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Haverford Reserve |
The Google Maps overlay below, created by the Friends of Haverford Trails, shows the trails in and around Haverford Township's Andy Lewis Community Park in Haverford Reserve, including trailhead access points and parking areas. The trails in the "Northside" and "Westside" sections (north and west of Parkview Drive on the map) have been blazed with color-coded markings on trailhead signs and trees along their length, matching the colors shown on this interactive map.
Click or tap on the "four corners" icon (upper right) to open a larger full-screen map.
Click or tap on the small box icon (upper left) to open a list of trails.
Click or tap on a trail or its listing to see its details, length and maybe a photo.
Andy Lewis Community Park at Haverford Reserve is Haverford Township's largest open space recreation area. Within and around the park, there are over five miles of walking trails that you can use from dawn to dusk. In general these are earthen trails in wooded areas and have varying degrees of steepness. They are largely walking and jogging trails, although the township Parks and Recreation Department permits off-road bicyclists to use them with due respect and consideration of others on the trail. Please note that some trail stubs (not shown on the map above) lead off to housing areas and are private paths for the residents of the housing developments to access the public trails. As shown in the right-most photo below, the initial portion of the Southbrook Trail, as far as the Switchback Trail, has a macadam surface.
Along Parkview Drive
The Parkview Drive Sidepath (shown in brown on map) is a macadam sidepath alongside Parkview Drive through the developed area of Haverford Reserve. It connects at Darby Road with the Buck-Meadows-Williams on-road Bike Route, offering direct walking and bicycle access from the northern part of the township into Haverford Reserve and its many walking trails.
Northside Trails
The Meadow Trail (shown and blazed in red) has a fairly steep descent from the trailhead near the Parkview Drive roundabout to a footbridge over North Brook. To the east of the Meadow Trail's descent, the Athertyn Trail (yellow) and PECO Trail (blue, under a power line) offer a more gradual grade down to North Brook. As the Meadow Trail descends, the Northbrook Trail (orange) heads off to the west to the Community Recreation and Environmental Center (CREC) building. Along the way, the Veterans Trail (green) diverges from the Northbook Trail and later rejoins it, providing an alternate route closer to the brook itself.
After the Meadow Trail crosses the North Brook stream, it forms an elongated loop. You will reach a 4-way junction where this starts. The eastern half of the loop (to the right) circles around the very point where the brook originates in a damp spring area. You can study this unique feature close up. The western half of the loop circles the Meadow and leaves out of its north end. Shortly along this western half, the Lenape Trail (baby blue) splits off from the Meadow Trail and heads back toward the CREC building along the north side of North Brook. The Old Gray Trail (gray) loops out and back through the woods on the west side of the Meadow, then heads northeast from it. Beyond the Old Gray Trail, the Scout Trail (steel blue) loops through the northernmost woods of Haverford Reserve, with several branch options.
Westside Trails
West of I-476 are more trails. To reach them, take either access leg of the earthen and gravel Blue Route Trail (medium blue) from the CREC building, and swing around to the left behind the cell tower. Both options lead to an access road which heads down and under the I-476 twin highway bridges.
After emerging from beneath the bridges, bear left toward the creek to stay on the Blue Route Trail, or head right (up the hill) for the earthen Backwoods Trail (dark blue). From the Backwoods Trail, designed for mountain biking, the Railroad Trail (Tuscan red), along the roadbed of the old Newtown Square Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, is a flat area just a little farther up the hill. This cut in the hillside displays unusual, nearly vertical rock strata. When you near the remains of an old timber trestle, the trail swings slightly right off of the old roadbed. At this point, go down and pass through the trestle remains, then turn right and climb back up the railbed embankment on the far side to continue on to Darby Creek. This embankment, which still has old railroad ties in place along the top, serves as a long nature observation platform, with a different ecosystem on each side. At the far end, where a steel railroad bridge once crossed Darby Creek, you can descend carefully down the side of the embankment to your left to reach the creek, and return by the Blue Route Trail along the creek.
The earthen Grace Trail (light red) begins at the old trestle remains at the Railroad Trail, and then uses part of the Backwoods Trail before striking out farther north to Darby Road. The final portion of this trail uses an easement on the private "Willowstreams" property; please stay on the trail and respect this private land, which is protected from development. The landowner does not permit bicycles on this stretch. Note that this trail can be wet and muddy at various times of the year; lengths of tree branch have been cut and placed along it to help.
Across Darby Road, the Ithan Creek Trail continues north along the west edge of I-476. This begins as a narrow earthen footpath (again on an easement generously given over private land) that requires stepping over and around some large rocks, so use caution. The trail then widens out to a broad, level path that goes all the way to Bryn Mawr Avenue in Radnor Township. There is no bridge to cross Meadowbrook Run, though, so the map shows it ending at that stream.
Eastside Trails
The trails south and east of Parkview Drive are more level. The unpaved Switchback Trail (aqua) leads from the Freedom Playground down to the Southbrook Trail. The Southbrook Trail (orange) is basically level and has a macadam surface from Parkview Drive past the Dog Park to where the Switchback Trail descends to join it. It then continues as a earthen trail further into the woods. More adventurous hikers can press on beyond that using the earthen Quadrangle Woods Trail (purple), which is steep in places and leads all the way out to Darby Road just north of Marple Road.
South of Haverford Reserve
From the park, you can access the unimproved northern segment of Haverford Township's Darby Creek Trail. Go down Parkview Drive to its end, then using the wide shoulder on the curved portion of Darby Creek Road, pass under the Marple Road bridge past the driveway, and look for a grassy opening on the right (chained off to motor vehicles) leading to the creek. At the creek, turn left to see a wide, level grass and stone pathway. You can follow it between Darby Creek and Darby Creek Road, until it ends at private property, and then double back towards the Reserve. At one point, you will need to head over to Darby Creek Road to work your way around a small stream that feeds the creek.
To see a printable color map brochure of the Haverford Reserve Trails click or tap here.