semi-wooded, eventually turning to the south.
The trail then opens up to this field and barn known as Goulder's Barn. Typical of barns built in the 18th century, this "bank barn" and the surrounding 4.4 acres are owned and preserved by the Willistown Conservation Trust.
Once I circled around and took pictures of the barn, I continued to the west along another semi-wooded trail.
I did one of my usual "whoopsie's" here and turned on a trail heading back to the east. It turned out to be a pretty steep hill and the most challenging part of the hike. It also turns out that this trail brings you back to Goulder's Barn. Once I noticed this, I turned around and found the trail I had turned off of.
Returning to the trail I was originally on, I found another heading north. Unfortunately, and like the other two preserves I was at on Saturday, there were signs stating no trespassing so I had to turn back.
Now turned to the south and hiking alongside Ridley Creek. This was about the half-way point of my hike.
It's not marked on the trail map but there's a trail that continues to run east alongside Ridley Creek for a distance.
Somewhere in this area, the trail turns to the southeast and crosses back over Delchester Runn.
These are the remains of what used to be a barn close to the Garrett Farmhouse, both of which were built around 1802. The farmhouse which is still in use is now the headquarters of the Okehocking Nature Center.
I'm not sure what this building is but it was alongside or close to the first water filtration pond.
I didn't take too many pictures of the wooded area but somewhere in here, I switched to a different trail that sent me southward until I reached one of the main trails that lead to the parking lot I was parked in.
At this point, the trail was mostly gravel like you see in the below picture so I didn't take any shots after this. The parking lot was just on the opposite side of the treeline.
That was it for my tour of the Okehocking Preserve and also for the day. As mentioned already, this was the best hike of the three since it provided a good variety of terrain, open fields and woodlands to explore. I don't think I'll be going back to the Kirkwood or Rushton Preserves but if for some reason I'm in the Newtown Square area in the future, I'd like to stop in here again to see if I can find out some more about the water reclamation and the stone building that's close to the first water filtration pond.
In all, it was a good day of hiking and if you decide to visit any of these preserves, be sure to bring your sunscreen or go on a cool day (it was nice and cool this past Saturday) since all of them have open areas that will leave you exposed to the sun, especially the Kirkwood Preserve which had the least amount of cover.
Until next time, happy exploring and happy hiking!
Please give my Facebook page a like!
*There wasn't much for difficult hiking at the Okehocking Preserve but there was one hill that provided a good challenge. For the most part, this hike I would consider to be a moderate challenge.
This is preserve number three and the final one I visited for the day. The other two I was at were the Kirkwood and Rushton Woods Preserves, both of which are a short distance from the Okehocking Preserve. In my opinion, this was the best hike of the day and the most challenging of the three. Rushton Woods comes in a close second best though, they have the wildflower gardens which are well worth checking out and taking pictures of.
The Okehocking Preserve which is owned by Willistown Township and managed by Willistown Parks and Recreation, is a total of approximately 180 acres. Surprisingly, in such a small space, there are said to be about five miles of trails. You can obtain a copy of the trail map here. If you're interested (I wasn't), you can take a self-guided tour to points mentioned on the map. There are a total of 11 of them.
For this tour, I parked in the parking lot located on Delchester Road. There's another Parking lot off West Chester Pike (PA Route 3) as well.
Approximate address:
949 Delchester Rd
Newtown Square, PA 19073
GPS: 39.972526, -75.476791
Note that on the sign for the entrance to the preserve on Delchester Road, it states 996 but for reference to the location of the parking lot, I used 949 since 996 will place a marker in the middle of the preserve.
If you want to park in the main parking lot of the preserve, that address is:
5316 West Chester Pike
Newtown Square, PA 19073
39.96932,-75.485447
As already stated, the address for Delchester Road is 996. I don't think you'll have much trouble finding the parking lot if you plug either address into your GPS though.
 |
| I started out heading north alongside Delchester Road |
 |
| Looking into the preserve from the trail along Delchester Road |
 |
| Looking at a hill to my west that I was about to climb |
Alongside the fence that I was walking next to, these signs are posted throughout the area. I never knew what a water reclamation area was and since I spotted this sign, I decided to find out.
According to the EPA, "Water recycling is reusing treated wastewater for beneficial purposes such as agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processes, toilet flushing, and replenishing a ground water basin (referred to as ground water recharge)."
Learn something new every day. What I don't know however, is how extensive the process is at the Okehocking Preserve. If you search for pictures of water reclamation, there are buildings with machinery used to remove solid waste materials, some of which look to be pretty large which you won't see at the preserve.
I looped around the fenced in water reclamation area and was now heading south.
The trail splits off in two different directions, one of which continues in a southerly direction and the other turns to the west. I took the trail heading west (to the right).
As you get to the treeline you see in the above picture, there's a small stream crossing named Delchester Runn.
Once you cross over Delchester Runn and pass through the grove of trees, the trail then spits off again, one of which is heading southwest (left) and the other continues west (right) up the hill I was looking at earlier and the trail that I took. I'm always up for a challenge and this hill was a pretty decent one, although not the toughest one of the day.
 |
| Steadily climbing up the hill |
 |
| Looking back down the hill after climbing it. |
 |
| On the top of the hill is this bench overlooking the below "valley" |
I wanted to check out what I thought was a lake/pond so I turned to the southeast to get a closer look. Unfortunately, it's fenced off so you can't walk alongside it but the view was still pretty nice. This body of water is one of two different water filtration ponds which make up part of the water reclamation process.
Once I was done checking out the first water filtration pond, I turned back to the northwest and headed back up the hill I had walked down.
After a short distance, the trail turns to the southwest and where you'll find the second water filtration pond, this time with what I thought to be fountains (at the time). If you look closely though, you may notice that the water had a divider in it and was a different color on either side. Had I actually read the information on the provided trail map, I would have known what the two ponds were about before I arrived at the preserve!
After shooting pictures of the water filtration pond, the trail turned from open field to semi-wooded, eventually turning to the south.
The trail then opens up to this field and barn known as Goulder's Barn. Typical of barns built in the 18th century, this "bank barn" and the surrounding 4.4 acres are owned and preserved by the Willistown Conservation Trust.
Once I circled around and took pictures of the barn, I continued to the west along another semi-wooded trail.
 |
| Spotted a chipmunk on the trail, these little guys are fast! |
I did one of my usual "whoopsie's" here and turned on a trail heading back to the east. It turned out to be a pretty steep hill and the most challenging part of the hike. It also turns out that this trail brings you back to Goulder's Barn. Once I noticed this, I turned around and found the trail I had turned off of.
Returning to the trail I was originally on, I found another heading north. Unfortunately, and like the other two preserves I was at on Saturday, there were signs stating no trespassing so I had to turn back.
Now turned to the south and hiking alongside Ridley Creek. This was about the half-way point of my hike.
 |
| In this area, Ridley Creek is pretty small |
It's not marked on the trail map but there's a trail that continues to run east alongside Ridley Creek for a distance.
Somewhere in this area, the trail turns to the southeast and crosses back over Delchester Runn.
 |
| One last shot of Ridley Creek before turning to the northeast. |
These are the remains of what used to be a barn close to the Garrett Farmhouse, both of which were built around 1802. The farmhouse which is still in use is now the headquarters of the Okehocking Nature Center.
I'm not sure what this building is but it was alongside or close to the first water filtration pond.
 |
| Heading northeast towards the woodlands |
 |
| Looking back to where the nature center is located |
I didn't take too many pictures of the wooded area but somewhere in here, I switched to a different trail that sent me southward until I reached one of the main trails that lead to the parking lot I was parked in.
At this point, the trail was mostly gravel like you see in the below picture so I didn't take any shots after this. The parking lot was just on the opposite side of the treeline.
That was it for my tour of the Okehocking Preserve and also for the day. As mentioned already, this was the best hike of the three since it provided a good variety of terrain, open fields and woodlands to explore. I don't think I'll be going back to the Kirkwood or Rushton Preserves but if for some reason I'm in the Newtown Square area in the future, I'd like to stop in here again to see if I can find out some more about the water reclamation and the stone building that's close to the first water filtration pond.
In all, it was a good day of hiking and if you decide to visit any of these preserves, be sure to bring your sunscreen or go on a cool day (it was nice and cool this past Saturday) since all of them have open areas that will leave you exposed to the sun, especially the Kirkwood Preserve which had the least amount of cover.
Until next time, happy exploring and happy hiking!
Please give my Facebook page a like!
Thank you for this lovey tour of Willistown's Okehocking Preserve.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Thanks for stopping in!
DeleteGreat photos. We lived near there for 5 years....went there almost every day with our dog Scout! Great place...awesome time......I even played my guitar and spoons there at the old farmhouse on occasion to entertain the folks! Now living and hiking in Gros Morne Nat Park Newfoundland Canada...another very wonderful amazing awesome place to be! ~MikeMadigan in Woody Point, Bonne Bay Newfoundland. mike_madigan@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThanks! I forgot to mention in my post that dogs are permitted at Okehocking Preserve and there's a section where you can take them off their leash.
DeleteI did a quick internet search for Gros Morne National Park and wow, talk about some awesome scenery! I wouldn't have much trouble adjusting to the view, that's for sure.
Thanks for stopping in!