State Game Lands Number 79
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
882 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Eliza Furnace · Photo: Jet Lowe · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Buffington Township
Buffington Township has 450 acres of parks, 280 for every 1,000 residents
14% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 7% of Buffington Township’s land is conserved, about 1,330 acres. 3.4 miles of mapped trail cross Buffington Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,330 acres · of 30.6 sq mi of land
Trails
3.4 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
450 ac
280 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.0 mi
8.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Buffington Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Buffington Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Buffington Township is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Buffington Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4CPark land280 acres of park per 1,000 residents (450 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home14% 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 53%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Buffington Township’s 7% is ahead of 44% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 21% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
1,330 conserved acres
7% of Buffington Township’s land. Who manages Buffington Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife882 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government443 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
Not recorded4 ac
State Resource Management Area · 882 acLocal Other or Unknown · 433 acLocal Park · 14 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 5 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 079 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 882 | Open |
| Blacklick Valley Natural Area - Caldwell and Clarke Run Tracts Local Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 433 | Open |
| Buffington Township Community Park Local Park | Not recorded | 14 | Unknown |
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.0 mi
off-road bike paths
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Eliza FurnaceStructure · listed 1991
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Buffington Township: April, May 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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 46 | 59 | 69 | 77 | 80 | 79 | 72 | 61 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Buffington Township →
Next door
Buffington Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Brush Valley Township34 miEast Wheatfield Township6.8 miBuffington Township3.4 miPine Township2.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffington Township | 7% | 0.1 | 280 | 14% | B− |
| East Wheatfield Township | 15% | 0.3 | 324 | 13% | B+ |
| Brush Valley Township | 18% | 0.8 | 1,086 | 19% | A− |
| Pine Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 7 | 32% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Buffington Township
How much of Buffington Township is conserved land?
7% 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 Buffington Township’s trails?
State Game Lands Number 79 doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Buffington Township?
8.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Buffington Township?
46,714 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Buffington Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,333 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Buffington Township have?
Ahead of 53% 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 Buffington 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 →