Elk State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
6,183 acres4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Fox Township
26% of Fox Township’s land is conserved: 11,134 acres
The biggest trail networks: Elk State Forest (4 mi), Moshannon State Forest (2.2 mi). 96 acres are parks and preserves, 27 per 1,000 residents. 24% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #480 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
11,134 acres · of 67.2 sq mi of land
Trails
33 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
96 ac
27 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
24%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,965 ft
Rattlesnake Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Fox Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fox Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fox Township is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #480 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fox Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (33 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land27 acres of park per 1,000 residents (96 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home24% 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 70%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 54%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Fox Township’s 26% is ahead of 87% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 55% 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 Elk State Forest, with 4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Moshannon State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
2,359 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
State Game Lands Number 44
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
1,486 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Elk State Forest6,183 acres · 4 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
Moshannon State Forest2,359 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
State Game Lands Number 441,486 acres · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsKersey Community Park25 acres
DirectionsMain Street Park4 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
11,134 conserved acres
26% of Fox Township’s land. Who manages Fox Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources8,842 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,975 ac
State fish & wildlife1,486 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government74 ac
Not recorded108 ac
State Resource Management Area · 10,329 acConservation Easement · 1,332 acUnknown Easement · 629 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 94 acLocal Park · 74 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 633 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elk State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 6,485 | Open |
| Moshannon State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 2,357 | Open |
| State Game Land 044 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,486 | Open |
| Elk Timberlands - Wolf Lick Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 94 | Unknown |
| Fairview Road Community Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 70 | Open |
| Bennet Branch Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 27 | Open |
| Main Street Community Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Fox Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fox Township
Angela Huey Memorial ParkIn Kersey Community Park
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Fox Township
Rattlesnake Hill1,965 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & 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
4Basketball
4Baseball
2Tennis
2Soccer
2Skate park
1Equestrian
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Fox Township: May and July 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 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 76 | 79 | 78 | 71 | 60 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Fox Township →
Next door
Fox Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
St. Marys99 miHuston Township78 miRidgway Township47 miJay Township38 miFox Township33 miHorton Township29 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Township | 26% | 0.5 | 27 | 24% | B+ |
| Jay Township | 39% | 0.6 | 676 | 55% | A |
| St. Marys | 30% | 1.0 | 9 | 62% | A− |
| Huston Township | 66% | 1.2 | 1,568 | 46% | A |
| Horton Township | 35% | 0.5 | 68 | 16% | B+ |
| Ridgway Township | 68% | 0.5 | 46 | 13% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fox Township
Where can I hike in Fox Township?
The longest trail networks: Elk State Forest, 4 miles; Moshannon State Forest, 2.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fox Township is conserved land?
26% 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 Fox Township’s trails?
Elk State Forest and Moshannon State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Fox Township?
189,777 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fox Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 10,481 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fox Township have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #480 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 Fox 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 →