John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum — the last tidal marsh, under the flight path

More than a thousand acres of marsh, creek and woodland on the southwestern edge of Philadelphia, protecting what is left of a wetland that once covered several thousand acres. What survives here is the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania, and it survives only because residents fought a highway and a landfill for it in the 1960s and early 1970s. The strangest thing about the place is the setting: herons stalk the shallows while airliners climb overhead from the neighboring international airport, and the contrast is unforgettable rather than ruinous. Over three hundred bird species have been recorded here.

Highlights

• The tidal marsh — the largest freshwater tidal marsh left in Pennsylvania, rising and falling twice a day with the tide pushing up the Delaware, and the reason the refuge exists at all.
• The impoundment loop — a level trail of roughly three and a half miles around the main water body, the classic walk here and the best single stretch for waterbirds.
• The Cusano Environmental Education Center — the refuge’s visitor center at the main entrance, with exhibits, an observation deck over the water and staff who will tell you what has been seen that morning.
• Darby Creek — roughly four and a half miles of tidal creek winding through the refuge, open to paddling and to fishing in designated areas.
• The red-bellied turtle — a state-endangered species with a genuine stronghold here, basking on logs in the impoundment through the warm months.
• Bald eagles — resident and breeding at the refuge, and among the most reliable large-raptor sightings anywhere near the city.

What you’ll find

The refuge is flat, wet and much bigger than it first appears. More than ten miles of trail thread between open water, reed beds, wooded edges and creek banks, and the walking is easy throughout — this is a place for patience and binoculars rather than for exertion.

• The impoundment, its loop trail and the observation points spaced around it.
• Boardwalks carrying trail out over marsh and wet woodland.
• The visitor center with exhibits, restrooms, and viewing over the water.
• A canoe and kayak launch onto Darby Creek for paddlers with their own boats.
• Fishing access along the creek and in designated areas.
• Wooded trail sections and meadow edges away from the main loop, far quieter than the impoundment.

Things to do — and who it’s for

• Birders — with over three hundred species recorded and around eighty-five nesting, this is the most productive birding site within Philadelphia’s boundaries.
• Photographers — the blind, the boardwalks and the low marsh light give you working distance to wildlife, plus the surreal airplane-and-heron frame nobody expects.
• Families and school groups — the visitor center exhibits and the flat boardwalk trails make the marsh legible to children without a long walk.
• Paddlers — Darby Creek is tidal, so plan around the tide, but it delivers a view of the marsh you cannot get on foot.
• Walkers and runners — a level loop of a few miles with open sky, unusual near a dense city.
• Anyone with a long airport layover — the refuge is close enough to the terminals to be a genuine option, and it is the opposite of an airport in every respect.

Getting there & practical

The refuge lies in the far southwest of Philadelphia, on the Delaware County line and immediately beside the international airport. SEPTA’s Airport Line brings Regional Rail passengers to Eastwick station, the nearest rail stop, and SEPTA bus route 37 connects that area with the refuge entrance. Drivers will find parking at the main entrance beside the visitor center. Entry to the refuge, the trails, the boardwalks and the visitor center is free — it is a National Wildlife Refuge, and there is no admission charge. Refuge grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset; the Cusano Environmental Education Center keeps shorter hours of its own and closes on federal holidays. Pets, cycling and swimming are restricted or prohibited on much of the refuge, so check the rules before arriving with a dog or a bike. Allow two hours for the impoundment loop; a full day if you are birding seriously.

When to visit

Spring is the peak: waterfowl move north, warblers pour through the wooded edges in late April and May, and the marsh greens up fast. Summer is hot, humid and buzzing, but it is when the red-bellied turtles bask in numbers, herons and egrets work the shallows all day, and the marsh vegetation stands at full height — go early and take insect repellent seriously. Autumn brings the southbound shorebird and waterfowl migration and the best walking weather of the year, with the marsh turning gold and the crowds thin. Winter is the connoisseur’s season: ducks concentrate on open water, raptors including bald eagles are easiest to see against bare trees, and the whole refuge is quiet enough that you may have the loop to yourself.

Good to know

The Lenape used this marsh long before it had any of its current names, hunting, fishing and gathering here into the seventeenth century. Swedish colonists settled Tinicum from the 1640s and dug an extensive system of ditches and dikes to drain the marsh for farmland — the first of several centuries of shrinkage. What had been a wetland of several thousand acres was reduced by draining, filling and dumping to roughly two hundred acres of marsh by the middle of the twentieth century. In the 1960s proposals to run a highway through the remnant and to continue landfilling triggered a sustained local campaign to save it, and Congress established the Tinicum National Environmental Center in 1972. It was renamed in 1991 for H. John Heinz III, the United States senator from Pennsylvania who had worked to protect the marsh and who died that year in an aircraft collision. The refuge now covers more than a thousand acres with further acquisition planned toward a target of around twelve hundred, and it has become a resting and feeding ground for over three hundred recorded bird species, roughly eighty-five of which nest on site.

Visitor tips

• Ask at the visitor center what has been seen that morning. Refuge staff and volunteers keep current sightings, and it will change where you walk.
• Check the tide before paddling Darby Creek. It is a tidal waterway and going out against it is a very different trip from going with it.
• Take insect repellent from late spring through early autumn. This is a marsh, and it behaves like one.

Questions & answers

Is there an admission charge? No. John Heinz is a National Wildlife Refuge and entry to the grounds, trails, boardwalks and visitor center is free.

What makes this marsh significant? It is the largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh in Pennsylvania — a remnant of a wetland that once covered several thousand acres before three centuries of draining, filling and dumping.

When was the refuge established? Congress created it in 1972 as the Tinicum National Environmental Center, and it was renamed in 1991 for Senator H. John Heinz III, who had championed the marsh’s protection and died that year.

How long is the main trail? The loop around the impoundment runs roughly three and a half miles and is flat throughout. The refuge has more than ten miles of trail in total.

Can I bring a dog or a bicycle? Restrictions apply across much of the refuge, and rules differ by trail. Check the current regulations before you arrive rather than assuming access.

Is it really next to the airport? Yes. The refuge borders Philadelphia International Airport, and aircraft pass overhead constantly. It does not appear to trouble the wildlife, and the juxtaposition is part of the experience.

What is the best time of day? Early morning, in every season. Wildlife is most active, the light is best over the water, and the trails are emptiest.

Can I paddle here? Yes, on Darby Creek, using your own boat from the launch. The creek is tidal, so plan your trip around the tide.