Moshannon State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
26,029 acres42.2 mi of trail
Quehanna TrailMosquito Creek Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Benezette Township
More than half of Benezette Township’s land is conserved: 82%
82% of Benezette Township’s land is conserved, about 55,760 acres. The biggest trail networks: Moshannon State Forest (42.2 mi), Elk State Forest (34.1 mi), Quehanna Wild Area (19.2 mi). 1,207 acres are parks and preserves, 9,501 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
82%
55,760 acres · of 106.7 sq mi of land
Trails
144 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,207 ac
9,501 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
10%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,329 ft
Old Round Top
Lakes & rivers
2
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 Moshannon State Forest, with 42.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Elk State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
20,915 acres34.1 mi of trail
Thunder Mountain Equestrian TrailThunder Mountain TrailElk TrailPatterson Hollow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Quehanna Wild Area
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
6,966 acres19.2 mi of trail
Quehanna East Cross Connector TrailQuehanna TrailTeaberry TrailMarion Brooks Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
State Game Lands Number 311
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
3,419 acres10.5 mi of trail
Thunder Mountain TrailElk AlleyThunder Mountain Equestrian TrailCoyote Point+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
State Game Lands Number 34
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
3,765 acres5.1 mi of trail
Mosquito Creek TrailQuehanna Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dr. Colson E. Blakeslee Memorial Recreation Area
Nature preserve
23 acres0.4 mi of trail
Anglers Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Blakeslee Recreation AreaWebsite ↗
All 10 parks & preserves
Moshannon State Forest26,029 acres · 42.2 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
DirectionsElk State Forest20,915 acres · 34.1 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
DirectionsQuehanna Wild Area6,966 acres · 19.2 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 3113,419 acres · 10.5 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 343,765 acres · 5.1 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsDr. Colson E. Blakeslee Memorial Recreation Area23 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMarion Brooks Natural Area894 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
DirectionsMain St Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 14984 acres · Pennsylvania Game Commission
Pine Tree Trail Natural Area269 acres · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
Who protects it
55,760 conserved acres
82% of Benezette Township’s land. Who manages Benezette Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources47,460 ac
State fish & wildlife8,412 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits75 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government6 ac
Not recorded7,538 ac
State Resource Management Area · 55,247 acState Wilderness · 6,965 acState Conservation Area · 1,169 acConservation Easement · 53 acPrivate Conservation · 48 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 22 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 22 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 19,742 | Open |
| Moshannon State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 17,617 | Open |
| Quehanna Wild Area State Wilderness | State natural resources | 6,965 | Open |
| Moshannon State Forest - Quehanna Wild Area State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 6,106 | Open |
| State Game Land 034 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 3,851 | Open |
| State Game Land 311 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 3,581 | Open |
| Moshannon State Forest - Quehanna Wild Area - Proposed State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,408 | Open |
| Quehanna Wild Area - Proposed State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 1,408 | Open |
| State Game Land 014 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 975 | Open |
| Marion Brooks Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 896 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Benezette Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Waterfalls in Benezette Township
Table FallsIn Quehanna Wild Area
DirectionsScenic views in Benezette Township
11 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Benezette Township
Old Round Top2,329 ft elevation · In Moshannon State Forest
DirectionsWinslow Hill1,706 ft elevation
DirectionsGrant Hill1,657 ft elevation · In Elk State Forest
DirectionsPicnic areas in Benezette Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Benezette Township
Benezette Store Campground
DirectionsBig Elk Lick Horse CampgroundFee
DirectionsDark Hollow Equine Camping AreaIn Elk State Forest · PA DCNR
DirectionsGas Well Equine Camping AreaIn Elk State Forest · PA DCNR
DirectionsTrails & water
16 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.5 miHorses · 37.8 miUnpaved · 30.9 mi
Quehanna Trail14.9 mi
Thunder Mountain Equestrian Trail7.7 mi
Thunder Mountain Trail7.3 mi
Quehanna East Cross Connector Trail6.1 mi
Mosquito Creek Trail3.8 mi
Teaberry Trail2.9 mi
Elk Alley1.6 mi
Marion Brooks Loop1.4 mi
Elk Trail1.3 mi
Bridge Trail0.8 mi
6 more trails
Woodring Trail
0.6 miMeeker Trail
0.5 miTeaberry Trail Connector
0.3 miCoyote Point
0.3 miBeaver Dam Run Trail
0.1 miPatterson Hollow Trail
0.1 miLakes & 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
1Baseball
1Basketball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Benezette Township: May, August and September
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) | 32 | 36 | 45 | 59 | 70 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Benezette Township →
Next door
Benezette Township and its neighbors
Benezette Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Shippen Township219 miBenezette Township144 miGibson Township83 miJay Township38 miGirard Township35 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benezette Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Gibson Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Shippen Township | 45% | 1.4 | 1 | 3% | B− |
| Jay Township | 39% | 0.6 | 676 | 55% | A |
| Girard Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Benezette Township
Where can I hike in Benezette Township?
The longest trail networks: Moshannon State Forest, 42.2 miles; Elk State Forest, 34.1 miles; Quehanna Wild Area, 19.2 miles; State Game Lands Number 311, 10.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Benezette Township’s trails?
Moshannon State Forest and Elk State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Benezette Township?
295,794 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Benezette Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 56,034 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Benezette 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 →