Photo: Zrudisin · CC BY-SA 4.098% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Franklin
2.6 miles of mapped trail cross Franklin, 0.6 per square mile of land. 28 acres are parks and preserves, 4.7 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns · #723 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Franklin?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Franklin have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Franklin is ahead of 52% of U.S. towns, #723 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Franklin’s 1% is ahead of 6% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 59% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Bandstand Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
15th Street Park
All 6 parks & preserves
24 conserved acres
1% of Franklin’s land. Who manages Franklin’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverfront Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 8 | Open |
| Fountain Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
| Oak Hill Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
| Franklin Heights Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
| Fifteenth Street Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
| Bandstand Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
| Third Street Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
| Fourteenth Street Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
| Atlantic Avenue Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
| Buffalo Street Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
4 places to go in Franklin
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
1 peak without a name on the map.
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
1 lakes & rivers
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Franklin: April, May, August and 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) | 34 | 38 | 47 | 61 | 71 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Franklin →
Franklin and its neighbors
Franklin has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | 1% | 0.6 | 5 | 98% | B− |
| Sugarcreek | 4% | 0.4 | 114 | 59% | B+ |
| Sandycreek Township | 4% | 0.1 | 4 | 20% | C− |
| Frenchcreek Township | 5% | under 0.1 | 106 | 9% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Franklin
Where can I hike in Franklin?
The longest trail networks: Bandstand Park, 0.4 miles; Riverfront Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Franklin is conserved land?
1% 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 Franklin’s trails?
Bandstand Park and Riverfront Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Franklin?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Franklin?
24,984 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Franklin or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 28 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Franklin have?
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #723 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 Franklin neighbors.
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 →