Historic Poole Forge
Park
25 acres0.6 mi of trail
Poole Forge Walking trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ann Cunningham Evans House · Photo: Smallbones · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Caernarvon Township
21% of Caernarvon Township’s land is conserved: 3,115 acres
The biggest trail networks: Historic Poole Forge (0.6 mi). 16% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 13 miles of mapped trail cross Caernarvon Township, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns · #637 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
3,115 acres · of 23.0 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
56 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
16%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,027 ft
Welsh Mountain
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Caernarvon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Caernarvon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Caernarvon Township is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns, #637 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Caernarvon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (56 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home16% 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 59%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 39%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Caernarvon Township’s 21% is ahead of 82% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 60% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Historic Poole Forge, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 52
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
225 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Money Rocks County Park
Nature preserve
22 acres0.4 mi of trail
Money Rocks Overlook TrailCliff Hanger
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
3,115 conserved acres
21% of Caernarvon Township’s land. Who manages Caernarvon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County8,145 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits851 ac
State fish & wildlife224 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government45 ac
Town or city26 ac
Not recorded692 ac
Agricultural Easement · 9,217 acPrivate Agricultural · 463 acState Resource Management Area · 224 acLocal Park · 48 acLocal Recreation Area · 26 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,372 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 155 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 052 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 224 | Open |
| 2009-001 Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 92 | Closed |
| 2010-018 Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 72 | Closed |
| 2008-020 Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 60 | Closed |
| 2015-015 Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 57 | Closed |
| 2019-001 Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 51 | Closed |
| 2012-030 Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 42 | Closed |
| 2013-001 Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 40 | Closed |
| Poole Forge Park Acquisition Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| 2018-011 Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 26 | Closed |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Caernarvon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Caernarvon Township
East Area PlaygroundIn Historic Poole Forge
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Caernarvon Township
2 fishing spots without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Caernarvon Township
Money Rocks OverlookIn Money Rocks County Park
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Caernarvon Township
Welsh Mountain1,027 ft elevation
DirectionsTurkey Hill837 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Caernarvon Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.0 mi
Lanchester Nature Trail0.8 mi
Poole Forge Walking trail0.3 mi
Money Rocks Overlook Trail0.3 mi
Cliff Hanger0.1 mi
Lakes & 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
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
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.
Weaver's Mill Covered BridgeStructure · listed 1980
About itBangor Episcopal ChurchDistrict · listed 1987
About itWindsor Forge MansionDistrict · listed 1990
About itEdward Davies HouseBuilding · listed 1991
About itBird-in-Hand HotelBuilding · listed 1992
About itPoole ForgeDistrict · listed 1993
About itAnn Cunningham Evans HouseSite · listed 2002
About itCaernarvon Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · listed 2015
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Caernarvon Township: 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) | 39 | 42 | 50 | 63 | 72 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.9 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Caernarvon Township →
Next door
Caernarvon Township and its neighbors
Caernarvon Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Caernarvon Township13 miEast Earl Township11 miSalisbury Township4.5 miHoney Brook Township3.5 miBrecknock Township1.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caernarvon Township | 21% | 0.6 | 12 | 16% | B |
| Brecknock Township | 17% | 0.1 | 14 | 50% | B− |
| East Earl Township | 14% | 0.4 | 128 | 25% | B+ |
| Salisbury Township | 15% | 0.1 | 44 | 23% | B |
| Honey Brook Township | 33% | 0.1 | 9 | 43% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Caernarvon Township
Where can I hike in Caernarvon Township?
The longest trail networks: Historic Poole Forge, 0.6 miles; State Game Lands Number 52, 0.4 miles; Money Rocks County Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Caernarvon Township is conserved land?
21% 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 Caernarvon Township’s trails?
Historic Poole Forge and State Game Lands Number 52 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Caernarvon Township?
29,847 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Caernarvon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 281 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Caernarvon Township have?
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #637 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 Caernarvon 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 →