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Ridley Creek State Park is home to a variety of activities for outdoor lovers of all kinds; biking, hiking, horseback riding, fishing and picnicing are just a few of the options available at this Delaware County getaway. (Photos courtesy Ridley Creek State Park)

Here’s our final installment of Uwishunu’s Summer Daycation Series. This week, we’re featuring Ridley Creek State Park in Delaware County.

Just over half an hour away from Center City, Ridley Creek State Park is the perfect daylong getaway into the great outdoors.

The park offers plentiful options for the outdoorsy types from hiking, biking and fishing. For a more relaxed and leisurely daycation, pack a picnic, take a stroll on the paved trails and admire the greenery.

Check out our guide to spending a day in Ridley Creek State Park, below.

What to Expect

Explore Ridley Creek State Park’s 2,600 acres of woods and meadows. Whether on horseback, bike or by foot, you can explore the park’s numerous wooded trails and rolling hills. Always well-stocked with trout, Ridley Creek is also the perfect place to try your hand at fly fishing.

Sightseers and history buffs won’t want to miss the restored colonial plantation, an architectural landmark located right in the park. Ridley Creek also offers hands-on environmental education and interpretive programming.

The park is open for your enjoyment until sunset. Bonus: it’s only 16 miles from Center City.

Note: Ridley Creek is a State Park and prohibits alcohol.

Spanning 2,606 scenic acres of woodlands and meadows, the park is located just 16 miles from Center City Philadelphia. (Photo courtesy Ridley Creek State Park)

History

The park, including a small 18th-century village known as Sycamore Hills, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark.

• Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation: Visit the Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation, a 300-year-old farming mainstay restored using nothing but 18th-century tools. Watch interpreters in period clothes bake bread, mend fences and card wool to recreate the lives of the historical Pratt family.

Ridley Creek State Park includes trails for horseback riding and visitors can arrange riding lessons, trail rides and more. A perfect way to take in the park's scenery. Photos courtesy of Ridley Creek State Park)

• Hunting Hill Mansion: The park offices now occupy the former 1914 Jefford estate at Hunting Hill Mansion.

• Sycamore Hills: While the miller’s house, the office and library, and several small mill workers’ dwellings are currently used as private residences, you can admire the architecture of these historical buildings during your visit.

Keep reading below for more on Ridley Creek State Park.

Relaxation and Recreation

• Fishing: Ridley Creek provides excellent angling and is always stocked with trout. The portion of the creek from Sycamore Mills Dam to the mouth of Dismal Run is a catch and release, fly fishing-only area.

Ridley Creek Park is full of history. Visit the Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation for a glimpse of 18th century life and architecture. (Photo courtesy Ridley Creek State Park)

• Hiking: Enjoy 12 miles of trails that pass through a variety of habitats throughout the central portion of the park. You’ll probably spot some local wildlife. The Friends of Ridley Creek State Park are currently offering a 40 Mile Challenge. Hike at least 40 miles before October 21 (the park’s 40th anniversary!) and you could win prizes. More details can be found online.

• Biking: Look for the five-mile long paved Multi-use Trail along Sycamore Mills and Forge Roads for your biking needs. This trail is also open to joggers and walkers.

• Horseback Riding: Ridley Creek offers a 4.7 mile trail just off of Picnic Area 8 for horseback riding. Hidden Valley Farms operates a stable within the park that provides trail rides, horse boarding, riding lessons, pony rides and more.

Ridley Creek bisects the park and is stocked with trout and a portion of the creek is dedicated to fly-fishing. (Photos courtesy of Ridley Creek State Park)

Dining

• Picnic: As always, we encourage you to bring a picnic. Take your pick from hundreds of picnic tables in 14 different areas, each equipped with restrooms and charcoal grills. Several of the areas also have large fields for sports, playgrounds for the kids and picnic pavilions for reservation.

How to Get There

It only takes a little over a half hour to drive to Ridley Creek. Looking for some travel options? We’ve got you covered.

• Car Share: For the day, you can rent a car hourly through Philly Car Share or hop into a Zip Car to make the trip.

• Carpool: Taking a daycation is the perfect way to spend some time with family and friends. Bring everyone along and make the trip together. Perfect for trading off drivers after an action-packed day.

Ridley Creek State Park
1023 Sycamore Mills Rd. in Media, Delaware County
www.dcnr.state.pa.us