Brandywine Creek

Park Highlights

Hit the Water

Explore the park’s namesake on the water! Popular activities include tubing, canoeing, kayaking and fishing on the meandering Brandywine Creek.

Visit Nature Preserves

Brandywine Creek State Park staff administer four nature preserves in the area, including Delaware’s first recognized old-growth forest. Step out of the park’s more popular spaces to traverse the preserves.

Try Mountain Biking

Popular with local mountain bike enthusiasts, Brandywine Creek offers trails at a variety of difficulty levels – perfect for beginners to explore the park on two wheels.

Birding Delight

randywine Creek is a birder’s delight with diverse ecosystems to birdwatch. From mature hardwood forests, creeksides, and open grassy meadows to tall hillsides for hawk watching – the park is beloved by birders in Delaware.

Unique Winter Recreation

Delaware is notorious for its flat terrain, but Brandywine Creek is a hilly gem on the Piedmont plateau! Hawk Watch hill is popular for sledding after a rare Delaware snow, and the park’s rolling hills are perfect for cross-country skiing.

About the Park

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. 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.

Park History

The lands which today comprise Brandywine Creek State Park were purchased in the early 20th century by local industrialist William P Bancroft of the Brancroft company of mills. Through his work in the mills, Bancroft was inspired by the scenic beauty of the area to use his vast wealth to purchase as much land as he could in the Brandywine Valley for preservation.

Prior to this time, the land was part of the Winterthur estate of the duPonts. The area was used for agriculture and grazing, and the hallmark stone walls which dot the park were constructed in the late 19th century.
Nature Preserves

In addition to the state park, Brandywine Creek oversees four local nature preserves: Flint Woods, the Carney Tract, Tulip Tree Woods and Fresh Water Marsh. Learn more about these and other Nature Preserves.

Delaware Nature Preserves
Our Trails

Creekside Trail

Trail Type: Hiking , Biking, 2.6 miles

Accessible? No , Difficulty: Moderate

Trail Head: Thompson’s Bridge, Rockland

Hike south from the Thompson’s Bridge parking area until you cross the Rocky Run bridge, then continue down the single track trail to your right. You will traverse rocky terrain and cross small streams all while hiking parallel to the Brandywine Creek. You will see a diverse biota native to the piedmont region ranging from wildflowers to occasional beaver activity. Once you exit the tree line you can view the remnants of the Rockland Mill before returning to the Thompson’s Bridge parking area via the Brandywine Trail. Passport? Yes

Rocky Run

Trail Type: Hiking , 2 miles

Accessible? No, Difficulty: Moderate

Trail Head: Thompsons Bridge parking lot

Walk down the Brandywine Trail until you hit the Rocky Run Bridge, after that turn the Rocky Run Trail begins.. This section is wide with a paved surface and offers views of the Brandywine River. The trail turns north just before the Rocky Run Bridge and makes a gradual ascent on rocky terrain and packed earth, into mature mixed forest with Rocky Run visible to your right. After a long climb, the trail quickly descends and crosses Rocky Run. The trail climbs gradually on a bed of blue rock granite before descending and returning to the bridge over Rocky Run. Passport? Yes

Hidden Pond

Trail Type: Hiking , 2 miles

Accessible? No , Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

Trail Head: Nature Center

This packed earth loop trail begins behind the Brandywine Creek Nature Center. Enter through the rock wall next to the Nature Center where you will begin your hike in the Tulip Tree Woods Nature Preserve. Open fields will be visible to the south beyond the carefully crafted stone walls built by masons in the early 1900s. The stone walls delineated borders and fields on the DuPont Estate. The grade is gradual throughout most of the hike with steep grade changes as the trail approaches and leaves the banks of Brandywine Creek. The trail will cross a creek that flows to Hidden Pond and continues parallel with Delaware Route 92 under a deep forest canopy. The trail will gradually ascend and approach a stone wall bordering an open field north of the Nature Center. Passport? Yes

Brandywine Trail

Trail Type: Hiking, Biking , 2.9 miles

Accessible? Yes, Difficulty: Easy

Trail Head: Thompsons Bridge Road or Rockland Road parking lots

This shared-use trail is a segment of the Northern Delaware Greenway, which traverses several state and county parks in northern New Castle County. In Brandywine Creek State Park, the trail is wide on a gentle grade with a crushed stone surface. Catch glimpses of the Brandywine River and view unique geologic features. Experience Piedmont wooded landscapes, spring wildflowers, and wildlife. The trail passes under Thompsons Bridge Road and continues north eventually onto lands owned by the National Park Service’s First State National Monument. Passport? Yes

Visit our Maps and Directions section for the park map.