West End Regional Park
Nature preserve
238 acres11.9 mi of trail
RoundaboutDown BelowExtra CreditRoller Coaster+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli from Pennsylvania, USA · CC BY 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Chestnuthill Township
20% of Chestnuthill Township’s land is conserved: 4,823 acres
1,254 acres are parks and preserves, 75 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: West End Regional Park (11.9 mi), The Big Woods Natural Area (7.1 mi), Chestnuthill Township Park (2 mi). 26 miles of mapped trail cross Chestnuthill Township, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #342 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
4,823 acres · of 37.4 sq mi of land
Trails
26 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,254 ac
75 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
25%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,752 ft
Pohopco Mountains
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Chestnuthill Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Chestnuthill Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Chestnuthill Township is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #342 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Chestnuthill Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (26 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land75 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,254 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home25% 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 77%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 67%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Chestnuthill Township’s 20% is ahead of 80% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 67% 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 West End Regional Park, with 11.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
The Big Woods Natural Area
Managed by Chestnuthill Township
768 acres7.1 mi of trail
Big Woods Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Chestnuthill Township Park
Park
39 acres2 mi of trail
Gravel TrailPaved TrailOuter Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Silver Valley Natural Area
Nature preserve
107 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
State Game Lands Number 38
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
1,110 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
West End Regional Park238 acres · 11.9 mi of trail
DirectionsThe Big Woods Natural Area768 acres · 7.1 mi of trail · Chestnuthill Township
DirectionsChestnuthill Township Park39 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsSilver Valley Natural Area107 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 381,110 acres · 1 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
Bethlehem Authority Tunkhannock211 acres
Merwinsburg Hotel Property Natural Area45 acres · Chestnuthill Township
Who protects it
4,823 conserved acres
20% of Chestnuthill Township’s land. Who manages Chestnuthill Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County4,686 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,554 ac
Town or city1,955 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1,210 ac
State fish & wildlife1,110 ac
Joint34 ac
Not recorded83 ac
Agricultural Easement · 4,686 acConservation Easement · 2,137 acForest Stewardship Easement · 1,735 acState Resource Management Area · 1,110 acLocal Conservation Area · 702 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,416 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 257 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 038 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,110 | Open |
| Big Woods Natural Area Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 702 | Open |
| West End Regional Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 234 | Open |
| Joshmore Acquisition Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 212 | Restricted |
| Lake Mineola Marsh Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 107 | Open |
| Chestnuthill Township Land Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 67 | Unknown |
| PHLT Conservation Private Conservation | Not recorded | 58 | Unknown |
| Chestnuthill Township Local Park | Not recorded | 50 | Unknown |
| Shiffer Acquisition Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 49 | Restricted |
| Merwinsburg Hotel Property Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 49 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
7 places to go in Chestnuthill Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Chestnuthill Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Chestnuthill Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Chestnuthill Township
Pohopco Mountains1,752 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Chestnuthill Township
Trails & water
25 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.9 miUnpaved · 2.4 mi
Roundabout1.5 mi
Big Woods Trail1.4 mi
Down Below1.1 mi
Extra Credit0.8 mi
Roller Coaster0.8 mi
Field Loop0.7 mi
Dave Fleetwood Memorial Trail0.7 mi
Gravel Trail0.7 mi
Creek Run0.7 mi
Pine Loop0.5 mi
15 more trails
No Bones
0.5 miPaved Trail
0.5 miSpruce Loop
0.3 miBeechnut
0.3 miHard Left
0.3 miMidway
0.3 miDown Draft
0.3 miBones
0.3 miLazy
0.3 miOuter Loop Trail
0.2 miGoldenrod Loop
0.2 miFun Stuff
0.2 miConnector
0.2 miCross Over
0.1 miCrazy
0.1 miLakes & 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
7Tennis
6Baseball
4Soccer
3Basketball
1Football
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Chestnuthill Township: April, May, July 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 38 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Chestnuthill Township →
Next door
Chestnuthill Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Tunkhannock Township58 miJackson Township32 miChestnuthill Township26 miPolk Township25 miRoss Township6.9 miIndian Mountain Lake0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chestnuthill Township | 20% | 0.7 | 75 | 25% | A− |
| Polk Township | 28% | 0.8 | 67 | 18% | A− |
| Tunkhannock Township | 59% | 1.5 | 90 | 36% | A |
| Jackson Township | 38% | 1.1 | 200 | 34% | A |
| Indian Mountain Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ross Township | 20% | 0.3 | 14 | 12% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Chestnuthill Township
Where can I hike in Chestnuthill Township?
The longest trail networks: West End Regional Park, 11.9 miles; The Big Woods Natural Area, 7.1 miles; Chestnuthill Township Park, 2 miles; Silver Valley Natural Area, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Chestnuthill Township is conserved land?
20% 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 Chestnuthill Township’s trails?
West End Regional Park and The Big Woods Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Chestnuthill Township?
53,062 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Chestnuthill Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,376 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Chestnuthill Township have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #342 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 Chestnuthill 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 →