Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area
Nature preserve
854 acres11.3 mi of trail
Lake Border TrailFox Trot Hiking TrailRebers Bridge ConnectorStilling Basin Connector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Bern Township
Bern Township has 56 miles of mapped trails, 2.9 for every square mile of land
841 acres are parks and preserves, 125 per 1,000 residents. 19% of Bern Township’s land is conserved, about 2,350 acres. The biggest trail networks: Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area (11.3 mi), Tulpehocken Creek Valley Parkway (4.6 mi), State Game Lands Number 280 (1.9 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #54 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
2,350 acres · of 19.3 sq mi of land
Trails
56 mi
2.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
841 ac
125 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
71%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
Highest peak
725 ft
Seidels Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Bern Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bern Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bern Township is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #54 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bern Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (56 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land125 acres of park per 1,000 residents (841 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home71% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 95%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Bern Township’s 19% is ahead of 77% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 96% 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 Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area, with 11.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Tulpehocken Creek Valley Parkway
Nature preserve
227 acres4.6 mi of trail
Union Canal TrailStilling Basin Connector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
State Game Lands Number 280
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
336 acres1.9 mi of trail
Lake Border Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Berks County Heritage Center
Managed by Berks County
45 acres0.9 mi of trail
Union Canal Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
2,350 conserved acres
19% of Bern Township’s land. Who manages Bern Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Army Corps of Engineers843 ac
State fish & wildlife681 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits592 ac
County506 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government424 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)42 ac
Town or city26 ac
Recreation Management Area · 843 acLocal Park · 743 acForest Stewardship Easement · 444 acAgricultural Easement · 442 acState Resource Management Area · 362 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 261 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 54 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Marsh Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 843 | Open |
| Berks County Park Local Park | Not recorded | 407 | Unknown |
| State Game Land 280 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 357 | Open |
| Sgl 280 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 312 | Open |
| Union Canal Trail Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 130 | Open |
| Tulpehocken Creek Valley Local Other or Unknown | County | 107 | Unknown |
| Berks County Fairgrounds Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 106 | Open |
| Youth Recreation Facility of Berks County Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 95 | Open |
| Bern Pool Local Park | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Berks County Heritage Center Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 44 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
7 places to go in Bern Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Bern Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Bern Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Bern Township
Dry Brooks Boat LaunchIn Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Bern Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Bern Township
Seidels Hill725 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.8 miHorses · 3.4 miUnpaved · 6.7 mi
Union Canal Trail3.9 mi
Lake Border Trail2.4 mi
Fox Trot Hiking Trail1.0 mi
Rebers Bridge Connector0.9 mi
Stilling Basin Connector0.8 mi
Bernville Boulevard0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
9/11 National Memorial Trail (Pennsylvania thru route)Bike route
5.7 miUnion Canal TrailBike route
5.6 miBlue Marsh Lake Multi-Use TrailBike route
2.4 miCourts & fields
16Golf
5Tennis
4Soccer
4Baseball
1Basketball
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 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 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bern Township: April and May
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 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 42 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Bern Township →
Next door
Bern Township and its neighbors
Bern Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Bern Township56 miLower Heidelberg Township46 miMuhlenberg Township39 miOntelaunee Township25 miSpring Township24 miGreenfields5.3 miLeesport1.1 miRiverview Park1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bern Township | 19% | 2.9 | 125 | 71% | A+ |
| Lower Heidelberg Township | 44% | 3.1 | 14 | 71% | A |
| Muhlenberg Township | 5% | 3.3 | 20 | 96% | A |
| Ontelaunee Township | 20% | 2.8 | 373 | 86% | A+ |
| Spring Township | 6% | 1.3 | 12 | 91% | A− |
| Greenfields | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Leesport | 5% | 1.5 | 10 | 99%+ | A− |
| Riverview Park | — 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 Bern Township
Where can I hike in Bern Township?
The longest trail networks: Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area, 11.3 miles; Tulpehocken Creek Valley Parkway, 4.6 miles; State Game Lands Number 280, 1.9 miles; Berks County Heritage Center, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bern Township is conserved land?
19% 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 Bern Township’s trails?
Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area and Tulpehocken Creek Valley Parkway don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bern Township?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths. Named routes: 9/11 National Memorial Trail (Pennsylvania thru route), Union Canal Trail and Blue Marsh Lake Multi-Use Trail.
Is there public land near Bern Township?
26,681 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bern Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,204 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bern Township have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #54 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 Bern 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 →