Forbes State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
5,576 acres26 mi of trail
Quarry TrailFish Run TrailWolf Rocks Loop TrailGrove Run Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Generic1139 · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Cook Township
38% of Cook Township’s land is conserved: 11,365 acres
987 acres are parks and preserves, 409 per 1,000 residents. 45 miles of mapped trail cross Cook Township, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Forbes State Forest (26 mi), Powdermill Nature Reserve (6.6 mi), Linn Run State Park (3.7 mi).
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
38%
11,365 acres · of 46.8 sq mi of land
Trails
45 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
987 ac
409 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
8%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is Cook Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cook Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cook Township is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cook Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land38% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (45 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land409 acres of park per 1,000 residents (987 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home8% 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 82%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Cook Township’s 38% is ahead of 95% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 76% 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 Forbes State Forest, with 26 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Powdermill Nature Reserve
Nature preserve
2,000 acres6.6 mi of trail
Porcupine Ridge TrailSugar Camp TrailBlack Birch TrailWoodland Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Linn Run State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
615 acres3.7 mi of trail
Adam Falls TrailGrove Run TrailIscrupe TrailFlat Rock Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
11,365 conserved acres
38% of Cook Township’s land. Who manages Cook Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits14,990 ac
State natural resources5,653 ac
State parks906 ac
County405 ac
Not recorded2,091 ac
Conservation Easement · 7,694 acState Resource Management Area · 5,653 acForest Stewardship Easement · 4,670 acPrivate Conservation · 3,852 acAgricultural Easement · 1,133 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,770 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 108 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 5,653 | Open |
| Powdermill Nature Reserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 3,701 | Open |
| Linn Run State Park State Park | State parks | 615 | Open |
| Laurel Ridge State Park State Park | State parks | 291 | Open |
| Buffalo Nut Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 126 | Unknown |
| Armstrong/Simonds Private Conservation | Not recorded | 24 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Cook Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Cook Township
Wolf RocksIn Forbes State Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Cook Township
1 peak without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Cook Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
18 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 23.9 miHorses · 24.1 miUnpaved · 16.9 mi
Fish Run Trail4.2 mi
Quarry Trail3.9 mi
Grove Run Trail3.8 mi
Wolf Rocks Loop Trail3.4 mi
Powdermill Loop Trail2.6 mi
Porcupine Ridge Trail1.7 mi
Adam Falls Trail1.1 mi
Sugar Camp Trail0.7 mi
Hobblebush Trail0.5 mi
Black Birch Trail0.5 mi
8 more trails
Flat Rock Trail
0.4 miBrant Trail
0.4 miLaurel Highlands Hiking Trail
0.4 miSpruce Flats Trail
0.4 miIscrupe Trail
0.3 miBobcat Trail
0.3 miDarr Trail
0.2 miWoodland Trail
0.1 miBiking & 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
3Tennis
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Linn Run State Park Family Cabin DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Cook Township: April, May 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) | 37 | 40 | 49 | 63 | 72 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 64 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Cook Township →
Next door
Cook Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Ligonier Township55 miJefferson Township54 miDonegal Township51 miCook Township45 miUnity Township27 miLincoln Township15 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cook Township | 38% | 1.0 | 409 | 8% | A− |
| Donegal Township | 39% | 1.0 | 2,334 | 17% | A |
| Jefferson Township | 32% | 1.3 | 1,148 | 21% | A |
| Unity Township | 5% | 0.4 | 23 | 27% | B− |
| Lincoln Township | 12% | 0.6 | 352 | 8% | B+ |
| Ligonier Township | 18% | 0.6 | 191 | 30% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cook Township
Where can I hike in Cook Township?
The longest trail networks: Forbes State Forest, 26 miles; Powdermill Nature Reserve, 6.6 miles; Linn Run State Park, 3.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cook Township is conserved land?
38% 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 Cook Township’s trails?
Forbes State Forest and Powdermill Nature Reserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Cook Township?
53,242 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cook Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,635 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cook Township have?
Ahead of 82% 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 Cook 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 →