Brandywine Valley’s trail system in Pa. and Del. set for new additions and closures

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A comprehensive review of Brandywine Valley Park has revealed the need to revamp the park’s trail system.

Officials say the trail, spanning 1,300 acres in northern Delaware and southern Pennsylvania, has not undergone significant assessment since becoming part of the First State National Historical Park (FSNHP) in 2013.

FSNHP superintendent Joshua Boles said the revamp will lead to the closures of some trails — and the creation of new ones, as well as various other amenities.

“It’s an exciting time for the park to give some critical thought to ‘how do we provide the best visitor experience, while also protecting the resources that were entrusted with taking care of’,” Boles said.

The sprawling system is rich in natural and cultural heritage and includes a network of trails and facilities, some of which have been established for decades.

“In total, we have about 27 miles of trails on the ground right now that go along the river, go along agricultural fields, go to the forest and it’s quite a network,” he said.

As part of the plan, about eight miles of current system or user-created trails will be removed, with an equivalent eight miles of new trails being added to maintain the overall mileage.

Boles said there are a slew of reasons behind the closures.

“It could be that they’re redundant to another trail in the park, they are too close to a significant cultural resource, they go across a waterway or they are so steep that when it rains they become gullies rather than trails and are difficult to maintain,” he said. “In the code of federal regulations… we’ve been out of compliance.”

Some of these complaints relate to compliance to rules such as the bike rule, which prohibits the use of bicycles on trails, unless the park has completed an environmental assessment and deemed it appropriate by the superintendent.

Another rule involves the half-slope rule, which regulates trail construction to prevent erosion.

“User-created trails or informal bypasses were common and appeared to be used to avoid impaired or steep eroded trail segments, or as a continuation of a trail with no discernible route or random endpoint. Several popular trails, including some near Brandywine Creek, violate the half-slope rule, resulting in water channeling and erosion,” highlighted in the 91-page environmental assessment.

Even though trail closures and new trail creations have already been projected, they are still under evaluation and subject to community feedback to ensure they meet park goals and regulations.

Other amenities in the Brandywine Valley also offer shared-use recreational opportunities and the renovation of the Ramsey House located in the area.

“In terms of additional amenities, the main thing that the trails plan calls out, other than trails, is the creation of two new smaller parking lots to provide easier access to our trail network,” Boles said. “ That building is slated for renovation beginning fiscal year 2025. We are planning to rehabilitate that building. Not only office space but a public contact station, they’ll be an amphitheater for public programming. We are hoping to finally be able to provide public restrooms.”

The five-year project is scheduled to be completed by the end of September 2029.

For public feedback regarding the Brandywine Valley trail systems, they are asking to do them through:

• Public meetings on July 14th at 2:00 p.m., July 15th at 6:30 p.m., and July 16th at 10:00 a.m.
• An online public comment submission portal can be accessed online.
• Submissions by mail can be sent to: National Park Service First State National Historical Park  400 Ramsey Rd. Wilmington, DE 19803. Addressed to BRVA Trails Plan Comments Joshua Boles.