Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge
Managed by Lehigh Gap Nature Center
754 acres7.4 mi of trail
L&NE TrailPrairie Grass TrailCharcoal TrailChestnut Oak Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in East Penn Township
East Penn Township has 885 acres of parks, 318 for every 1,000 residents
25% of East Penn Township’s land is conserved, about 3,597 acres. The biggest trail networks: Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge (7.4 mi), State Game Lands 217 (2.6 mi). 17 miles of mapped trail cross East Penn Township, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #263 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
25%
3,597 acres · of 22.7 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
885 ac
318 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
29%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.6 mi
0.4 mi lanes · 4.3 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is East Penn Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does East Penn Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, East Penn Township is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #263 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of East Penn Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land25% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land318 acres of park per 1,000 residents (885 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home29% 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 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 East Penn Township’s 25% is ahead of 85% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 68% 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 Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge, with 7.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands 217
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
1,566 acres2.6 mi of trail
Appalachian TrailSouth Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
3,597 conserved acres
25% of East Penn Township’s land. Who manages East Penn Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife3,956 ac
County723 ac
National Park Service637 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government105 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2 ac
Not recorded663 ac
State Resource Management Area · 1,987 acState Recreation Area · 1,969 acAgricultural Easement · 723 acPrivate Conservation · 646 acNational Scenic or Historic Trail · 500 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 239 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 25 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 217 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,987 | Open |
| Sgl 217 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,969 | Open |
| Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge Private Conservation | Not recorded | 642 | Open |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 500 | Open |
| Bowmanstown Borough Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 61 | Open |
| Riverview Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 43 | Open |
| Carbon County Park Local Park | Not recorded | 19 | Open |
| Wildlife Information Center Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in East Penn Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in East Penn Township
Ashfield Playground
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Dog parks in East Penn Township
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in East Penn Township
East Penn Boat Ramp
DirectionsScenic views in East Penn Township
Boulder Overlook
DirectionsCampgrounds in East Penn Township
Lizard Creek CampgroundFee
DirectionsPrimitive Camping at Riverview ParkFee · In East Penn Riverview Park · East Penn Township
DirectionsStonyBrook RV ResortFee
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
10 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.9 miHorses · 1.9 miUnpaved · 3.1 mi
Appalachian Trail5.0 mi
L&NE Trail2.6 mi
Prairie Grass Trail1.4 mi
Charcoal Trail1.0 mi
Chestnut Oak Trail0.6 mi
Three Ponds Trail0.5 mi
Double G Loop0.5 mi
South Trail0.2 mi
Bobolink Trail0.1 mi
Eagle Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
4.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.3 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
The best walking months in East Penn 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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 40 | 48 | 62 | 72 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 75 | 64 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 3.7 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.1 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in East Penn Township →
Next door
East Penn Township and its neighbors
East Penn Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lower Towamensing Township18 miEast Penn Township17 miWashington Township9.1 miWest Penn Township7.4 miPalmerton4.3 miHeidelberg Township4.0 miMahoning Township2.6 miBowmanstown0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Penn Township | 25% | 0.7 | 318 | 29% | A− |
| Palmerton | 3% | 1.7 | 7 | 94% | B+ |
| Heidelberg Township | 35% | 0.2 | 22 | 26% | B |
| Bowmanstown | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lower Towamensing Township | 7% | 0.8 | 21 | 19% | B |
| Mahoning Township | 3% | 0.1 | 3 | 13% | C− |
| Washington Township | 21% | 0.4 | 74 | 54% | A− |
| West Penn Township | 11% | 0.1 | 24 | 5% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in East Penn Township
Where can I hike in East Penn Township?
The longest trail networks: Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge, 7.4 miles; State Game Lands 217, 2.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of East Penn Township is conserved land?
25% 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 East Penn Township’s trails?
Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge and State Game Lands 217 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in East Penn Township?
4.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of painted or protected lanes and 4.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near East Penn Township?
46,186 acres of parks and open public land lie inside East Penn Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,346 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does East Penn Township have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #263 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 East Penn 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 →