State Game Lands Number 239
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
727 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Athens Township
Athens Township has 504 acres of parks, 98 for every 1,000 residents
1.5 miles of mapped trail cross Athens Township. 5% of Athens Township’s land is conserved, about 1,475 acres. 47% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns · #732 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,475 acres · of 43.6 sq mi of land
Trails
1.5 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
504 ac
98 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
47%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,801 ft
East Canfield Mountain
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Athens Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Athens Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Athens Township is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns, #732 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Athens Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land98 acres of park per 1,000 residents (504 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home47% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 51%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 29%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Athens Township’s 5% is ahead of 37% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 10% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Loyalsock State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
17 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
round top park
Park
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Glen R. Clark Memorial Playground1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 239727 acres · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsLoyalsock State Forest17 acres · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
Valley Youth Soccer Park13 acres
Directionsround top park8 acres
Tozers Landing Park6 acres
DirectionsWildwood Nature Reserve1 acres
Who protects it
1,475 conserved acres
5% of Athens Township’s land. Who manages Athens Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife727 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government475 ac
County472 ac
State natural resources17 ac
Not recorded110 ac
State Resource Management Area · 744 acLocal Park · 475 acAgricultural Easement · 472 acPrivate Conservation · 92 acState Other or Unknown · 12 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 158 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 239 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 739 | Open |
| Round Top Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 456 | Open |
| The Archeological Conservancy Property Private Conservation | Not recorded | 92 | Closed |
| Loyalsock State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 17 | Open |
| Tozers Landing Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 15 | Open |
| Fema Flood Buyout (County Or Municipal Owned) Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 6 | Open |
| Jim King Memorial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
Things to do
11 places to go in Athens Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Athens Township
Glen R. Clark Memorial PlaygroundIn Glen R. Clark Memorial Playground
DirectionsLynch Bustin Elementary Playground
DirectionsLynch Bustin Fitness-focused Playground
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Athens Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Athens Township
Tozers Landing Boat LaunchIn Tozers Landing Park
DirectionsScenic views in Athens Township
View of the ValleyIn round top park
DirectionsPeaks in Athens Township
East Canfield Mountain1,801 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Athens Township
Round Top Recreation AreaIn round top park
DirectionsTrails & water
6 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Tennis
1Basketball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Bridge in Athens TownshipStructure · listed 1988
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Athens Township: May, July and August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 43 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Athens Township →
Next door
Athens Township and its neighbors
Athens Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Athens Township1.5 miSmithfield Township1.0 miSayre0.7 miSouth Waverly0.3 miUlster Township0.3 miRidgebury Township0.3 miAthens0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens Township | 5% | under 0.1 | 98 | 47% | B− |
| Athens | 1% | 0.1 | 2 | 92% | C |
| Sayre | 2% | 0.3 | 6 | 89% | B− |
| South Waverly | under 1% | 0.3 | 5 | 98% | C+ |
| Ulster Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 1 | 15% | D |
| Ridgebury Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 4 | 8% | D |
| Smithfield Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 32 | 1% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Athens Township
How much of Athens Township is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 8% for a Pennsylvania town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Athens Township’s trails?
State Game Lands Number 239 and Loyalsock State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Athens Township?
8,417 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Athens Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,253 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Athens Township have?
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #732 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Athens Township neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →