Butterflies are a common sight at Woodland Hills Preserve in Lower Saucon Township. The park is a passive recreation area with loop trails for hiking and other activities.
Sometimes you don’t want to travel very far for an escape, however brief. Fortunately the Saucon Valley is home to numerous parks that are ideal for adventures in your “own backyard.” One of them is Woodland Hills Preserve in Lower Saucon Township.
Created on land that was once a golf course, this passive recreation area is the township’s largest at approximately 146 acres and features a mixture of woods and rolling meadows.
After the golf course closed, the land for the preserve was acquired by the township in with open space funds as well as financial assistance from both Northampton County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Access to Woodland Hills Preserve is off Countryside Lane, where a gravel parking lot is located along with a portable toilet, garbage receptacle, trail signage and information kiosk. A map illustrates two different loop trails that are open for hiking, dog-walking (leashed dogs only) and cross country skiing. Other permitted activities include birdwatching and fishing in several ponds that dot the landscape. Prohibited activities include hunting, horseback riding and the use of motorized vehicles.
Like other Lower Saucon Township parks, Woodland Hills Preserve is open daily from dawn until dusk. Its address is 4135 Countryside Lane, Hellertown, Pa.
For more information on parks in Lower Saucon Township, visit the Parks & Recreation page on the township’s website.
A stone marker at the start of one of the loop trails features a memorial dedicated to former Lower Saucon Township councilman Glenn C. Kern. Kern, who died in 2018, was a staunch proponent of open space preservation during his tenure on council, during which the property that would become Woodland Hills Preserve was purchased.
A sign featuring a map of the preserve and rules for visitors is located next to the parking lot.
The preserve is a quiet place filled with views of hills, trees and open sky.
Wildflowers bloom along one of the trails in Woodland Hills Preserve.
The parking lot at Woodland Hills Preserve is located at 4135 Countryside Lane, Hellertown, Pa.
