J. Edward Mack Scout Reservation
Nature preserve
357 acres9.3 mi of trail
North Valley TrailSharp Valley TrailLost Valley TrailLight Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Stiegel-Coleman House · Photo: Smallbones · CC0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Elizabeth Township
42% of Elizabeth Township’s land is conserved: 4,667 acres
36 miles of mapped trail cross Elizabeth Township, 2.1 per square mile of land. 513 acres are parks and preserves, 129 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: J. Edward Mack Scout Reservation (9.3 mi), State Game Lands Number 156 (8.8 mi), State Game Lands Number 46 (4.7 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #61 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
4,667 acres · of 17.4 sq mi of land
Trails
36 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
513 ac
129 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
57%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,004 ft
Eagle Rock
Lakes & rivers
3
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Elizabeth Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Elizabeth Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Elizabeth Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #61 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Elizabeth Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (36 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land129 acres of park per 1,000 residents (513 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home57% 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 94%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 94%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Elizabeth Township’s 42% is ahead of 97% 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 A 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 J. Edward Mack Scout Reservation, with 9.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 156
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
1,140 acres8.8 mi of trail
Horse-Shoe TrailSpring TrailExplorer Lodge TrailOld Horse-Shoe Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
State Game Lands Number 46
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
828 acres4.7 mi of trail
Horse-Shoe TrailOld Horse-Shoe Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Speedwell Forge County Park
Managed by Lancaster County Parks and Recreation
334 acres2.8 mi of trail
Oak Loop TrailHammer Creek Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Speedwell Forge Lake Access Area
Nature preserve
235 acres1.6 mi of trail
Conestoga Trail System
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rannels Kettle Run Nature Preserve
Managed by Lancaster Conservancy
90 acres1 mi of trail
Horse-Shoe Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
de Perrot Woods Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
107 acres0.3 mi of trail
Conestoga Trail System
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
J. Edward Mack Scout Reservation357 acres · 9.3 mi of trail
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 1561,140 acres · 8.8 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 46828 acres · 4.7 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsSpeedwell Forge County Park334 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · Lancaster County Parks and Recreation
DirectionsSpeedwell Forge Lake Access Area235 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRannels Kettle Run Nature Preserve90 acres · 1 mi of trail · Lancaster Conservancy
de Perrot Woods Nature Preserve107 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Speedwell Forge Nature Preserve84 acres
Upper Hopewell Forge Wildlife Sanctuary9 acres · Lancaster Conservancy
DirectionsPenn-Elm Area Lions Club Park2 acres · Penryn Fire Company
Who protects it
4,667 conserved acres
42% of Elizabeth Township’s land. Who manages Elizabeth Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County2,703 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,449 ac
State fish & wildlife2,336 ac
Joint575 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government360 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)81 ac
Not recorded789 ac
Agricultural Easement · 4,731 acState Resource Management Area · 1,911 acForest Stewardship Easement · 646 acPrivate Agricultural · 473 acPrivate Conservation · 423 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,370 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 115 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 046 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,062 | Open |
| State Game Land 156 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 849 | Open |
| Speedwell Forge County Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 335 | Open |
| Speedwell Forge Lake (formerly Hammer Creek Dam Site) State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 245 | Open |
| 1990-002-1 Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 198 | Closed |
| Rannel's Kettle Run Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 182 | Open |
| de Perrot Woods Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 138 | Open |
| Nature Preserve at Speedwell Forge Private Conservation | Not recorded | 85 | Closed |
| 2010-004 Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 73 | Closed |
| 2020-002 Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 49 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Elizabeth Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Elizabeth Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Elizabeth Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Elizabeth Township
6 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Elizabeth Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Elizabeth Township
Eagle Rock1,004 ft elevation · In State Game Lands Number 156
DirectionsCannon Hill860 ft elevation · In State Game Lands Number 46
DirectionsForge Hill850 ft elevation · In J. Edward Mack Scout Reservation
DirectionsTrails & water
16 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.5 miHorses · 4.4 miUnpaved · 13.5 mi
Horse-Shoe Trail6.1 mi
Conestoga Trail System5.7 mi
Old Horse-Shoe Trail2.0 mi
Hammer Creek Trail1.7 mi
Spring Trail1.6 mi
Oak Loop Trail1.1 mi
North Valley Trail1.1 mi
Sharp Valley Trail1.1 mi
Lost Valley Trail0.9 mi
Light Trail0.8 mi
6 more trails
Forge Hill Trail
0.7 miBig Timbr Trail
0.5 miExplorer Lodge Trail
0.5 miActivities Trail
0.4 miGameland Trail
0.3 miValley Brook Trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & 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
3Soccer
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Elizabeth Township: April to June 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) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Elizabeth Township →
Next door
Elizabeth Township and its neighbors
Elizabeth Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Elizabeth Township36 miClay Township21 miPenn Township21 miWarwick Township7.5 miHeidelberg Township4.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Township | 42% | 2.1 | 129 | 57% | A |
| Clay Township | 45% | 0.9 | 5 | 49% | B+ |
| Warwick Township | 24% | 0.4 | 10 | 52% | B |
| Penn Township | 36% | 0.7 | 18 | 53% | A− |
| Heidelberg Township | 16% | 0.2 | 12 | 27% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Elizabeth Township
Where can I hike in Elizabeth Township?
The longest trail networks: J. Edward Mack Scout Reservation, 9.3 miles; State Game Lands Number 156, 8.8 miles; State Game Lands Number 46, 4.7 miles; Speedwell Forge County Park, 2.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Elizabeth Township is conserved land?
42% 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 Elizabeth Township’s trails?
J. Edward Mack Scout Reservation and State Game Lands Number 156 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Elizabeth Township?
22,409 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Elizabeth Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,739 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Elizabeth Township have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #61 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 Elizabeth 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 →