Big Elk Creek State Park
- Status
- Status not posted
- Entrance fee
- Not posted
- Day-use reservations
- None mentioned
- Dogs
- Not stated — check with park
- Camping
- None listed
- Official site
- pa.gov(610) 274-2900
Official page last checked Oct 29, 2026. How we keep this current
Overview
Covering about 1,895 acres, Big Elk Creek State Park lies in Chester County, about 6 miles northwest of Newark.
Visitors come for horseback riding, fishing, and hiking. The official site lists about 3 miles of trails.
Hours
Park, gate, office and facility hours are listed separately because they often differ. Alerts above override normal hours.
| Facility | Days | Hours | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| The park’s wording doesn’t give clock times — see the official wording below. | |||
Official wording
Big Elk Creek State Park is currently a day-use park with low density recreation. Day-use areas close at dusk.
Source: official park page, checked Oct 29, 2026. Times are local to the park (America/New York).
Reservations
- Day use
- No day-use reservation requirement mentioned
- Booking system
- ReserveAmerica (Aspira), Pennsylvania State Parks contract
- Phone
- 888-PA-PARKS (888-727-2757)
We link to the official booking system rather than showing live availability, which changes minute to minute.
Things to do
FishingHikingHorseback riding
Trails
3 miles of trails Big Elk Creek State Park offers trails for hiking, cycling, and equestrian riding. A network of trails exist that connect Big Elk Creek State Park to the extensive trail network of Maryland’s Fairhill Natural Resource Area. While these trails are in the process of being studied for possible improvements or reroutes, they are still available to the public for hiking access. These trails pass through newly planted tree buffers, deep forests, up the rolling hills and fields of Chester County, and along meandering streams. Connecting to Fairhill allows for larger day hike loops, or smaller, afternoon out-and-back jaunts from Big Elk Creek.
Amenities
Recreation
- Horse trails
✓ listed by the park · ✕ the park says it is not available. Anything not shown here isn’t mentioned by the official source — that means unknown, not unavailable.
Getting there
- Address
- 344 Strickersville Road
Landenberg, PA 19350 - Nearest town
- Newark — about 6 mi northwest (straight line)
- Coordinates
- 39.7310, -75.8357
- Phone
- (610) 274-2900
- BigElkCreekSP@pa.gov
Google Maps directionsApple MapsOfficial park map (PDF)
Directions from the park
From Pennsylvania Route 896 south, turn right onto Strickersville Road in Franklin Township. Travel 2.4 miles to the parking lot on the left. GPS Decimal Degrees: Lat. 39.730960, Long. -75.835722
Nearby state parks
Sources and freshness
- Pennsylvania State Parks — park page — last checked Oct 29, 2026; page says updated Jan 29, 2026
- DCNR Find a Park: content-fragment JSON feed used by the pa.gov park finder
- Wikidata
- USGS PAD-US 4.1 (boundary and acreage)
“Last checked” is when our system last read the official source. No change has been detected since this page was first published. Hours, fees and rules can change without notice — confirm with the park before you go. Methodology