Come Explore an ALL NEW Nature Preserve
The newest of four convenient retreats connecting the Lehigh Valley community to South Mountain, Brenner-Penfield Emmaus Preserve is now open you to explore.
Now open to the public
The Lehigh Valley’s NEWEST nature preserve is now open to the public.
We’re bringing you THREE guided trail exploration opportunities to spend your next get-outdoors adventure with a Wildlands Conservancy staff member. Get the inside scoop — or really, the scoop on the great outdoors — with a guided hike where you will get an exclusive look at the Brenner-Penfield Emmaus Preserve.
Can’t make it? Learn about future events by signing up for our email list with the form below.
Hiking on your own? Visit our Brenner-Penfield Emmaus webpage for more information, including an interactive map, trail descriptions, and access points.
Sun., Nov. 8
10 A.M. – 12 P.M.
Enjoy your new favorite nature preserve for the very first time. Peep at peak fall foliage and loop around three trails.
Fri., Nov. 13
10 A.M. – 12 P.M.
Go on a difficult, rocky hike and open your mind to a more in-depth understanding of Brenner-Penfield Emmaus.
Sun., Nov. 15
10 A.M. – 12 P.M.
Seek movement and cool, crisp South Mountain air. Enjoy a long-distance view through the bare canopy.
Support our nature preserves! Did you know it costs $400,000 per year to maintain our 14 nature preserves? It takes a community of support to keep them open to the public to enjoy.
Stay up to date with what’s happening out here at Wildlands Conservancy! Be the first to know about other upcoming get-outdoors adventures like this one.
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About Brenner-Penfield Emmaus
Together with the Borough of Emmaus’s South 4th Street Recreation Area and Shelter House properties, the new Brenner-Penfield Emmaus Preserve offers the community nearly 50 permanently protected acres to explore in the greater South Mountain landscape.
The land reveals the layered history of Native American use, as wells as early colonial settlement and industrial development. One special trail predates this land’s purpose of a nature preserve. The Oley Path was used by early Lenape people to transport jasper to the Lehigh and Delaware rivers.
These woodlands are abundant with ferns, tall tulip trees, and spring ephemerals like mayapples. Speckled throughout are glacial boulders. Every acre protected here provides critical habitat to Pennsylvania wildlife including migratory birds, turtles, and foxes.
It is the second Wildlands Conservancy nature preserve named for Merrill and Nancy Brenner, local philanthropists, and passionate conservationists.
More About Brenner-Penfield Emmaus
About Merrill & Nancy Brenner
Two very visionary people, Merrill and Nancy Brenner, helped realize the Brenner-Penfield Emmaus Preserve.
The local couple long wanted to conserve land for future generations, and partnering with Wildlands Conservancy, their wish for a public nature preserve legacy came true. The Brenners hope their actions inspire others to do their part to restore and sustain the Lehigh Valley and Lehigh River watershed.
Penfield, Nancy’s maiden name, doubles to honor her father, a Pennsylvanian and proud parent of five daughters who deeply appreciate nature. The couple has called the Lehigh Valley home since the mid-1970s.
Their namesake also supported Brenner-Penfield Macungie Mountain, another Wildlands Conservancy nature preserve located nearby.
A community of support
Wildlands Conservancy acknowledges the giving community, visionary supporters, and volunteers for making Brenner-Penfield Emmaus a public nature preserve.
