Wintergreen Gorge
Managed by Penn State Behrend
225 acres2.9 mi of trail
Fourmile Creek Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Harborcreek Township
Harborcreek Township has 1,303 acres of parks, 78 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Harborcreek Township’s land is conserved, about 2,197 acres. The biggest trail networks: Wintergreen Gorge (2.9 mi), Sixmile Creek Park (1.8 mi), Harborcreek Community Park (1.4 mi). 11 miles of mapped trail cross Harborcreek Township, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #409 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
2,197 acres · of 34.1 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,303 ac
78 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.0 mi
2.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
3 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Harborcreek Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Harborcreek Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Harborcreek Township is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #409 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Harborcreek Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land78 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,303 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home58% 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 74%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 61%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Harborcreek Township’s 10% is ahead of 57% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 42% 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 Wintergreen Gorge, with 2.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sixmile Creek Park
Managed by Harborcreek Township
185 acres1.8 mi of trail
Across The Creek TrailWest TrailSouth TrailBlue Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Harborcreek Community Park
Managed by Harborcreek Township
133 acres1.4 mi of trail
Harborcreek Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Highmeyer Park
Managed by Harborcreek Township
17 acres0.3 mi of trail
Highmeyer Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Wintergreen Gorge225 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · Penn State Behrend
DirectionsSixmile Creek Park185 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Harborcreek Township
DirectionsHarborcreek Community Park133 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Harborcreek Township
DirectionsHighmeyer Park17 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Harborcreek Township
Whitford Park8 acres · Harborcreek Township
DirectionsShades Beach Park7 acres · Harborcreek Township
DirectionsHarborcreek Little League Park5 acres · Harborcreek Township
Rolling Ridge Park2 acres · Harborcreek Township
Cumberland Park2 acres · Harborcreek Township
Ball Pavillion Park1 acres · Brevillier Village
Who protects it
2,197 conserved acres
10% of Harborcreek Township’s land. Who manages Harborcreek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County2,254 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1,378 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits54 ac
State fish & wildlife1 ac
Not recorded806 ac
Agricultural Easement · 2,254 acLocal Park · 1,004 acPrivate Agricultural · 752 acLocal Conservation Area · 210 acLocal Recreation Area · 164 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 12 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 43 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Six Mile Creek Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 465 | Open |
| Shades Beach Park South Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 296 | Open |
| Wintergreen Gorge Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 210 | Open |
| Wood Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 202 | Closed |
| Moorhead Vineyards Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 175 | Closed |
| Downing Municipal Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 164 | Unknown |
| Moorhead Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 135 | Closed |
| Harborcreek Community Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 134 | Open |
| Whitney Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 120 | Closed |
| Shannon Road Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 84 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
30 places to go in Harborcreek Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Harborcreek Township
Public pools in Harborcreek Township
Harborcreek Youth Services Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Harborcreek Township
Arneman Playground
DirectionsHarborcreek Playground
DirectionsHarborcreek Playground
DirectionsHarborcreek Youth Services Playground
DirectionsKlein Playground
DirectionsMilestones Playground
DirectionsPenn State Behrend Early Learning Center Playground
DirectionsRolling Ridge Playground
Directions6 more playgrounds
Rolling Ridge Playground
DirectionsYMCA Playground
DirectionsYMCA Playground
DirectionsYMCA Playground
DirectionsYMCA Playground
DirectionsYMCA Playground
DirectionsPlus 6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Harborcreek Township
Shades Beach Boat Launch
DirectionsWaterfalls in Harborcreek Township
3 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Harborcreek Township
Glenhill FarmhouseHours: Mon–Fri 8 am – 5 pm
DirectionsDisc golf in Harborcreek Township
Penn State Behrend Disk Golf
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.2 mi
Harborcreek Trail1.2 mi
Across The Creek Trail0.7 mi
West Trail0.5 mi
Highmeyer Trail0.3 mi
Fourmile Creek Trail0.3 mi
South Trail0.2 mi
Blue Trail0.2 mi
Gospel Hill Trail0.1 mi
Cyan Trail0.1 mi
Behrend Pond Trail0.1 mi
1 more trails
Magenta Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
22Baseball
12Tennis
9Basketball
8Soccer
4Volleyball
2Football
2Pickleball
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Harborcreek Township: 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 | 35 | 44 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 61 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.5 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Harborcreek Township →
Next door
Harborcreek Township and its neighbors
Harborcreek Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Erie13 miHarborcreek Township11 miGreenfield Township4.7 miNorth East Township2.2 miGreene Township0.9 miLawrence Park Township0.8 miNorthwest Harborcreek0.0 miWesleyville0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harborcreek Township | 10% | 0.3 | 78 | 58% | B+ |
| Northwest Harborcreek | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wesleyville | 4% | under 0.1 | 4 | 99%+ | C+ |
| North East Township | 13% | 0.1 | 15 | 23% | C+ |
| Lawrence Park Township | 4% | 0.4 | 13 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Erie | 3% | 0.7 | 5 | 98% | B |
| Greenfield Township | 5% | 0.1 | 51 | 7% | C+ |
| Greene Township | 9% | under 0.1 | 79 | 22% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Harborcreek Township
Where can I hike in Harborcreek Township?
The longest trail networks: Wintergreen Gorge, 2.9 miles; Sixmile Creek Park, 1.8 miles; Harborcreek Community Park, 1.4 miles; Highmeyer Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Harborcreek Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Harborcreek Township’s trails?
Wintergreen Gorge and Sixmile Creek Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Harborcreek Township?
2.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Harborcreek Township?
13,251 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harborcreek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,305 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Harborcreek Township have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #409 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 Harborcreek 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 →