Dickinson Park Intramural Fields
Park
36 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Doug Kerr · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Carlisle
Carlisle has 8.0 miles of mapped trails, 1.4 for every square mile of land
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Dickinson Park Intramural Fields (1.2 mi), Thornwald Park (1 mi), Valley Meadows Park (0.5 mi). 169 acres are parks and preserves, 7.7 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #396 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
146 acres · of 5.5 sq mi of land
Trails
8.0 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
169 ac
7.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.5 mi
1.8 mi lanes · 0.8 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Carlisle?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Carlisle have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Carlisle is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #396 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Carlisle’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land7.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (169 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home95% 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 75%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 62%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Carlisle’s 4% is ahead of 30% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 87% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Dickinson Park Intramural Fields, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Valley Meadows Park
Park
16 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Dickinson Park Intramural Fields36 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsThornwald Park39 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsValley Meadows Park16 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Biddle Mission Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsLetort Park16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSeven Gables Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMorgan Field10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Dickinson College
DirectionsGoodyear Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial Park2 acres
DirectionsDickinson College Commons2 acres
DirectionsHeberlig-Palmer Park2 acres
DirectionsLindner Park2 acres · Borough of Carlisle
DirectionsButcher Tot Lot1 acres
Who protects it
146 conserved acres
4% of Carlisle’s land. Who manages Carlisle’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government144 ac
Not recorded1 ac
Local Park · 134 acLocal Recreation Area · 12 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thornwald Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 36 | Open |
| Dickinson Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 35 | Open |
| Valley Meadows Park/Forbes Path Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 19 | Open |
| Letort Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 12 | Open |
| Goodyear Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 9 | Open |
| Moreland Athletic Area Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 7 | Open |
| Seven Gables Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 6 | Open |
| Biddle Mission Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 6 | Open |
| Community Pool Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
| The Stuart Community Center Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Carlisle
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Carlisle
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Carlisle
Carlisle Community Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Carlisle
Fort LetortIn Letort Park
DirectionsPlus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Carlisle
THORNWALD MANOR PARKIn Thornwald Park
DirectionsTHORNWALD PARK--ENTRANCE-EXITIn Thornwald Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Carlisle
West Locust Community Garden
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.5 miUnpaved · 6.1 mi
LeTort Spring Run and Nature Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
3.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.8 mi
off-road bike paths
0.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
9/11 National Memorial Trail (Pennsylvania Loop)Bike route
1.6 miCourts & fields
27Tennis
12Basketball
10Baseball
7Tracks
5Soccer
3Beach volleyball
2Softball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 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 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Carlisle: 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) | 38 | 42 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Carlisle →
Next door
Carlisle and its neighbors
Carlisle has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
South Middleton Township32 miCarlisle8.0 miNorth Middleton Township7.6 miWest Pennsboro Township4.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlisle | 4% | 1.4 | 8 | 95% | B+ |
| North Middleton Township | 8% | 0.3 | 21 | 69% | B+ |
| South Middleton Township | 18% | 0.7 | 90 | 47% | A− |
| West Pennsboro Township | 23% | 0.1 | 26 | 34% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Carlisle
Where can I hike in Carlisle?
The longest trail networks: Dickinson Park Intramural Fields, 1.2 miles; Thornwald Park, 1 miles; Valley Meadows Park, 0.5 miles; Biddle Mission Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Carlisle is conserved land?
4% 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 Carlisle’s trails?
Dickinson Park Intramural Fields and Thornwald Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Carlisle?
3.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.8 of painted or protected lanes, 0.8 of off-road paths and 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: 9/11 National Memorial Trail (Pennsylvania Loop).
Is there public land near Carlisle?
26,372 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Carlisle or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 169 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Carlisle have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #396 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 Carlisle 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 →