Rainbow Meadow Park (formerly Laurel Run Park)– Delran, Burlington County, NJ
Distance – 1 mile total (loop!)
Type – loop
Difficulty: 1 of 10
Website – Rainbow Meadow Park
Open – Sunrise to Sunset.
Terrain – meadow
Surface – Mowed trail and dirt paths
A winter picture, just to throw everyone off.Trailheads – N 40° 01.159 W 074° 55.513
Directions – 237 Creek Road, Delran, NJ 08075
Parking – Small lot for a dozen cars or so.
Dog friendly? Yes, leashed dogs allowed
Stroller friendly? Offroad strollers should work
Benches? Some picnic tables at the trailhead and again halfway around the trail.
Facilities?: Port-a-potty
Markings – None
Map –
Description –
When you first arrive, this park looks suspiciously like a farm returning to the wild. This is likely because the park is farm returning to the wild. The Anderson family farmed here from 1906 until selling the land to the county for a park in 2000 (and even then, farmed it for a few more years). The county took it’s sweet time turning it into the proposed Anderson Farm Park, which was dubbed Laurel Run Park before it opened.
So back in 2020, Kite Flyer and I first explored it not long after the stay-at-home order was lifted. For reasons known only to history (aka, I forgot), I never actually reviewed this trail. It’s a good thing I didn’t, because the park was recently renamed Rainbow Meadow Park, the name of the farm when the Andersons sold the property. So I was driving home from work one day last winter and saw a park sign for Rainbow Meadow Park and got excited because I didn’t know there was a county park named that and jumped out to hike it and… really… felt… like… somehow… I’d… seen… this… before. A search of my website found nothing, but my brain did finally piece together the mystery. You almost won that time Burlington County Park System.
Actually, they did win, because this is a mile loop through a big field down to a river, but it’s a NICE mile loop through a big field down to a river (Rancocas Creek).
Pavilion at the parking area.
Now very out-of-date 2020 messages on the board.
Heading clockwise around the loop.
Remains of the farm buildings near the edge of the walking loop.
Oh man, Kite Flyer when he was only 3 years old and not 6 years old.
Back, back, back.
Lots of grass.
Which leads to obligatory flower shots.
Curving to take in the back stretch along Rancocas Creek.While other nearby parks have much closer and nicer views of Rancocas Creek, there were some nice views here too. In the past, evidence of the Lenape were plowed up in these fields from many years ago, the view of the creek has been enjoyed for many centuries from this stretch.
Evidence of an old building of some sort. Or illegal dumping. But I think the first one.
A half mile into the hike, you’ll come across another spot to sit and take a break.
Tree Rider approves this view.
Suddenly, it’s 2023. And also winter.From here, you’ll take the dirt path through the open meadow again until it curves back to the pavilion and parking area.
Man, he was so tiny.
We’re back!A nice mile stroll!
Nearby:
Tons of nearby trails, including Pennington Park, Willingboro Lakes Park, and Mill Creek Park on the opposite side of Rancocas Creek and Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area, Farrago Farm, Little Woods on the Rancocas, and Amico Island on this side of Rancocas Creek.
The county is upgrading this park sometime soon. According to their post they are going to be adding a bunch of cool stuff and they are going to be adding more trails. I guess in the middle maybe? Not sure.