The Haverford Heritage Trail is a 14-mile loop through Haverford that highlights many (though certainly not all!) historic sites in the Township. It comprises parts of other trails listed below. For a complete map click here.
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| Haverford Heritage Trail |
sites are numbered starting at the Grange Estate in the southeast part of Haverford and skirt the early 20th century neighborhood of Penfield toward Nitre Hall in Powder Mill Valley, talk the site of the Small marker signs, bearing the Heritage Trail logo shown above, are placed along the route to help you stay on track. Look for them on street sign and traffic sign posts, and on trees along off-road trails.
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| The Federal School is a fieldstone one-room school. A 1797 date stone is on the gable end away from the chimney. Haverford Township's first purpose-built school and Delaware County's second, it served as a school until 1872. |
Beechwood Amusement Park of 1907, and travel all the way to the trails of the Haverford Reserve, the Darby Creek and beyond. But you can start anywhere and cover as much or as little as you want. Fifteen parks are also included. Note: At the present time, some trail portions do not yet offer a continuous route. Specifically, the creekside trail segments along Darby Creek above and below West Chester Pike do not connect with each other. You can start at Site 25 (Lawrence Cabin Original Site), or at Merry Place or Steel Field in southwest Haverford Township, and go counterclockwise on the trail map from there.
(Click here for map)
Besides its playing fields, playground and Dog Park, the Community Park at Haverford Reservecontains more than five miles of popular trails. They are comprised mostly of unimproved paths through woods and a meadow, many with varying levels of steepness. They are available for walking, jogging, off-road bicycling, and even cross-country skiing in winter when conditions permit. Part of one trail (Southbrook) is paved, level and fully accessible. The Reserve trail system is very enjoyable and fun to explore. For more details and a map of all trails click here.
Haverford College Trail
Haverford College welcomes visitors to its campus. The serene two mile Nature Walk loop (a mix of gravel, dirt, woodchip and grass surfaces) is popular with hikers, joggers and leashed dogs. Bikes are not allowed on the Nature Walk, but may be used on the extensive campus walkway and road system. At the northern edge of the campus, near where College Avenue meets Railroad Avenue, you can walk across the pedestrian bridge over the road to access the quiet Meeting House Walk. Paved with very large flagstones, it leads to Haverford Friends Meeting House and Buck Lane. To see a map click here.
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| The Powder Mill Valley Monument, erected in 1947 by the Haverford Township Historical Society, memorializes the early mill history of this secluded creek valley. |
Powder Mill Valley Trails
There are a number of trails in the historic Powder Mill Valley along Cobbs Creek. The popular Karakung Trail and its northern extension provide a more scenic and safer off-road alternative to Karakung Drive for those on foot. Other trails (plus some road sections) on the east side of Cobbs Creek can be combined with these trails to form walking and running "loops" of various lengths. In addition, Karakung Drive itself is closed to motor vehicle traffic on Sundays from May through October for recreational use between the Beechwood Bridge and Manoa Road. South of Manoa Road, there are trails on both sides of the creek, including the Grange Estate.
Darby Creek Walking Trails
There are three basic segments of trail along Darby Creek (all shown in orange), each about one mile long. At this time, they are not connected to each other. They are easy, level walks. The Center Segment, from Merry Place on Glendale Road to Hilltop Road (just south of West Chester Pike), is a hard-surfaced, multi-use trail that is fully accessible and also great for baby strollers. For more details on the Darby Creek Trail click here.
The Pennsy Trail, whose name harkens back to the former Pennsylvania Railroad, turns an abandoned branch rail line corridor into a useful and positive community asset, linking the Skatium and nearby neighborhoods to the Haverford Area YMCA and the pedestrian-friendly signaled crosswalk at Eagle Road. For more detail, click here.
Keller Williams Realty "Red Day" volunteers helped with the initial making of the Pennsy Trail.
