Catawissa Recreation Area - Weiser State Forest
Managed by DCNR
2,118 acres1.8 mi of trail
T455
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Jakec · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in East Union Township
East Union Township has 2,105 acres of parks, 1,181 for every 1,000 residents
14% of East Union Township’s land is conserved, about 2,249 acres. The biggest trail networks: Catawissa Recreation Area - Weiser State Forest (1.8 mi). 12 miles of mapped trail cross East Union Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
2,249 acres · of 25.8 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,105 ac
1,181 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
37%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,827 ft
Blue Head
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is East Union Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does East Union Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, East Union Township is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns. 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 Union Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land1,181 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,105 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home37% 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 79%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so East Union Township’s 14% is ahead of 68% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 52% 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 Catawissa Recreation Area - Weiser State Forest, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sheppton Park
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Brandonville Park
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
2,249 conserved acres
14% of East Union Township’s land. Who manages East Union Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources2,081 ac
State fish & wildlife139 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)18 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government11 ac
State Recreation Area · 2,081 acState Resource Management Area · 139 acConservation Easement · 18 acLocal Recreation Area · 8 acLocal Park · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catawissa Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 2,081 | Open |
| State Game Land 308 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 139 | Open |
| Ringtown Valley Recreation Area Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 8 | Open |
| East Union Municipal Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in East Union Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Fishing spots in East Union Township
Park Crest Fish and Game
DirectionsPeaks in East Union Township
Blue Head1,827 ft elevation
DirectionsRound Head1,824 ft elevation
DirectionsGreen Mountain1,575 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.6 mi
T4551.8 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in East Union Township: May to September
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 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 60 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in East Union Township →
Next door
East Union Township and its neighbors
East Union Township has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Union Township | 14% | 0.5 | 1,181 | 37% | A− |
| Union Township | 12% | 0.1 | 20 | 27% | B− |
| Mahanoy Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 5 | 89% | C |
| North Union Township | 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in East Union Township
Where can I hike in East Union Township?
The longest trail networks: Catawissa Recreation Area - Weiser State Forest, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of East Union Township is conserved land?
14% 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 Union Township’s trails?
Catawissa Recreation Area - Weiser State Forest and Sheppton Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near East Union Township?
37,226 acres of parks and open public land lie inside East Union Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,245 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does East Union Township have?
Ahead of 79% 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 East Union 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 →