Find Yourself Outside: Natural Lands’ Stroud Preserve

Our First Natural Lands Adventure

It started with one baby, one backpack and a brisk February morning at Stroud Preserve. At the suggestion of my son, I took my then 10-month-old granddaughter on our first Natural Lands outing in 2022.

I was immediately impressed by the trails through the woods and the mowed paths winding across the rolling fields. And because Stroud is only about a 10-minute drive from their home, that first hike was certainly not our last.

I returned often with her, and eventually with her little sister, too. Over the years, we have walked every trail in the preserve, some many times and in every season. And we’ll continue to do so.

Stroud became more than one of our places to hike. It became one of the places where the girls learned about the beauty, power and magic of nature. And it was where we became a “trail crew.”

Meet the Trail Crew

If you’re new to our adventures, I’m Backpack, a trail name given to me by my youngest hiking buddy, who knew that when the backpack appeared, an adventure was coming.

My granddaughters have trail names, too. Arctic Fox is always on the lookout for foxes, although she’s still waiting to find the white variety that inspired her name. Muddy Girl earned hers exactly the way you would expect.

Together, we’ve completed Natural Lands’ Find Yourself Outside challenge. Here is what we discovered at Stroud. Learn more about our Challenge in our introduction post: Find Yourself Outside: Hiking the Natural Lands Preserves with My Granddaughters

A Little About Stroud Preserve

Located at 454 North Creek Road in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Stroud Preserve protects 571 acres of rolling fields, working farmland, woodlands, wetlands and streams.

Much of the property was once a cattle farm. In 1990, Dr. Morris W. Stroud generously donated 332 acres to Natural Lands. Another 239 acres were later protected through donations and purchases of neighboring properties. A 19th-century farmhouse and barn are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These buildings, however, are not open to the public and remain a private residence.

The science geek in me loves this part of Stroud. The preserve is not only a place to protect and enjoy nature, but also to study it. The internationally respected Stroud Water Research Center uses the preserve as a long-term research site for its work on streams and rivers, while Natural Lands works to restore wildlife habitat and protect its wetlands and waterways.

Growing Up on These Trails

Our first Stroud hikes included a baby riding on my back. Then came toddler legs that wanted to walk, but not necessarily the entire way. Today, both girls carry their own backpacks and can hike several miles on trails they once needed help climbing.

What started as simply getting outside together has grown into respecting and appreciating what’s around us. Sometimes exploring Stroud means covering several miles. Oftentimes it means stopping for several minutes because somebody discovered “something interesting” along the trail.

The Bridge, the Creek and a Red Dog with a Long Tail

Every visit begins with a stop on the entrance bridge to peer into the East Branch of the Brandywine Creek below. We ooh and ahh over rushing spring water, watch swarms of bugs hover above the surface on muggy summer days, and inspect the ice-crusted creek during the coldest winter months.

Following the creek is one of my favorite ways to hike Stroud. I love listening to the babbling water, at least when I can hear it over the babbling kiddos walking beside me. I wouldn’t trade either sound.

Stroud is also where Arctic Fox spotted her first red fox. She didn’t know what it was at the time and excitedly announced that she’d seen a “red dog with a long tail.” Her interest in foxes has only grown. We now search for them on nearly every hike, although she is still waiting for the elusive white version that inspired her trail name.

Pirates in Search of Treasure

About three-tenths of a mile from the parking lot, a trail peels away from the gravel Green Trail and climbs about 100 feet. It isn’t particularly difficult for most adults, but it can be a workout for little legs.

When Arctic Fox and Muddy Girl were four and two, we discovered a solution: we became pirates.
Wearing imaginary pirate hats and singing “Yo Ho, Yo Ho Ho” as we trudged uphill, we went in search of treasure. On later hikes, they came better prepared and brought real pirate hats for the climb.

At the top, two stately trees and a bench awaited us.

That was our treasure.

We’d sit between the trees, look out across the preserve, and list all the treasures we’d found that day (those from our hike and from elsewhere). The climb has gotten easier for the girls, but I hope they never outgrow searching for treasure.

Kid Trail Tip:
A hill is considerably easier to climb when you’re a pirate searching for treasure, so don’t forget your hat!

Why We Keep Coming Back

After years of returning to Stroud, we still find something different with every visit. Part of that is the variety of the preserve itself, and part is simply watching the same place change through four seasons.

Backpack loves the variety. I can follow the beautiful Brandywine, climb through the rolling fields, wander into the woods or make the hike as short or as long as our crew can handle that day. In fall, my favorite view is from the Pirate Trees, looking across the preserve to the distant changing leaves.

Arctic Fox loves the wildlife. Stroud gave her that first “red dog with a long tail” and started a fascination with following animal prints: deer, dog and the mysterious Arctic fox. Spring and summer also give her plenty to investigate with her magnifying glass, from caterpillars to wildflowers.

Muddy Girl loves the birds. Her binoculars are never far away, whether she’s scanning the birdhouses along the paths or searching the sky overhead. And the bigger the bird, the better. A red-tailed hawk soaring above us earns an excited squeal every time. Spring brings another favorite that requires no binoculars at all: mud puddles.

And then there is winter. With the leaves gone, views open through the woods, and an occasional snowfall transforms the rolling hills into a winter wonderland. According to both girls, winter also has one significant advantage: No bugs.

Throughout the year, we watch for animals and wildflowers, including mayapples, asters and yellow woodland sunflowers. The native grasses provide habitat for birds such as bobolinks, eastern meadowlarks and eastern bluebirds. Some grassland trails close from April 1 through August 1 to protect nesting birds, another reminder for the girls that sometimes caring for nature means there are places we don’t get to explore.

And the Bugs?

Not all bugs receive the same review.

• Dragonflies and Lady Bugs: Magical and cool.
• Butterflies: Usually a favorite, although common buckeyes are a little “weird” because they look like they have lots of eyes on their wings.
• Mosquitoes and gnats: Bitey and annoying. No further explanation needed.
• Ticks: A reality of hiking in southeastern Pennsylvania during the warmer months. We stay on the trails, use insect repellent and check carefully for ticks after our hikes. So far, those precautions have helped keep them at bay.

The girls’ final verdict: dragonflies and butterflies can stay. The biting bugs can go.

Two of Our Favorite Hikes

Two routes we return to regularly travel through two different sections of Stroud Preserve.

Two Scenic Views + Wetlands

This loop takes us past the wetlands and up into the rolling fields for two of our favorite views, including the Pirate Trees. Keep your eyes open along the way for red foxes and big birds overhead.

Click the map to see our complete route on AllTrails.

Following the Brandywine Creek

This out-and-back hike follows the East Branch of the Brandywine Creek along the Brandywine Trail, a path that continues beyond Stroud Preserve. The great thing about an out-and-back hike is that you can turn around whenever you’re ready, making the distance completely up to you.

Our route also includes an optional short path from the parking lot down to the water’s edge.
This is where we park our Pirate Ship.

Want More Hiking Options?

There are plenty of ways to combine the Stroud trails into your own adventure. For additional routes, mileage and trail information, explore the Natural Lands curated Stroud Preserve hikes on AllTrails.

Planning Your Visit

• Where: 454 North Creek Road, West Chester, PA
• Cost: Free
• Hours: Thursday through Tuesday, dawn to dusk; closed Wednesdays
• Parking: 40-car gravel lot at the main entrance
• Bathroom + water: No permanent restroom or drinking water. A portable toilet has sometimes been available, but don’t count on it.
• Foot traffic: No bikes or motorized vehicles. Visitors with disabilities may use wheelchairs and other power-driven mobility devices.
• Trail surfaces: Grass, thick gravel, dirt, rocks and tree roots.
• Strollers: A sturdy running or all-terrain stroller could manage some wide grassy trails, but the entrance gravel is tough and I would skip the dirt woodland trails. A hiking backpack was my preference.
• Dogs: Allowed on leash. Pick up waste and carry the bag out.
• Seasonal closures: Some grassland trails close April 1 through August 1 to protect breeding birds.

Leave It Ready for the Next Little Hiker

Part of exploring these preserves with the girls is learning how to care for them. At Stroud, that means staying on designated trails, leaving plants, flowers, animals, rocks and artifacts where we find them, and carrying out everything we bring in.

That includes food scraps. Orange and banana peels, apple cores and other “biodegradable” leftovers don’t belong here. If it didn’t grow at Stroud, don’t leave it at Stroud. Bagged pet waste comes out with us, too.

And if we find someone else’s trash along the trail? We take that with us as well.

Explore, learn, imagine and leave the preserve ready for whoever comes next.

Check Out More Find Yourself Outside Challenge Reviews Below