Dodsworth Run Preserve

Looking for a paved trail that is family-friendly? Dodsworth Run Preserve in Upper Gwynedd is a brief (.43 mile) trail with exciting natural features that is worth a visit. 

Visitors to the 9.2-acre preserve experience the beauty of the Dodsworth Run watershed, which flows into the Wissahickon Creek. Follow the winding (paved) Monarch Trail around the preserve's edge and you’ll pass through meadow and shrub habitat, where grasses and wildflowers mingle with eastern red cedars, viburnums, and dogwood. Take the Hawk's Nest Trail (a boardwalk trail) that cuts through the meadow to be surrounded by indian hemp, milkweed, goldenrod, and asters buzzing with pollinators. 

In the spring and fall, Dodsworth serves as an important stopover site for migrating songbirds - an impressive 123 species have been observed, from sparrows and thrushes, to orioles and falcons. In the middle of the preserve, step up into the Hawk’s Nest, an observation deck where you can watch for migrating birds and hawks soaring overhead. Interpretive signs will help you learn more about how to identify raptor species in flight. The Hawk’s Nest can accommodate six visitors at a time.