
The afternoon managed deer hunt scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 16, at Brandywine Creek State Park has been canceled. The park office will open at noon Wednesday. The Dec. 16 morning managed shotgun hunt will proceed as scheduled with an on-site lottery for pin and stand sites at the Hawk Watch pavilion at 5 a.m. Those interested in entering the lottery must arrive by 4:30 a.m. to register.
Known for its meadowland views and blue gneiss stone walls built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Brandywine Creek State Park sits within northern Delaware’s piedmont region with more than 14 miles of trail and a remnant old-growth forest. Brandywine Creek State Park oversees four Nature Preserves including Flint Woods, the Carney Tract, Tulip Tree Woods and FreshWater Marsh.Chipmunks can often be seen around the park’s stone walls, which were used to mark property lines when the land supported a rich agricultural industry. Another popular industry that once took place on the park lands was milling along the park’s namesake creek. The rolling meadows provide habitat to native pollinators, ground nesting birds and rare native plants, some of which can be seen by taking a stroll through the pollinator garden. American Kestrels, Blue Birds and Eastern Meadowlark are common sights for birders. Wilson’s Run is stocked annually for anglers and the sweeping meadows are perfect for disc golf.
Anglers can fish for small mouth bass, bluegill, and crappie in Brandywine Creek, and for trout in Wilson’s Run (fishing license and trout stamp required). Canoeing, kayaking and tubing are also popular ways to experience the Brandywine. Canoeing is offered through the park's interpretive programs, and local outfitters rent canoes, kayaks and tubes.
The park maintains trails for fitness, wildlife observation, and photography; try the Rocky Run Trail or the Brandywine Trail that winds along the creek.
The open meadows are excellent for picnics, kite flying, and disc golf, and in the winter, for sledding and cross-country skiing.
An extensive meadow management program, active bluebird population program, and variety of habitats make Brandywine Creek State Park an outstanding place to see wildflowers, songbirds, deer, and other flora and fauna. Many species of hawks can be seen migrating over the valley from mid-September to mid-November.
Tulip Tree Woods Nature Preserve – surrounded by a three-foot stone wall this nature preserve contains old growth Tulip Poplar. This forest canopy also includes American Beech, Red Oak, Black Oak, and White Oak. The forest floor is carpeted with spring ephemeral wildflowers including Nodding Trillium, and Blood Root.
Amenities: Loop Trail (pedestrian only), parking at Nature Center parking lot, bathrooms in Nature Center
Acreage: 24 acres
Flint Woods Nature Preserve – The Flint Woods Nature Preserve protects over 40 acres of mature Piedmont hardwood forest. The Preserve contains a Golden Saxifrage Forested Seep Community, of which there are fewer than six known to occur in the state. It serves as an anchor, along with Brandywine Creek State Park to the south, for more than 2,000 acres of protected lands (including 1100 acres of Conservation Easements and private Nature Preserves) creating a corridor between Brandywine Creek State Park and open space in Pennsylvania’s portion of the Brandywine Creek watershed. Six first order streams that ultimately flow to Brandywine Creek originate on the Flint Woods Nature Preserve. Two of these flow northward into Pennsylvania.
Amenities: Loop Trail (pedestrian only), parking along Rt. 52 in Centreville, DE
Acreage: 138 acres
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
9:00 PM
Join the park's naturalists for a hike under the wide open skies and look for the beautiful full moon. Learn a bit about the moon and some of the folklore that it stars in. Discover where the moon's nicknames come from. Online registration closes 24 hours before the program. $6 per person
Friday, June 17, 2022
9:00 PM
Meet us at the nature center for a journey in the meadows after dark. What is a firefly and how does it light up? Learn what makes fireflies so cool, and why they need our help! We will also enjoy their enchanting light show in the meadow and along the forest edge. Pre-registration required, register online. $6 per person
Saturday, June 18, 2022
10:00 AM
There’s a lot more to native plants than meets the eye. Dive deeper into the plants in the BCSP pollinator garden, and learn more about what is blooming right now! Each walk will focus on a couple of specific plants that are blooming that week.
Saturday, June 18, 2022
1:00 PM
Come hike the old growth forest! Learn about the history of our nature preserve as we explore and learn about its human and ecological history over the last several hundred years and why it's an important habitat to preserve.
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
7:00 PM
Join us for a beautiful golden hour hike on the longest day of the year! Celebrate the official start to summer on the Summer Solstice with a peaceful hike through the rolling hills and meadows of BCSP. Learn about what the solstice is and what it means for us.
Friday, June 24, 2022
7:00 PM
Join the park's naturalists at the amphitheater to test your knowledge at this park-centered trivia night with the chance to win park prizes! Trivia night will be on the last Friday of every month through the summer (June, July, August). Topics may include: Flora and Fauna, Invasive Species, Geology and History. Register online, $3 per person or $9 for group of 4.
Saturday, June 25, 2022
8:00 AM
The monthly bird walk is back on the last Saturday of every month! Bring your eyes, ears, and a comfortable pair of hiking boots. Our expert volunteer birder from the Delaware Ornithological Society will lead the group, provide tips and advice to all interested bird watchers.
Saturday, June 25, 2022
2:00 PM
Take a trip back through time as we revisit animals that used to call this land home from woolly mammoths to grey wolves. We’ll talk about their role in the environment and why they are no longer here as we hike through their former habitat. Free
Friday, July 1, 2022
9:00 PM
Meet us at the nature center for a journey in the meadows after dark. What is a firefly and how does it light up? Learn what makes fireflies so cool, and why they need our help! We will also enjoy their enchanting light show in the meadow and along the forest edge. Pre-registration required, register online. $6 per person
Saturday, July 2, 2022
10:00 AM
There’s a lot more to native plants than meets the eye. Dive deeper into the plants in the BCSP pollinator garden, and learn more about what is blooming right now! Each walk will focus on a couple of specific plants that are blooming that week.
Saturday, July 2, 2022
1:00 PM
Sunny summertime means beautiful green leafy trees all around the park. Learn the basics of tree ID and then venture out to meet some of the trees that live in the forest and the meadows.
Friday, July 8, 2022
7:00 PM
Take a walk through history and discover the somewhat mysterious, and very impressive history of the stone walls that line the park landscape. Who built these walls? When? Why? How? Enjoy the beautiful panoramic views of the rolling hills as we unravel the story behind the walls. Pre-registration required, register online. $6 per person
Saturday, July 9, 2022
12:00 PM
The meadows and grassy hillsides of BCSP are a beautiful place for a picnic, in fact people have been picnicking here for decades! Explore and participate in the history of picnicking in the park with artifacts of picnics of the past. Bring your own picnic to enjoy!
Saturday, July 9, 2022
4:00 PM
Come hike the old growth forest! Learn about the history of our nature preserve as we explore and learn about its human and ecological history over the last several hundred years and why it's an important habitat to preserve.
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
9:00 PM
Join the park's naturalists for a hike under the wide open skies and look for the beautiful full moon. Learn a bit about the moon and some of the folklore that it stars in. Discover where the moon's nicknames come from. Online registration closes 24 hours before the program. $6 per person
Saturday, July 16, 2022
10:00 AM
There’s a lot more to native plants than meets the eye. Dive deeper into the plants in the BCSP pollinator garden, and learn more about what is blooming right now! Each walk will focus on a couple of specific plants that are blooming that week.
Saturday, July 16, 2022
1:00 PM
Take a stroll through the pollinator garden and learn about flowers, pollinators, and the fantastical stories and fairies that they have inspired in us.
Friday, July 22, 2022
7:00 PM
Come hike the old growth forest! Learn about the history of our nature preserve as we explore and learn about its human and ecological history over the last several hundred years and why it's an important habitat to preserve.
Saturday, July 23, 2022
2:00 PM
Plants are an invaluable part of our local ecosystems, but it's important to know what plants are good, what plants are bad, and how you can handle them. Learn about native and invasive plants found in the park. Then discover ways that you can remove and make use of the ones that hurt the ecosystem.
Saturday, July 23, 2022
9:00 PM
Following an introduction to the owls of Delaware and the adaptations of nocturnal creatures, head out into the night to listen quietly for some of the park’s nighttime residents. Bring your sense of adventure, but no flashlights please! Not for children under 10. Pre-registration required, register online. Limited spaces available. $6 per person
Friday, July 29, 2022
7:00 PM
Join the park's naturalists at the amphitheater to test your knowledge at this park-centered trivia night with the chance to win park prizes! Trivia night will be on the last Friday of every month through the summer (June, July, August). Topics may include: Flora and Fauna, Invasive Species, Geology and History. Register online, $3 per person or $9 for group of 4.
Saturday, July 30, 2022
8:00 AM
The monthly bird walk is back on the last Saturday of every month! Bring your eyes, ears, and a comfortable pair of hiking boots. Our expert volunteer birder from the Delaware Ornithological Society will lead the group, provide tips and advice to all interested bird watchers.
Saturday, July 30, 2022
2:00 PM
There’s a lot more to native plants than meets the eye. Dive deeper into the plants in the BCSP pollinator garden, and learn more about what is blooming right now! Each walk will focus on a couple of specific plants that are blooming that week.
Friday, August 5, 2022
6:00 PM
Take a walk through history and discover the somewhat mysterious, and very impressive history of the stone walls that line the park landscape. Who built these walls? When? Why? How? Enjoy the beautiful panoramic views of the rolling hills as we unravel the story behind the walls. Pre-registration required, register online. $6 per person
Saturday, August 6, 2022
12:00 PM
The meadows and grassy hillsides of BCSP are a beautiful place for a picnic, in fact people have been picnicking here for decades! Explore and participate in the history of picnicking in the park with artifacts of picnics of the past. Bring your own picnic to enjoy!
Saturday, August 6, 2022
4:00 PM
Sunny summertime means beautiful green leafy trees all around the park. Learn the basics of tree ID and then venture out to meet some of the trees that live in the forest and the meadows.
Thursday, August 11, 2022
8:30 PM
Join the park's naturalists for a hike under the wide open skies and look for the beautiful full moon. Learn a bit about the moon and some of the folklore that it stars in. Discover where the moon's nicknames come from. Online registration closes 24 hours before the program. $6 per person
Saturday, August 13, 2022
10:00 AM
There’s a lot more to native plants than meets the eye. Dive deeper into the plants in the BCSP pollinator garden, and learn more about what is blooming right now! Each walk will focus on a couple of specific plants that are blooming that week.
Saturday, August 13, 2022
1:00 PM
The Brandywine Creek played an incredibly important role in the life and history of Lenape people in the 17th century. Join us for an adventurous hike along the creek and learn about some historic sites that shaped life here in the Brandywine valley, as we discover some important but often forgotten local history. Rough terrain and a longer hike, please wear sturdy walking shoes and bring a full water bottle.
Friday, August 19, 2022
6:00 PM
Come hike the old growth forest! Learn about the history of our nature preserve as we explore and learn about its human and ecological history over the last several hundred years and why it's an important habitat to preserve.
Saturday, August 20, 2022
10:00 AM
Take a stroll through the pollinator garden and learn about flowers, pollinators, and the fantastical stories and fairies that they have inspired in us.
Saturday, August 20, 2022
2:00 PM
Plants are an invaluable part of our local ecosystems, but it's important to know what plants are good, what plants are bad, and how you can handle them. Learn about native and invasive plants found in the park. Then discover ways that you can remove and make use of the ones that hurt the ecosystem.
Friday, August 26, 2022
7:00 PM
Join the park's naturalists at the amphitheater to test your knowledge at this park-centered trivia night with the chance to win park prizes! Trivia night will be on the last Friday of every month through the summer (June, July, August). Topics may include: Flora and Fauna, Invasive Species, Geology and History. Register online, $3 per person or $9 for group of 4.
Saturday, August 27, 2022
8:00 AM
The monthly bird walk is back on the last Saturday of every month! Bring your eyes, ears, and a comfortable pair of hiking boots. Our expert volunteer birder from the Delaware Ornithological Society will lead the group, provide tips and advice to all interested bird watchers.
Saturday, August 27, 2022
2:00 PM
There’s a lot more to native plants than meets the eye. Dive deeper into the plants in the BCSP pollinator garden, and learn more about what is blooming right now! Each walk will focus on a couple of specific plants that are blooming that week.