Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Gplefka · Public domain28 miles of mapped trail cross Bushkill Township, 1.1 per square mile of land. 357 acres are parks and preserves, 41 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center (21.1 mi), State Game Lands Number 168 (2 mi).
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #290 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bushkill Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #290 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Bushkill Township’s 26% is ahead of 87% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 81% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, with 21.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
26% of Bushkill Township’s land. Who manages Bushkill Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,123 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 160 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 168 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,334 | Open |
| Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center State Other or Unknown | State parks | 2,316 | Open |
| Sgl 168 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,169 | Open |
| Bushkill Township Municipal Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 453 | Closed |
| Ballas Meadow Preserve Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 89 | Open |
| Northampton Open Space 2013 B Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 89 | Unknown |
| Bllas Tract Park Local Park | Not recorded | 89 | Open |
| Bushkill Township Recreational Fields Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 76 | Open |
| Heintzelman Pond Preserve Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 62 | Closed |
| Lucas Lane Recreation Site Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 campground without a name on the map.
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.
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
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 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 40 | 48 | 61 | 71 | 79 | 84 | 82 | 75 | 64 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.9 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Bushkill Township →
Bushkill Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bushkill Township | 26% | 1.1 | 41 | 29% | A− |
| Moore Township | 22% | 0.5 | 32 | 18% | B+ |
| Upper Nazareth Township | 19% | 0.3 | 58 | 92% | A |
| Ross Township | 20% | 0.3 | 14 | 12% | B− |
| Plainfield Township | 30% | 0.2 | 45 | 56% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center, 21.1 miles; State Game Lands Number 168, 2 miles; Ballas Meadow Preserve, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
26% 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.
Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center and State Game Lands Number 168 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
2.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of off-road paths. Named routes: Homestead Trail, Sober's Run Main Loop Trail and Jacobsburg Trail (red blazed).
24,238 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bushkill Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,716 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #290 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Bushkill Township neighbors.
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 →