Photo: Photo by User:AudeVivere. · CC BY-SA 2.5Bedford has 18 acres of parks, 6.3 for every 1,000 residents
1.1 miles of mapped trail cross Bedford, 1.0 per square mile of land. 94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of Bedford’s land is conserved, about 19 acres.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #543 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Bedford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Bedford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bedford is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #543 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Bedford’s 3% is ahead of 19% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 78% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sports Park
All 5 parks & preserves
19 conserved acres
3% of Bedford’s land. Who manages Bedford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford High School Track and Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Fort Bedford Riverfront Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
| The Green Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
| The Bedford Square Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
3 places to go in Bedford
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
4 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Bedford: April, 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 64 | 73 | 81 | 85 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Bedford →
Questions about parks and trails in Bedford
Where can I hike in Bedford?
The longest trail networks: Memorial Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bedford is conserved land?
3% 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 Bedford’s trails?
Fort Bedford Park and Sports Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bedford?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bedford?
19,398 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bedford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 18 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bedford have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #543 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 Bedford neighbors.
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 →