Buchanan State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
2,338 acres13.5 mi of trail
ATV trailShaffer TrailCabin TrailReservoir Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Colerain Township
Colerain Township has 87 miles of mapped trails, 2.1 for every square mile of land
182 acres are parks and preserves, 174 per 1,000 residents. 17% of Colerain Township’s land is conserved, about 4,465 acres. The biggest trail networks: Buchanan State Forest (13.5 mi), State Game Lands Number 97 (4.4 mi).
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
4,465 acres · of 41.9 sq mi of land
Trails
87 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
182 ac
174 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
3%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Colerain Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Colerain Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Colerain Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Colerain Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (87 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land174 acres of park per 1,000 residents (182 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home3% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 81%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Colerain Township’s 17% is ahead of 74% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 94% 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 Buchanan State Forest, with 13.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 97
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
1,079 acres4.4 mi of trail
Mid-State Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Martin Hill Wild Area
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sweet Root Natural Area
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
4,465 conserved acres
17% of Colerain Township’s land. Who manages Colerain Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County3,262 ac
State natural resources2,338 ac
State fish & wildlife982 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)486 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits173 ac
Not recorded173 ac
Agricultural Easement · 3,748 acState Resource Management Area · 3,308 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 173 acPrivate Conservation · 173 acState Conservation Area · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 981 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 2,326 | Open |
| State Game Land 097 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 982 | Open |
| Berger Tract Private Recreation or Education | Not recorded | 346 | Open |
| Sweet Root Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 8 | Open |
| Martin Hill Wild Area State Wilderness | State natural resources | 4 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Colerain Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Colerain Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Swimming spots in Colerain Township
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Colerain Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Colerain Township
Blankley Picnic AreaIn Buchanan State Forest
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.8 miHorses · 8.7 miUnpaved · 31.8 mi
Mid-State Trail3.9 mi
ATV trail2.9 mi
Shaffer Trail1.3 mi
Reservoir Trail1.1 mi
Cabin Trail0.7 mi
Refuge Trail0.5 mi
Fairview Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Colerain Township: April, 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 41 | 50 | 63 | 72 | 80 | 84 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Colerain Township →
Next door
Colerain Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Southampton Township151 miCumberland Valley Township147 miBedford Township122 miColerain Township87 miMonroe Township64 miSnake Spring Township55 miWest Providence Township32 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colerain Township | 17% | 2.1 | 174 | 3% | A− |
| Monroe Township | 15% | 0.7 | under 1 | under 1% | C |
| Cumberland Valley Township | 18% | 2.5 | 6 | 5% | B |
| Bedford Township | 3% | 1.8 | 63 | 21% | B+ |
| Southampton Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Snake Spring Township | 6% | 2.1 | 20 | 28% | B+ |
| West Providence Township | 5% | 0.8 | 12 | 22% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Colerain Township
Where can I hike in Colerain Township?
The longest trail networks: Buchanan State Forest, 13.5 miles; State Game Lands Number 97, 4.4 miles; Martin Hill Wild Area, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Colerain Township is conserved land?
17% 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 Colerain Township’s trails?
Buchanan State Forest and State Game Lands Number 97 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Colerain Township?
62,933 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Colerain Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,507 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Colerain Township have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Colerain 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 →