What This Means for You
- Big Elk Creek State Park is planning new trails, parking areas, and a combined visitor and education center.
- Less than one-half of one percent of the park’s acreage would be affected by new physical construction.
- The 100-page master plan is available online for public review.
LANDENBERG, PA — Visitors to Big Elk Creek State Park could see new trail connections, additional entry points, and a future visitor and education center under a newly released long-term master plan from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The plan outlines how the state intends to guide improvements to access, recreation, conservation, and education at the Chester County park while limiting permanent construction to a small portion of the property.
New Facilities and Access Points
Among the most visible proposals is construction of a combined park office, education space, and interpretive visitor center. An interpretive center is a facility designed to provide exhibits, educational programming, and information about the park’s natural and cultural history.
The plan also calls for development of small, strategically located parking areas to create multiple entry points into the park. State officials say the approach is intended to spread out visitor access rather than concentrate traffic in a single location.
A new trail system is proposed, including improved stream crossings. The upgrades are designed to improve safety and accessibility while minimizing environmental impact.
Conservation and Restoration
Beyond recreation upgrades, the master plan includes expanded forest conservation, reforestation, and meadow habitat restoration.
Reforestation refers to planting trees in areas that have lost forest cover, while meadow restoration involves returning land to native grass and wildflower habitats to support pollinators and wildlife.
DCNR said that, excluding trail upgrades and ecological restoration areas, proposed physical improvements would impact less than one-half of one percent of the park’s total acreage.
State Parks Director John Hallas said in a statement that the agency is committed to “responsibly stewarding the park’s natural, cultural, recreational, educational, and scenic values” while ensuring accessible experiences for visitors.
Cultural and Historical Preservation
The park contains regionally significant cultural resources, including connections to the Lenni-Lenape people and the Underground Railroad.
According to DCNR, the agency worked with the Delaware Nation and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s State Historic Preservation Office to ensure those resources are reflected and respected in the plan.
Planning Process
The master plan was developed through collaboration between DCNR’s Bureau of State Parks and Bureau of Facility Design and Construction, consulting teams, and a 21-member Big Elk Creek Master Planning Task Force.
The task force included representatives from the state legislature, Chester County government, three local townships, and environmental and education organizations.
Officials described environmental resilience and sustainable stewardship as central themes of the plan, which they said was shaped by community input gathered during the planning process.
Next Steps
The complete 100-page Big Elk Creek State Park Master Plan is available at https://elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/.
DCNR has not announced a specific construction timeline. Future improvements would be subject to funding and additional design phases.
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