McClelland Park
Managed by City of Erie
60 acres1.7 mi of trail
Wetland TrailPlayground TrailOld Farmhouse TrailMain Entry Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: User:Cards84664 · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Erie
98% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Erie
The biggest trail networks: McClelland Park (1.7 mi), Frontier Park (1.1 mi), East Erie Nature Trail Park (0.8 mi). 13 miles of mapped trail cross Erie, 0.7 per square mile of land. 434 acres are parks and preserves, 4.6 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #596 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
359 acres · of 19.1 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
434 ac
4.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
22 mi
9.9 mi lanes · 9.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
2 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Erie?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Erie have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Erie is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #596 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Erie’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land4.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (434 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13CParks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 62%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 43%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Erie’s 3% is ahead of 20% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 66% 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 McClelland Park, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Frontier Park
Managed by City of Erie
33 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
East Erie Nature Trail Park
Managed by City of Erie
28 acres0.8 mi of trail
Burton-Diehl TrailBurton-Diehl LoopThree Hills TrailBurton-Burton Heights Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Glenwood Hills Nature Trail Park
Managed by City of Erie
25 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Liberty Park
Managed by City of Erie
7 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Gridley Park
Managed by City of Erie
5 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Perry Square Park
Managed by City of Erie
5 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Glenwood Park
Managed by City of Erie
10 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 59 parks & preserves
McClelland Park60 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · City of Erie
Frontier Park33 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · City of Erie
DirectionsEast Erie Nature Trail Park28 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · City of Erie
Glenwood Hills Nature Trail Park25 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · City of Erie
DirectionsLiberty Park7 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Erie
DirectionsGridley Park5 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Erie
DirectionsPerry Square Park5 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Erie
DirectionsGlenwood Park10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Erie
DirectionsBurton Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Erie
Washington Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Erie
Wayne Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Erie
Roessler Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Erie
Joseph Walczak Senior Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Erie
DirectionsPulaski Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Erie
Gregory Stuart Baldwin Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Erie
Ravine Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Erie
Kosciuszko Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Erie
Columbus Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Erie
Trinity Green2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Mercyhurst University
DirectionsGriswold Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Erie
Grandview Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Erie
DirectionsRoma Park17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Erie
Bayview Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Erie
DirectionsBaker Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Erie
DirectionsPurple Heart Memorial Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Erie
Barbara Nitkiewicz Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Erie
DirectionsRodger Young Park13 acres · City of Erie
Brabender Park11 acres · City of Erie
Hillside Park9 acres · City of Erie
Franklin Park8 acres · City of Erie
C. Francis Haggerty Park6 acres · City of Erie
McKinley Park6 acres · City of Erie
DirectionsWoodland Park4 acres · City of Erie
DirectionsLakeside Park4 acres · City of Erie
DirectionsWallace Park3 acres · City of Erie
DirectionsTom McCarty Memorial Park3 acres · City of Erie
DirectionsEast Bayfront Park3 acres · City of Erie
Victory Park3 acres · City of Erie
Rainbow Park3 acres · City of Erie
Chautauqua Park2 acres · City of Erie
Nate Levy Park2 acres · City of Erie
Reservoir Park2 acres · City of Erie
Glenwood Heights Park1 acres · City of Erie
DirectionsHolland Street Park1 acres · City of Erie
Midtown Park1 acres · City of Erie
Strong Park1 acres · City of Erie
John G. Carney Park1 acres · City of Erie
Lighthouse Park1 acres · City of Erie
Pebble Lake Park1 acres · City of Erie
Witherspoon Park1 acres · City of Erie
Woodlawn Park1 acres · City of Erie
Ruby Schaaf Park1 acres · City of Erie
Larry Fabrizi Park1 acres · City of Erie
Pear Park1 acres · City of Erie
Fruits of Labor Park1 acres · City of Erie
Andrews Park1 acres · City of Erie
Friendship Park1 acres · City of Erie
Garden Heights Park1 acres · City of Erie
Martin Luther King Jr. Park1 acres · City of Erie
Who protects it
359 conserved acres
3% of Erie’s land. Who manages Erie’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government327 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits4 ac
Not recorded31 ac
Local Park · 339 acLocal Recreation Area · 15 acPrivate Conservation · 9 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mcclelland Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 58 | Open |
| Frontier Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 33 | Open |
| East Erie Nature Trail Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 28 | Open |
| Ravine Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 26 | Open |
| Erie Zoo Local Park | Not recorded | 21 | Open |
| Hillside Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 19 | Open |
| Roma Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 16 | Open |
| Roger Young Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 13 | Open |
| Brabender Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
| Glenwood Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
98 places to go in Erie
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Erie
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Erie
Rodger Young PoolIn Rodger Young Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Erie
Agnes R. Priscaro Playground
DirectionsAgnes R. Priscaro Playground
DirectionsDiehl Playground
DirectionsEastbrook Playground
DirectionsErie Day School Playground
DirectionsGrover Cleveland Playground
DirectionsHarding Playground
DirectionsJefferson Playground
Directions21 more playgrounds
Jo Anna Connell Playground
DirectionsLincoln Playground
DirectionsLittle Wonders Playground
DirectionsLuther Playground
DirectionsMcKinley Playground
DirectionsMercy Center Playground
DirectionsNightingale Playground
DirectionsOpen Door Full Gospel Playground
DirectionsPerry Playground
DirectionsPfeiffer-Burleigh Playground
DirectionsPresque Isle Playground
DirectionsRobert Benjamin Wiley Playground
DirectionsSaint Benedict Playground
DirectionsSaint Luke Playground
DirectionsSaint Martin Playground
DirectionsSarah Reed Playground
DirectionsThe GriffIn Frontier Park
DirectionsUnited Way Playground
DirectionsWorld of Care Playground
DirectionsYMCA Playground
DirectionsYMCA Playground
Directions84 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Erie
Larry R. Fabrizi Dog ParkIn McClelland Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Erie
Bayfront Boat Ramp
DirectionsEast Avenue Boat Ramp
DirectionsEast Avenue Boat Ramp
DirectionsEast Avenue Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Erie
22nd & Parade Community GardenSisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network
DirectionsCrenshaw Community GardenHouse of Mercy
DirectionsLight Center Ministries Community GardenLight Center Ministries
DirectionsLittle Italy Urban FarmSisters of Saint Joseph Neighborhood Network
DirectionsUrban OrchardSisters of Saint Joseph Neighborhood Network
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.4 mi
Wetland Trail0.4 mi
Burton-Diehl Trail0.3 mi
Old Glenwood Park Avenue Trail0.3 mi
Playground Trail0.3 mi
Burton-Diehl Loop0.2 mi
Old Farmhouse Trail0.2 mi
Main Entry Trail0.2 mi
Main Loop Trail0.1 mi
Three Hills Trail0.1 mi
Burton-Burton Heights Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
22 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
9.9 mi
off-road bike paths
2.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
38Basketball
31Baseball
15Tennis
11Soccer
11Football
2Pickleball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →30 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 18 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Cashier's HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itOld CustomshouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itU.s.s. NiagaraStructure · listed 1973
About itErie Land LighthouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itMain LibraryBuilding · listed 1979
About itJohn Hill HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itWest Park PlaceDistrict · listed 1980
About itKoehler, Jackson, Eagle BreweryBuilding · listed 1982
About itWarner TheaterBuilding · listed 1982
About itCharles Manning Reed MansionBuilding · listed 1982
About itCashiers House and Coach HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itWatson-Curtze MansionBuilding · listed 1983
About it18 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Erie: 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) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.2 | 15.0 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 61 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Erie →
Next door
Erie and its neighbors
Erie has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Millcreek Township36 miErie13 miHarborcreek Township11 miLawrence Park Township0.8 miWesleyville0.0 miNorthwest Harborcreek0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erie | 3% | 0.7 | 5 | 98% | B |
| Millcreek Township | 12% | 1.1 | 45 | 82% | A |
| Wesleyville | 4% | under 0.1 | 4 | 99%+ | C+ |
| Lawrence Park Township | 4% | 0.4 | 13 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Harborcreek Township | 10% | 0.3 | 78 | 58% | B+ |
| Northwest Harborcreek | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Erie
Where can I hike in Erie?
The longest trail networks: McClelland Park, 1.7 miles; Frontier Park, 1.1 miles; East Erie Nature Trail Park, 0.8 miles; Glenwood Hills Nature Trail Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Erie is conserved land?
3% 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 Erie’s trails?
McClelland Park and Frontier Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Erie?
22 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.9 of painted or protected lanes, 9.9 of off-road paths and 2.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Erie?
10,274 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Erie or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 434 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Erie have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #596 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 Erie 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 →