Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
Nature preserve
293 acres2.5 mi of trail
Beech Springs TrailPennypack ParkwayMitchell TrailCreek Road Trail+1
No dogs
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Montgomery County Planning Commission · CC BY-SA 2.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Bryn Athyn
Bryn Athyn has 6.2 miles of mapped trails, 3.2 for every square mile of land
32% of Bryn Athyn’s land is conserved, about 403 acres. 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust (2.5 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
403 acres · of 1.9 sq mi of land
Trails
6.2 mi
3.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
37 ac
32 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.8 mi
1.8 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Bryn Athyn?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bryn Athyn have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bryn Athyn is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bryn Athyn’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails3.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land32 acres of park per 1,000 residents (37 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Bryn Athyn’s 32% is ahead of 92% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 98% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
403 conserved acres
32% of Bryn Athyn’s land. Who manages Bryn Athyn’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits747 ac
Joint49 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government25 ac
Not recorded246 ac
Private Conservation · 581 acConservation Easement · 333 acForest Stewardship Easement · 126 acLocal Park · 25 acLocal Other or Unknown · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 37 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 39 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust Property Private Conservation | Not recorded | 581 | Closed |
| Burrow Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 25 | Open |
| Municipal Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 2 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Bryn Athyn
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bryn Athyn
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Bryn Athyn
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.7 miHorses · 2.6 miUnpaved · 4.9 mi
Creek Road Trail0.6 mi
Beech Springs Trail0.6 mi
Paper Mill Woods Trail0.5 mi
Pennypack Parkway0.5 mi
Pennypack Creek Trail0.5 mi
Mitchell Trail0.4 mi
Webb Walk0.1 mi
The Crosswalk0.1 mi
Biking & sports
1.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Creek TrailBike route
1.7 miCourts & fields
8Tennis
4Soccer
2Baseball
1Football
1Basketball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →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 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Bryn Athyn: April to June 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 | 14.8 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 44 | 52 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Bryn Athyn →
Next door
Bryn Athyn and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryn Athyn | 32% | 3.2 | 32 | 99% | A+ |
| Lower Moreland Township | 9% | 0.9 | 8 | 78% | B+ |
| Upper Moreland Township | 9% | 1.1 | 11 | 98% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bryn Athyn
Where can I hike in Bryn Athyn?
The longest trail networks: Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, 2.5 miles; Burrow Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bryn Athyn is conserved land?
32% 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 Bryn Athyn’s trails?
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust and Burrow Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bryn Athyn?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.8 of off-road paths. Named routes: Creek Trail.
Is there public land near Bryn Athyn?
27,389 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bryn Athyn or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 88 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bryn Athyn have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Bryn Athyn 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 →