Since its opening in summer 2022, Brinton Run Preserve has welcomed hundreds of visitors who hike its trails, learn about its history, and enjoy its pastoral beauty. Now, there is much more to enjoy at the 71-acre public preserve.
The team at North American Land Trust (NALT) recently extended the trails throughout the preserve to include the forested areas on the property. Previously, the trails looped around the meadows and pollinator fields. Now, visitors can hike along Brinton Run through the tall trees and streams.
“It’s a little longer and more challenging,” said Matt Stutzman, Northeastern Program Manager at NALT. “It introduces new habitats with all kinds of resources, including middle-age hardwood forests and streams.”
Stutzman said his team partnered with a crew from the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The Outdoor Corps offers paid work experience, professional development, and environmental education opportunities for youth and young adults (15 to 25 years old) who complete recreation and conservation projects on Pennsylvania public lands.
“We want to thank the DCNR Outdoor Corps and the Student Conservation Association for helping us build the trail through the wooded area,” Stutzman said. “They had a crew leader and four crew members, along with a DCNR supervisor, and they were a great help in implementing the design of the trail.”
NALT also received approval from the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) for the trail extensions. This is a special approval required by the American Battlefield Protection Program to protect the cultural, historic, and biological resources of the property.
In 2021, NALT raised nearly $4 million to acquire the historic property on Oakland Road in Delaware County. The site had been considered for a housing development before NALT protected it forever with a conservation easement. The American Battlefield Trust had identified Brinton Run Preserve as one of the most important unprotected tracts on the Brandywine Battlefield.
On September 11, 1777, a final skirmish took place at Brinton Run Preserve, allowing George Washington and his troops to retreat to safety and fight another day. Today, visitors can hike the rolling fields where the Continental Army battled with the British troops.
NALT also received approval for the trail extension from Chadds Ford Township at a public meeting. The conservation easement is held by the township, ensuring the historic property will be available for future generations to hike, learn and enjoy.
For more information, visit the Brinton Run Preserve page on the NALT website.
