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One of the favorite destinations for hikers in Delaware County, Pennsylvania is the Tyler Arboretum, a 650-acre living tree museum crisscrossed by more than 20 miles of trails. Unlike other arboreta, the Tyler Arboretum has laid out its varied plant collections in a natural setting.
Thomas Minshall signed a "lease and purchase" deal with his fellow Quaker, Philadelphia founder William Penn, for this tract of land in 1681. It remained in the same family through eight generations until 1944 when Laura Tyler bequeathed the property to the public for an arboretum. The arboretum had been started in 1825 when brothers Jacob and Minshall Painter began systematic planting of more than 1,000 varieties of trees and and shrubs, more than 20 of which still survive, including several state champions. The signature tree at the Tyler Arboretum is a Giant Sequoia planted between 1856 and 1860.
There are seven blazed trails at Tyler Arboretum that ramble up and down the wooded hills, along ridges and through grassy meadows. All are wide and easy to follow. The trails, mostly natural dirt and grass, loop back to the Arboretum Center and are named. Each can be followed without the aid of a map.
The white-blazed Wilderness Trail covers ten miles and requires four hours to complete as it winds through the 450 acres of uncultivated East Woods in the far reaches of the property. A better way to explore the Arboretum is to fill up the day with the six shorter trails, which range from one to a little more than three miles in length.
The Pinetum Trail is a sunny walk through a calliope of pines, spruces, hemlocks, firs, cedars, false cypresses and larches. Dense jungle-like stands of tulip, ash and red maple trees once grew in these 85-acres until 1954 when the land was cleared and specimens related to the Pine Family were planted in groups of three to five of each species, with one specimen planted well apart from the group.
The Dogwood Trail in early spring is a must with the brilliant white flowers from the edge-growing trees in backdrop against the green canvas of woods. Later in the spring the Tyler Arboretum collection of more than 500 rhododendrons and 200 azaleas, the variety of which is the area's finest, burst into bloom. The magnolia collection, begun in 1951, includes Asiatic, native and hybrid varieties of the fragrant flowering trees.
The Painter Brothers Trail is the more dramatic of the two mid-length hikes as it works along the ridges above and across the Rocky Run and Dismal Run streams. In addition to the woodland hikes there are a number of planted garden walks to enjoy at Tyler Arboretum. The Native Woodland Walk features a collection of representative plants, including wildflowers, native to the eastern region of the United States. The Meadow Wave is a walk based on a classical seven-ringed labyrinth design that has been found in Asia and Europe for 4000 years. The centerpiece of the maze is a flowering Butterfly River of colorful perennials that flow down a hill into the maze. The Bird Garden is a special garden planted to attract the birds that congregate in Tyler Arboretum's enticing open spaces.
Not enough hiking? Tyler Arboretum is adjacent to Ridley Creek State Park and twelve more miles of hiking trails for the intrepid explorer.
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