A chill in the air brings autumn colors and an opportunity to hike past some beautiful foliage, writes Anne E. Hill and Ben Silver for Main Line Today.
Here are some prime spots to visit in Delaware County.
Bring binoculars on your hike in the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Tinicum for some optimum bird-watching and wildlife spotting.
The refuge protects Pennsylvania’s largest remaining freshwater marsh.
It has observation decks and towers for autumn views above the cattails and reeds.
Ridley Creek State Park in Media features 2,600 acres of fall foliage. Follow streams and trails throughout the park. The most popular is the Full White Loop, which circumnavigates most of the park for 4.2 miles.
The Chester Creek Trail is a 2.8-mile paved section that runs through Middletown and Aston Townships, and it “is sublime in the fall,” writes Mary Clare Fischer and Laura Brzyski for Philadelphia Magazine.
It boasts orange- and yellow-colored leaves that can be enjoyed while biking, walking, or running.
The Haverford College Nature Trail is a 2.25-mile loop on the campus of Haverford College. Part of the trail takes you through the woods. The surface is gravel and dirt.
Tyler Arboretum in Media offers six hiking trails, with the longest, known as the Minshall Trail, covering 7.4 miles.
It will take you through most of the tree preserve’s 650 acres with plenty of autumnal colors, as well as the remains of a 200-year-old farm and a few creeks.
The Wawa Nature Preserve is 98 acres behind Wawa headquarters, just off Route 1 in Media.
Here you’ll find four miles of unpaved trails, with a mix of grassy meadows and thick woods.
In Media Borough, you can visit Glen Providence Park, which has several connecting and standalone trails covering two miles, writes Lisa Dukart for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Hildacy Preserve, covering 55 acres at 1031 Palmers Mill Road in Media, features meadows with native grasses that attract birds. The Natural Lands preserve has a half-mile Red Trail and Purpose Loop, and the 1.8-mile Hildacy Preserve Loop.
Indian Orchards Park at 25 Copes Lane in Media is a 36-acre tract next to Indian Orchards Farm. The wooded trail passes by meadows and streams. It connects to the 3.5-mile Linvill Trail that skirts Linvilla Orchards.
The historic Newlin Grist Mill in Glen Mills has 160 acres of parkland that includes seven trails covering 8.5 miles.
Scott Arboretum is located on the Swarthmore College campus, where you can explore the Scott Entrance Garden with seasonal containers, perennials, and annuals, the Scott Outdoor Amphitheater, the tree peony collection, a pollinator garden, a rhododendron garden, and the Dean Bond Rose Garden. Crum Woods’ Valley Walk is a 3.8-mile out-and-back trail along Crum Creek. It starts on Yale Avenue or Wallingford Road
Smedley Park in Springfield has four hiking trails, from the .8-mile Green Trail to the five-mile Springfield Trail, which travels through the woods and into neighborhoods, crossing waterways.
See the entire list of fall foliage hikes around the Main Line in Main Line Today.
See the entire list of fall foliage hikes around the Philadelphia region in Philadelphia Magazine.
Read more about hiking and nature walks in Media Borough in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Editor’s Note: This post was initially published on DELCO.Today in October 2025.
