ChesLen Preserve
1199 Cannery Rd, Coatesville, PA
About
Cheslen Preserve is part of the Naural Lands Trust. The preserve is more than 1200 acres of land including streams, meadows, and woods. The preserve is also an active farm with tended straw fields. There are 5 main trails with multiple side and connecting trails. This is one of the largest preserves in Chester County and boasts several fantastic hikes.
Logistics
# of Trails: 5
11.2 miles of marked trails and connecting trails.
Hours
Fri-Wed, Dawn to Dusk
Parking
Stargazer Rd lot and multiple Cannery Rd lots
Bathrooms
Bathrooms are available at the Welcome Center
Dogs: Yes
Horses: Yes
Mt Bikes: No
TIPS
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The Blue Loop is currently Closed
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This preserve is closed on Thursdays
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The Stargazer Rd entrance is popular with Kayakers due to the proximity of the creek access and the parking lot fills quickly on hot summer days.
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The trails here are quite long. Be sure to plan ahead before embarking on what may seem a short hike.
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There is a children’s nature area which has been closed or in disrepair every time I have tried to use it. Check the preserve website if this will be part of your planned visit.
Red Trail Out & Back
This hike took place on an extremely hot and muggy day. Beginning at the Stargazer Rd parking lot and entrance. There happened to be a lot of kaykers offloading gear at the park entrance, so it was a bit crowded. The plan was originally to take the red trail to the end and take a side trail back, but it was just too darn hot. The red trail offers very little in the way of sun protection as it is mostly in open fields. It runs directly down the center of the preserve and is the trail that all other trails meet up with eventually. We passed the purple trail which circumnavigates the lower field and wetlands. The path we took was from the Stargazer entrance straight to the Cannary Rd alternate parking lot. In other words, we didn’t cross Cannery Rd and take the red trail all the way to Rt. 162. The trail is a roughly 10 foot wide mowed pathway through the field and along the woodline to the top of the hill where it opens onto a working farmer’s field. The Preserve recently added several portable toilets to the top of the hill with some hand washing stations. I can’t imagine they would be very comfortable places to rest in the heat of the day, when walking another 10 to 15 minutes would get to indoor bathrooms just across Cannery Rd.
The trail leads across the open field over the railroad tracks (never have I ever seen a train), past a small private cemetary, and up the hill. Past the portable toilets mentioned earlier, the path becomes a double track gravel roadway for farm vehicle access. Atop the hill is the green trail which leads into the woods and back down the hill in a different direction connecting back to the red trail via side trails. The red trail crosses Cannery Rd, which is where we turned around. From this parking lot, the yellow loops lead off as well as a few side trails.
I highly recommend exploring ChesLen on a cooler or at least less humid day. I have hiked for hours here in many weather conditions, but the humidity really brought out the mosquitoes and made the hike rather uncomfortable
Purple Trail
The purple trail is a loop trail just beginning just across the bridge from the Stargazer Rd parking lot. The trail follows the perimeter of the field to the right then crosses the red trail and enters a wetland area. The trail continue back to the start along the creek. The second half of this trail can be quite muddy after rainstorms. This is a short trail great for dog walking.
