Pennypack Park

Description

Pennypack Park is a municipal park, part of the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation system, in Northeast Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Established in 1905 by ordinance of the City of Philadelphia, it includes about 1600 acre of woodlands, meadows and wetlands. The Pennypack Creek runs through the park from Pine Road to the Delaware River. The park has playgrounds, hiking and bike trails, and bridle paths for horseback riding. An adjunct to the park is the Pennypack Environmental Center on Verree Road. More than 150 species of nesting and migrating birds use the park, including the tiny ruby-throated hummingbird, the great blue heron, warblers, the pileated woodpecker, several kinds of seabirds, ducks, geese, hawks, great horned owls and the little screech owl to name only a few. Famous for its large, scattered deer herd, the park is home to a large variety of mammals, including several kinds of bat, the red and gray fox, rabbits, chipmunks, mice, muskrats, groundhogs, raccoons, skunks, opossum and weasels. The park is home to many reptile species including several kinds of snakes, turtles (including common snapping turtles), frogs, the common toad and several kinds of salamanders.