Our Parks – Complete List

Twenty five years ago, the properties now known as Lower Makefield Township’s Five Mile Woods Preserve were in many ways just another undeveloped tract of land in our community. But unlike similar areas which have since gone the way of development, these properties, which have always been referred to as “the five mile woods”, were preserved forever and it was done by people just like you!

A group of local nature enthusiasts, some of whom were quite knowledgeable about the environmental sciences and many others who simply cared, started a grass-roots effort to acknowledge the uniqueness of the woods and, thanks to their initiative, Lower Makefield residents voted to preserve the Woods forever.

FMW Queen Anne CreekFive Mile Woods was preserved due to it’s environmental uniqueness. Straddling the “fall line” (the geological divide between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont Plateau regions), the plant community of the Woods represents a unique blend of the two divergent ecosystems. It is important to remember that the Five Mile Woods was dedicated as a “nature preserve” by the Township, and is managed accordingly. Hiking on it’s trails, photographing it’s wonders and observing it’s wildflowers and birds are all appropriate uses of the woods. However, we do ask that you exercise your pets, ride bikes and fish, hunt and collect elsewhere.

And so I encourage you to enjoy Five Mile Woods, and do so in all four seasons! It is open to the public 365 days a year from dawn until dusk. Please also consider joining the “Friends of Five Mile Woods” in their stewardship over the Woods. However you choose to experience it, it’s your community’s nature preserve.

Volunteers Needed for Five Mile Woods
The Friends of Five Mile Woods have regular workdays for volunteers on the second Saturday of each month. Volunteers are always welcome. Scout and other community groups are encouraged to volunteer time in the Woods. Workdays start at 9 am and finish at noon. Typical projects involve pruning, trail lining, building and repair projects, and hosting events. We frequently take time out to enjoy and learn about nature.