Shades Creek Parcel
Managed by Natural Lands
3,138 acres19.8 mi of trail
Gray Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Bear Creek Township
More than half of Bear Creek Township’s land is conserved: 69%
69% of Bear Creek Township’s land is conserved, about 29,555 acres. 3,467 acres are parks and preserves, 1,249 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Shades Creek Parcel (19.8 mi), Pinchot State Forest (7.7 mi), State Game Lands Number 119 (3.6 mi).
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #157 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
69%
29,555 acres · of 67.1 sq mi of land
Trails
45 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,467 ac
1,249 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
42%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,159 ft
Bald Mountain
Lakes & rivers
9
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Bear Creek Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bear Creek Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bear Creek Township is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #157 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bear Creek Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land69% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (45 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land1,249 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,467 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home42% 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 89%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 85%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Bear Creek Township’s 69% is ahead of 100% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 65% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. 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
The longest trail network is Shades Creek Parcel, with 19.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pinchot State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
4,039 acres7.7 mi of trail
Old Glen SummitWhite Line Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Crystal Lake Tract AccessWebsite ↗
State Game Lands Number 119
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
2,967 acres3.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
State Game Lands Number 91
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
11,232 acres2.7 mi of trail
White Line Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
State Game Lands Number 292
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
475 acres2.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lehigh Gorge State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
159 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Trailwood Park
Park
8 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Shades Creek Parcel3,138 acres · 19.8 mi of trail · Natural Lands
DirectionsPinchot State Forest4,039 acres · 7.7 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 1192,967 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 9111,232 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 292475 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsLehigh Gorge State Park159 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
Trailwood Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Bear Creek Preserve3,138 acres · Natural Lands
Bald Mountain Preserve370 acres · Natural Lands
Goeringer Preserve13 acres
Bear Creek Recreation Park5 acres · Bear Creek Township
DirectionsMonument Park1 acres
Who protects it
29,555 conserved acres
69% of Bear Creek Township’s land. Who manages Bear Creek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife27,892 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits18,462 ac
State natural resources6,166 ac
Army Corps of Engineers1,290 ac
State parks290 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government14 ac
Not recorded7,741 ac
State Resource Management Area · 25,569 acState Recreation Area · 12,565 acForest Stewardship Easement · 9,786 acPrivate Conservation · 6,948 acConservation Easement · 4,892 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 5,335 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 33 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 091 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 11,706 | Open |
| Sgl 091 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 9,984 | Open |
| Pinchot State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 6,168 | Open |
| Bear Creek Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 6,155 | Open |
| Crystal Lake Tract State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 4,038 | Open |
| State Game Land 119 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,961 | Open |
| Sgl 119 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,581 | Open |
| Francis E. Walter Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 1,290 | Open |
| Bald Mountain Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 755 | Closed |
| State Game Land 292 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 475 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
12 places to go in Bear Creek Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Bear Creek Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Bear Creek Township
Buttermilk Falls
DirectionsPlus 6 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Bear Creek Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Bear Creek Township
Bald Mountain2,159 ft elevation
DirectionsWyoming Mountain2,028 ft elevation · In State Game Lands Number 91
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.9 miUnpaved · 20.9 mi
Old Glen Summit2.7 mi
White Line Trail1.0 mi
Gray Trail0.4 mi
Behler Swamp Trail0.2 mi
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
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bear Creek 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 42 | 55 | 66 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 69 | 58 | 46 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Bear Creek Township →
Next door
Bear Creek Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Kidder Township66 miThornhurst Township52 miBear Creek Township45 miDennison Township40 miFairview Township25 miJenkins Township12 miBuck Township9.7 miPenn Lake Park0.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek Township | 69% | 0.7 | 1,249 | 42% | A |
| Kidder Township | 50% | 1.0 | 6,991 | 48% | A |
| Penn Lake Park | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Buck Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Dennison Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Jenkins Township | 41% | 0.9 | 11 | 83% | A− |
| Thornhurst Township | 70% | 2.3 | 109 | 11% | A |
| Fairview Township | 55% | 2.6 | 85 | 55% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bear Creek Township
Where can I hike in Bear Creek Township?
The longest trail networks: Shades Creek Parcel, 19.8 miles; Pinchot State Forest, 7.7 miles; State Game Lands Number 119, 3.6 miles; State Game Lands Number 91, 2.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bear Creek Township is conserved land?
69% 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 Bear Creek Township’s trails?
Shades Creek Parcel and Pinchot State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bear Creek Township?
149,170 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bear Creek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 22,637 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bear Creek Township have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #157 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 Bear Creek 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 →