Tookany Creek Park
Park
36 acres0.9 mi of trail
Tookany Creek Trail West Side DirtTookany Creek Trail East Side GravelTookany Creek Trail West Side Dirt Connector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Cheltenham Township
6% of Cheltenham Township’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Tookany Creek Park (0.9 mi), Ralph Morgan Park (0.5 mi). 6% of Cheltenham Township’s land is conserved, about 345 acres. 3.9 miles of mapped trail cross Cheltenham Township, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #449 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
345 acres · of 9.0 sq mi of land
Trails
3.9 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
357 ac
9.3 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.6 mi
2.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Cheltenham Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cheltenham Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cheltenham Township is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #449 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cheltenham Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land9.3 acres of park per 1,000 residents (357 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13C+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 72%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 57%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Cheltenham Township’s 6% is ahead of 41% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 49% 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 Tookany Creek Park, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ralph Morgan Park
Park
5 acres0.5 mi of trail
Tookany Creek Trail West at JW StationTookany Creek Trail East at JW Station
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto SEPTA lot
Curtis Arboretum
Nature preserve
43 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Tacony Creek Park
Park
22 acres0.1 mi of trail
Tacony Creek Trail - Cheltenham/Melrose Connector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
All 22 parks & preserves
Tookany Creek Park36 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsRalph Morgan Park5 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHigh School Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsGeorge A. Perley Bird Sanctuary7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Cheltenham Township
DirectionsCurtis Arboretum43 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTacony Creek Park22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRichard Wall Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsThomas Williams Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCoventry Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Parkview Park15 acres
DirectionsGimbel Fields9 acres
Harry S. Renninger Recreation Area8 acres
DirectionsMelrose Park8 acres
DirectionsRussel Park7 acres
DirectionsConklin Pool and Recreation Center6 acres
DirectionsVeterans Park5 acres
DirectionsRobinson Park4 acres
DirectionsRock Lane Park2 acres
Haber Green2 acres
DirectionsWeiss Tennis Courts1 acres
DirectionsLa Mott Community Center & Playground1 acres
Tookany Playground1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
345 conserved acres
6% of Cheltenham Township’s land. Who manages Cheltenham Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government304 ac
Not recorded42 ac
Local Park · 242 acLocal Recreation Area · 38 acLocal Other or Unknown · 29 acLocal Conservation Area · 26 acResearch or Educational Area · 12 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 27 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tookany Creek Parkway Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 101 | Open |
| Curtis Arboretum Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 48 | Open |
| Municipal Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 29 | Open |
| Rock Lane Open Space Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 18 | Open |
| Edward Hicks Parry Bird Sanctuary Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 17 | Open |
| Fairmount Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 17 | Open |
| Wall Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 15 | Open |
| High School Park Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 12 | Open |
| Ogontz Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 11 | Open |
| Thomas Williams Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
49 places to go in Cheltenham Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Cheltenham Township
Conklin Swimming PoolIn Conklin Pool and Recreation Center
DirectionsGlenside Swimming PoolIn Harry S. Renninger Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Cheltenham Township
Harry Renninger PlaygroundIn Harry S. Renninger Recreation Area
Directions44 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Cheltenham Township
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Cheltenham Township
Laverock Road GardenCustis Woods Twickenham Civic Association
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.2 mi
Tookany Creek Trail West Side Dirt0.5 mi
Trolley Trail NW side of McDevitt/Arcadia0.2 mi
Tookany Creek Trail West at JW Station0.2 mi
Trolley Trail Greenway Royal to Church0.1 mi
Tookany Creek Trail at High School Park0.1 mi
Fire Field Lower Connector Trail to Ashbourne Meadows0.1 mi
Tookany Creek Trail East Side Gravel0.1 mi
Tookany Creek Trail East at JW Station0.1 mi
Tacony Creek Trail - Cheltenham/Melrose Connector0.1 mi
Tookany Creek Trail West Side Dirt Connector0.1 mi
2 more trails
Pitcairn Pl
0.1 miFire Field Trail Upper Connector to Ashbourne Meadows
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
46Tennis
19Baseball
13Basketball
9Soccer
3Softball
3Football
1Pickleball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →14 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
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.
Wall HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itRowland HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itSt. Paul's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1982
About itCamptown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About itWyncote Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itElkins Railroad Station, Philadelphia and Reading RailroadBuilding · listed 1990
About itHeller, George K., SchoolBuilding · listed 2001
About itCurtis ArboretumSite · listed 2002
About itMilmoralBuilding · listed 2003
About itHenry W. Breyer Sr. HouseBuilding · listed 2004
About it2 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Cheltenham 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 44 | 52 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 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 Cheltenham Township →
Next door
Cheltenham Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Philadelphia234 miAbington Township17 miSpringfield Township9.7 miCheltenham Township3.9 miWyncote1.2 miElkins Park0.4 miGlenside0.3 miCheltenham Village0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheltenham Township | 6% | 0.4 | 9 | 99% | B+ |
| Philadelphia | 15% | 1.7 | 7 | 99%+ | A |
| Abington Township | 8% | 1.1 | 14 | 96% | A |
| Springfield Township | 9% | 1.4 | 8 | 95% | A− |
| Wyncote | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Glenside | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cheltenham Village | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Elkins Park | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cheltenham Township
Where can I hike in Cheltenham Township?
The longest trail networks: Tookany Creek Park, 0.9 miles; Ralph Morgan Park, 0.5 miles; Curtis Arboretum, 0.1 miles; Tacony Creek Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cheltenham Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Cheltenham Township’s trails?
Tookany Creek Park and Ralph Morgan Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cheltenham Township?
2.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Cheltenham Township?
29,055 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cheltenham Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 357 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cheltenham Township have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #449 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 Cheltenham 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 →