Our Campus
Spanning 15-acres alongside the Brandywine Creek, the campus of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art features over four miles of public trails. We welcome you to experience the natural beauty, wildlife and scenic vistas that our Chadds Ford, PA campus has to offer. This permanently conserved land is home to the Brandywine Museum of Art and Brandywine Conservancy offices. As you explore the Brandywine's campus trails, you will be greeted by sprawling native plant gardens, meadows, woodlands and wetlands. Be sure to keep an eye out for interpretive signage along the way to learn more about our blended mission of art and environment. We hope you enjoy your visit!
Campus Trail Map
The five distinct trails are open daily from sunrise to sunset, offering varying lengths and difficulty levels to suit all visitors. Free parking is available at both the Brandywine Museum of Art and the Chadds Ford Township municipal building, conveniently located off Route 1. Please note that overnight parking is not permitted.
Visitor Information
The Brandywine's trails are open daily, sunrise to sunset. Visitors use the trails at their own risk. Closed-toe shoes are recommended. Consider bringing binoculars for wildlife viewing and/or a camera for nature photography.
Help protect the beauty of our natural and cultural resources by minding the below trail rules and guidelines:
- Stay on existing trails, roads and paths.
- Leave no trace; please take all trash and recycling with you!
- Leash dogs and clean up and take all pet waste with you.
- Refrain from smoking or building camp fires.
- Alcoholic beverages, illicit drugs and firearms are prohibited.
- Keep motorized vehicles, bicycles and/or horses off the trails.
- Refrain from cutting, removing or disturbing vegetation.
- Be courteous to others and don’t disturb wildlife.
- Take only photos and memories; vandalizers will be prosecuted.
Participate in Citizen Science! While exploring our campus grounds, consider using the iNaturalist app to track, record and share your nature observations online. iNaturalist is a leading nature app designed to help with species identification and connect users with a community of naturalists. To begin, search for “Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art” in the “Projects” tab of iNaturalist, where you can add and view all observations that have been taken on campus. Need help navigating iNaturalist? Click here to learn more about using this citizen science tool.
Visit RecreateResponsibly.org for important guidelines on how to best protect yourself, others, wildlife and plants while enjoying the Brandywine's trails.
River Trail
- Length: 1 mile, round trip (to the observation platform and back)
- Average Time: 20-30 minutes
- Surface: Natural path and wooden boardwalk
- Terrain: Flat. Sections of the trail have exposed roots. After rain events, the surface can become muddy, and the conditions under the bridge can vary affecting access. Depending on the season, plant growth may inhibit travel through various sections of the trail.
- Additional Trail Access: This trail can also be accessed from various points along the Museum's parking lot, closest to the water.
Immerse yourself in the natural flora and fauna along the banks of the scenic Brandywine. You’ll find the trailhead nestled where the parking lot meets the riverside path in front of the Brandywine Museum of Art. This trail passes through several ecosystems as it transitions to a wooden boardwalk meandering through a floodplain meadow before ending at an observation platform.
*Please note that beyond the observation platform is private property and trail users are not permitted to enter.
Campus Garden Loop
- Length: 0.4 mile loop
- Average Time: 15-20 minutes
- Surface: Gravel, natural and paved paths
- Terrain: Flat. After rain events, natural surface portions of the loop may be muddy.
- Additional Trail Access: If you are looking to extend your walk after strolling through this circuit trail, continue to the Harvey Run connector trail to access the Harvey Run, Potts Meadow and Artist Studios Trails.
Beautiful native plant gardens surround the hub of the Brandywine's campus. Established in 1974, the gardens preserve the original visual character and ecological integrity of the landscape. They are naturalistic in style, featuring plant species that are native to the greater Brandywine region. The gardens are also a living representation of the organization's devotion to preserving and promoting both art and the environment. Tipping Point, an outdoor sculpture by local artist Rikki Morley Saunders, greets visitors near the Museum’s front gates.
Harvey Run Trail
- Length: About 2 miles, round trip
- Average Time: About one hour (out and back from township building parking lot or from the Creek Road trailhead)
- Surface: Natural path with wooden bridges crossing the creek
- Terrain: Flat. Sections of the trail along the creek can be muddy after rain events. Depending on the season, plant growth may inhibit travel through various sections of the trail.
- Additional Trail Access: This east-west running trail connects with the Brandywine’s Campus Trail and separates Potts Meadow North and South Loops. The Artist Studios Trail can be accessed via the Harvey Run Trail and/or from the Potts Meadow South Loop. For easier access to this trail, parking is available at the Chadds Ford Township Building.
The Harvey Run Trail was established through a partnership between the Brandywine and Chadds Ford Township. This trail provides users access to a network of trails stretching through 300 acres of preserved open space. It also serves as a connector path, taking hikers from the Brandywine’s main campus to trail loops in Potts Meadow, to the Artist Studios Trail, and to the Chadds Ford Township building parking lot.
The Harvey Run Trail is open only for hiking. Bicycles, motorized vehicles and horses are not permitted.
Potts Meadow Loops
- Length: 0.5 mile north loop / 0.7 mile south loop
- Average Time: 20 minutes round trip for the north loop / 45 minutes to an hour for the south loop. Add an additional 10-20 minutes for cutting across the southern meadow as an alternate path.
- Surface: Natural path
- Terrain: Flat. Some sections of the trail along the creek can be muddy after rain events. Depending on the season, plant growth may inhibit travel through various sections of the trail. There is a slight incline on the segment that cuts through the southern loop. Mowed trails are surrounded by tall vegetation in warmer months.
- Additional Trail Access: Trail users can only access the South Loop via the Harvey Run Trail. The Artist Studios Trail can be accessed from the Potts Meadow South Loop or from the Harvey Run Trail.
Potts Meadow is naturally divided by Harvey Run into a northern and southern loop. Threatened by development in 1967, Potts Meadow was the first property to be acquired and permanently protected with a conservation easement by the Brandywine Conservancy—forever protecting it as beautiful open space. Take the Harvey Run Bridges to travel between the northern and southern loops and to access the parking lot at the Chadds Ford Township building and/or the Artist Studios Trail.
Artist Studios Trail
- Length: About 3 miles, round trip
- Average Time: About one hour from trailhead (accessed via the Potts Meadow South Loop or the Harvey Run Trail)
- Surface: Natural path and gravel road
- Terrain: Flat. Some sections of the trail along the creek can be muddy after rain events. Depending on the season, plant growth may inhibit travel through various sections of the trail. After rain events, parts of the gravel road can have standing water and be muddy. Mowed trails are surrounded by tall vegetation in warmer months.
- Additional Trail Access: This trail can ONLY be accessed via the Potts Meadow South Loop or the Harvey Run Trail. Parking at the studios or along the roadways is not permitted. This trail includes an optional ¼ mile meadow loop. The closest parking to access this trail is at the Chadds Ford Township building.
This intersecting trail takes hikers past the Andrew Wyeth Studio and the N. C. Wyeth House & Studio—both National Historic Landmarks—allowing users to walk in the footsteps of these renowned artists. Upon crossing the former railroad tracks, hikers will transition from open meadows to a forested area along a rural gravel road.
NOTE: Please stay on the designated trail and respect our neighbors and private property.
Access inside of the N. C. Wyeth House & Studio and Andrew Wyeth Studio is only permitted while on guided tours of the properties, which are offered seasonally through the Brandywine Museum of Art.
Tickets must be purchased in advance . The tours depart directly from the Museum and are not accessible from the trails. While the studios are visible from the trail, the buildings and their immediate surroundings are not open to trail users and are under 24-hour video surveillance.