Come to the Meadows

Discover the magic of the FDR Meadows, South Philly’s largest wild space and urban refuge.
Explore 100 acres of forest and meadows — and waterways teeming with life!

Although the Philadelphia Parks & Rec department and its partner the Fairmount Park Conservancy have destroyed 75 acres of the Meadows, nearly 100 acres remain. This is the only publicly accessible urban woodlands in South Philadelphia, and the largest native wildlife habitat.

If you’ve never explored the Meadows, prepare to be amazed by what you find!

How to get there

Enter FDR Park
• either at Pattison Ave just west of Broad St, then turn right to follow the loop road; after you pass the Boathouse, keep left on the loop road.
• or at 20th St & Pattison, then keep right onto the loop road.

The first parking lot on the right, after 0.4 miles, is for the pickleball courts (map link).

The trail to the Meadows starts to the right of the pickleball courts.

Walk up the trail keeping the fenced-off wetland to your left, and you’ll enter the Meadows. Pick a path. Choose your adventure!

What to expect

100 acres of mature forests and a rewilded golf course (abandoned in 2018) where nature has taken over. Trails are semi-maintained and the entire area is coastal floodplain.

We recommend:

  • Rubber boots — if it’s been raining, you may find that trails are flooded in places.

  • Natural insect repellent such as picaridin.

Keep an eye out for:

Help us document the threatened tree canopy in FDR Meadows! Join this iNaturalist project and add your observations.

After you visit

Speak out to save the Meadows — here’s how you can help!