Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
695 acres13.8 mi of trail
Boulevard TrailWatershed TrailCoffee Pot Hollow TrailLaurel Path+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: brian kelly · CC BY 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Cumru Township
Cumru Township has 104 miles of mapped trails, 5.0 for every square mile of land
10% of Cumru Township’s land is conserved, about 1,373 acres. The biggest trail networks: Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center (13.8 mi), Neversink Mountain Preserve (11.4 mi), Gibraltar Hill Tract (1.8 mi). 69% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #261 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
1,373 acres · of 20.9 sq mi of land
Trails
104 mi
5.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
212 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
69%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.5 mi
2.5 mi paths
Highest peak
374 ft
Highs Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Cumru Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Cumru Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Cumru Township is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #261 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Cumru Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails5.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (104 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (212 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home69% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 75%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Cumru Township’s 10% is ahead of 58% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 100% 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 Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center, with 13.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Neversink Mountain Preserve
Managed by Berks Nature
362 acres11.4 mi of trail
Neversink South TrailWest Woodland TrailWest Valley Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Gibraltar Hill Tract
Nature preserve
71 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 11 parks & preserves
Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center695 acres · 13.8 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
DirectionsNeversink Mountain Preserve362 acres · 11.4 mi of trail · Berks Nature
Gibraltar Hill Tract71 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsShillington Park22 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsAngelica Creek Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Berks Nature
DirectionsKline's creek park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
William Penn State Forest71 acres · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
State Game Lands Number 3247 acres · Pennsylvania Game Commission
Cumru Township Building Playground and Recreation Area6 acres
DirectionsMontrose Manor Playground2 acres
DirectionsPennwyn Playground1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,373 conserved acres
10% of Cumru Township’s land. Who manages Cumru Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,477 ac
State parks1,330 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government84 ac
State natural resources70 ac
Other state land69 ac
Private owners48 ac
State fish & wildlife7 ac
State Resource Management Area · 852 acConservation Easement · 757 acState Other or Unknown · 694 acForest Stewardship Easement · 628 acPrivate Conservation · 176 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 337 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 46 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center State Other or Unknown | State parks | 1,330 | Open |
| William Penn State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 210 | Open |
| Schuylkill River Greenways Property Private Conservation | Not recorded | 85 | Open |
| Neversink Mountain Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 64 | Open |
| Neversink Mountain Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 53 | Open |
| Sovereign Sports Park Local Park | Private owners | 48 | Open |
| Berks County Park Local Park | Not recorded | 42 | Unknown |
| Berks County Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 18 | Open |
| Neversink / Manuszak Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 18 | Closed |
| Neversink / Feick Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 12 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Cumru Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Cumru Township
Flying Hills Swimming Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Cumru Township
Chickadee Nature Discovery AreaIn Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center
DirectionsPlus 16 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Cumru Township
Rock OutcropIn Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center
DirectionsPeaks in Cumru Township
Highs Hill374 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Cumru Township
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
24 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.1 miUnpaved · 17.0 mi
Boulevard Trail2.0 mi
Watershed Trail1.3 mi
Coffee Pot Hollow Trail1.1 mi
Laurel Path1.0 mi
Buck Hollow Trail0.7 mi
Owl Trail0.6 mi
Neversink South Trail0.6 mi
West Woodland Trail0.6 mi
Ridge Trail0.5 mi
Spruce Trail0.5 mi
14 more trails
Appletree Trail
0.4 miWest Valley Trail
0.4 miBeech Trail
0.4 miChestnut Trail
0.3 miCoffee Pot Trail
0.3 miPond Loop Trail
0.3 miWalking Trail
0.2 miKohout Trail
0.2 miPileated Trail
0.1 miPainted Turtle Pond Trail
0.1 miDelong Trail
0.1 miSheerlund Trail
0.1 miDowny Woodpecker
0.1 miOak Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
19Tennis
6Baseball
5Soccer
5Basketball
2Equestrian
1Golf
1Field hockey
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
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 Cumru Township: April to June
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 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 42 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Cumru Township →
Next door
Cumru Township and its neighbors
Cumru Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Cumru Township104 miReading55 miSpring Township24 miWyomissing17 miShillington4.3 miPennwyn2.1 miKenhorst1.6 miGrill1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumru Township | 10% | 5.0 | 14 | 69% | A− |
| Reading | 17% | 5.6 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
| Grill | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Shillington | 11% | 4.3 | 13 | 99%+ | A |
| Kenhorst | 5% | 2.7 | 6 | 99%+ | A− |
| Spring Township | 6% | 1.3 | 12 | 91% | A− |
| Pennwyn | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wyomissing | 9% | 3.7 | 24 | 98% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cumru Township
Where can I hike in Cumru Township?
The longest trail networks: Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center, 13.8 miles; Neversink Mountain Preserve, 11.4 miles; Gibraltar Hill Tract, 1.8 miles; Shillington Park, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Cumru Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Cumru Township’s trails?
Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center and Neversink Mountain Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Cumru Township?
2.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Cumru Township?
33,408 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cumru Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,163 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Cumru Township have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #261 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 Cumru 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 →