Buchanan State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
742 acres3.2 mi of trail
Fry TrailBroad Mountain TrailCradle Gap TrailNorth Mountain Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bridge between Guilford and Hamilton Townships · Photo: Smallbones · CC0COutdoors
Outdoors in Hamilton Township
Hamilton Township has 8.0 miles of mapped trails, 0.2 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Buchanan State Forest (3.2 mi). 14% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 34 acres are parks and preserves, 2.9 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 27% of U.S. towns · #962 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,036 acres · of 35.5 sq mi of land
Trails
8.0 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
34 ac
2.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hamilton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hamilton Township is ahead of 27% of U.S. towns, #962 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hamilton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land2.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (34 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home14% 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 27%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 7%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Hamilton Township’s 5% is ahead of 33% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 34% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. 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 Buchanan State Forest, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Nitterhouse Park and Soccer Complex
Park
15 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
State Game Lands Number 235
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
214 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,036 conserved acres
5% of Hamilton Township’s land. Who manages Hamilton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources742 ac
State fish & wildlife214 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits123 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government19 ac
State Resource Management Area · 956 acAgricultural Easement · 123 acLocal Park · 19 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 62 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 742 | Open |
| State Game Land 235 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 214 | Open |
| Nellie & T.K. Nitterhouse Memorial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 19 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Hamilton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hamilton Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.1 miHorses · 0.9 mi
Fry Trail0.7 mi
Cradle Gap Trail0.5 mi
Broad Mountain Trail0.4 mi
North Mountain Trail0.3 mi
Dry Gap Trail0.2 mi
Two Mile Trail0.1 mi
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
6Baseball
3Soccer
2Basketball
1Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Bridge between Guilford and Hamilton TownshipsStructure · listed 1988
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Hamilton Township: April, 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 43 | 52 | 65 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.3 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Hamilton Township →
Next door
Hamilton Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Greene Township37 miLetterkenny Township34 miGuilford Township31 miSt. Thomas Township14 miHamilton Township8.0 miChambersburg1.6 miMarion1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton Township | 5% | 0.2 | 3 | 14% | C |
| St. Thomas Township | 22% | 0.3 | 5 | 10% | C+ |
| Guilford Township | 21% | 0.6 | 46 | 27% | B+ |
| Chambersburg | 2% | 0.2 | 5 | 92% | B− |
| Letterkenny Township | 19% | 0.5 | 18 | 14% | B |
| Marion | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Greene Township | 25% | 0.7 | 66 | 42% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hamilton Township
Where can I hike in Hamilton Township?
The longest trail networks: Buchanan State Forest, 3.2 miles; Nitterhouse Park and Soccer Complex, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hamilton Township is conserved land?
5% 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 Hamilton Township’s trails?
Buchanan State Forest and Nitterhouse Park and Soccer Complex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hamilton Township?
45,459 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hamilton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 989 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hamilton Township have?
Ahead of 27% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #962 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 Hamilton 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 →