Visit our Preserves
Bellwood Nature Preserve
Bellwood is a 90-acre preserve in Northampton Township, Bucks County. Its trail system meanders through a variety of habitats.
Visitor Info
Address and Parking: The trailhead for Bellwood Nature Preserve is located at Bellwood Ave, about 100 yards from its intersection with Bristol Road in Feasterville-Trevose. Street parking can be found along Bellwood Drive where it connects with Bristol Road. Bellwood is located next to a residential neighborhood. There are no dedicated handicap spots, and visitors will have to step up a curb to access the trail from street parking.
This preserve is open from sunrise to sunset.
Important to Know
- Bellwood Preserve is closed to all motorized vehicles.
- ATV use is strictly prohibited. (They are a safety hazard for people, animals, and plants.)
- Pets are welcome but must remain on leash at all times. (Please clean up after your pets.)
- There are no public bathrooms or water fountains at the preserve.
- There are no trash cans. Please do not litter.
- Don’t forget to check for ticks after a walk at Bellwood Preserve.
- The railroad tunnel is closed to the public. For your safety, please do not walk through it.
- Active railroad tracks bisect the preserve. Please use caution.
- This property is enrolled in a deer management program, and certain trails may be closed periodically during deer hunting season
- Our deer management program is in effect for tightly restricted bow hunting, mid-September through January. For your safety: Stay on marked trails. Pets must be leashed at all times. Wear brightly colored clothing.
Amenities and Special Features
Heritage Conservancy’s conservation team has planted trees throughout Bellwood Preserve. The trees have been caged to protect them from deer. You can look for these deer tubes and cages along the trail and know a tree is growing inside!
Look for remnants of an old stone spring house on the Bellwood Trail.
Accessibility
The trail is all grass and dirt. There are two creek crossings on the trail, the first with a wooded bridge (step up), the second with no bridge and a small but steep descent to crossing. There are no benches along the trail. The path is well shaded for much of the loop.
Preserve Trails
Bellwood Trail is a 1.0 mile lollipop loop trail. Begin at the street parking and walk down a steady 12° slope to the Bellwood meadow. Follow the trail to the start of the loop and walk through the forest and across Mill Creek. There are steep slopes throughout, with a 22° grade at the trail’s steepest.
Nature Preserve Stewardship
Heritage Conservancy has done extensive work replanting the riparian zones at Bellwood Preserve. A riparian zone is made up of native trees and shrubs along a creek side that stabilize eroding streambanks, absorb excess water runoff, and cool the water, making it more hospitable to aquatic organisms.
Because of increased stormwater flow, the Mill Creek bank has been degraded. In 2020, we received $26,000 in Growing Greener grant funds through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to support the Bellwood Preserve Riparian Restoration project.
In 2023, Heritage Conservancy removed over an acre of invasive species and planted 254 native trees and shrubs, along with protecting 100 naturally regenerating trees and shrubs from deer.
Community Engagement at Bellwood
The Bellwood Preserve riparian restoration project could not have been completed without our volunteers, who have helped plant trees along the creek and participated in cleanups. Corporate volunteer groups have also been instrumental in invasive plant management projects.
Wildlife at Bellwood
The diversity of habitats within the preserve includes forest edge and forest, streams, intermittent stream and wetlands, and natural springs. These environments offer a wealth of food, protection, and nesting areas for mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fish, and insects.
Plant Life
You can find a sycamore and box elder flood plain forest, red oak trees, and tulip trees on the property. In our riparian restoration project, we planted trees and shrubs adapted to periodic flooding, such as swamp white oak, pin oak, hackberry, musclewood, and honey locust along stream banks.
Because Bellwood has a stream habitat, skunk cabbage can be found in the floodplain areas. You can also find spicebush and grape vines growing.
Animals
There have been more than 70 species of birds observed on the preserve, including multiple species of woodpeckers, great blue heron, wood duck, belted kingfisher, red-tailed hawk, multiple species of owls, and red-winged blackbird.
Because of its proximity to the stream and the natural spring on the property, Bellwood Preserve is home to many amphibians and reptiles, including snapping turtles, northern water snakes, eastern garter snakes, red-backed salamanders, northern two-lined salamanders, green frogs, and spring peepers.
Common mammals found at this preserve include whitetail deer, raccoon, opossum, skunk, beaver (gnawed trees observed on the property), red fox, ground hogs, and various rodents, including mice, moles, voles, and squirrels.
