Wildwood Park
Park
229 acres2.7 mi of trail
East Shore TrailNorth BoardwalkFox Run TrailTall Timbers Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto North LotWebsite ↗
Photo: Ted Van Pelt · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Harrisburg
12% of Harrisburg’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 9.1 miles of mapped trail cross Harrisburg, 1.1 per square mile of land. 12% of Harrisburg’s land is conserved, about 619 acres.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #136 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
619 acres · of 8.1 sq mi of land
Trails
9.1 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
693 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
22 mi
2.9 mi lanes · 17 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Harrisburg?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild12% of the land is conserved; a typical Pennsylvania town, 8%.Parks close to homeVirtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park.A trail town1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 83% of U.S. towns.History along the way37 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Harrisburg have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Harrisburg is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #136 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Harrisburg’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (693 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 87%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Harrisburg’s 12% is ahead of 63% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 81% of them.
Water is 32% of Harrisburg’s area (4 of 12 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 8%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Wildwood Park, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Reservoir Park
Park
53 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Italian Lake Park
Park
13 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 19 parks & preserves
Wildwood Park229 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
DirectionsReservoir Park53 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsItalian Lake Park13 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsCity Island62 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCapitol Park5 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsSoldier's Grove4 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverfront Park52 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsPhoenix Park20 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Harrisburg
Directions4th & Emerald Playground2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSheets Island Archipelago Natural Area61 acres · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
Morrison "Sunshine" Park5 acres
7th & Radnor Sports Park4 acres
DirectionsDonald B. Stabler Memorial Park2 acres
DirectionsJackson Lick Pool Recreation Area1 acres
DirectionsWilson Park Playground1 acres
Shipoke Park1 acres
Directions4th & Dauphin Playground1 acres
DirectionsRoyal Terrace Park1 acres
14th & Shoop Streets Playground1 acres
Who protects it
619 conserved acres
12% of Harrisburg’s land. Water is left out: Harrisburg has 8.1 square miles of land and 3.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Harrisburg’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government547 ac
State natural resources64 ac
Town or city10 ac
Not recorded3 ac
Local Park · 494 acState Conservation Area · 60 acLocal Other or Unknown · 32 acLocal Conservation Area · 28 acLocal Recreation Area · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 30 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildwood Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 255 | Open |
| City Island Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 62 | Open |
| Sheets Island Archipelago Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 60 | Open |
| Riverfront Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 49 | Open |
| Reservoir Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 46 | Open |
| McCormick Island Local Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 30 | Open |
| Capitol Area Greenbelt Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 26 | Open |
| Redbuds Island Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 18 | Open |
| Italian Lake Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 17 | Open |
| Island Susquehanna R Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
50 places to go in Harrisburg
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Harrisburg
Concrete BeachIn City Island
DirectionsPublic pools in Harrisburg
Jackson Lick PoolIn Jackson Lick Pool Recreation Area
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Harrisburg
Plus 27 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Harrisburg
Hamilton Street Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Harrisburg
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Harrisburg
2 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Harrisburg
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Harrisburg
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Harrisburg
River Mile 73 Campsite AIn Sheets Island Archipelago Natural Area · Susquehanna River Trail Association
DirectionsRiver Mile 73 Campsite BIn Sheets Island Archipelago Natural Area · Susquehanna River Trail Association
DirectionsRiver Mile 74 Campsite AIn Sheets Island Archipelago Natural Area · Susquehanna River Trail Association
DirectionsRiver Mile 74 Campsite BIn Sheets Island Archipelago Natural Area · Susquehanna River Trail Association
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Harrisburg
Atlas Street Community Garden
DirectionsGUI Community GardenGreen Urban Initiative
DirectionsHeart of the Community Garden
DirectionsJoshua Farm
DirectionsPeffer Street Pollinator Garden
DirectionsWesley AME Community GardenWesley Union AME Zion Church
DirectionsPlus 1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.4 mi
East Shore Trail0.9 mi
North Boardwalk0.4 mi
Fox Run Trail0.3 mi
Tall Timbers Trail0.3 mi
Meadow 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.
2.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
17 mi
off-road bike paths
2.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
20Basketball
14Tennis
9Baseball
2Beach volleyball
1Soccer
1Volleyball
1Multi-sport
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →37 places on the National Register, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 22 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
Harrisburg Central Railroad Station and TrainshedNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1975
About it★
Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex (Boundary Revision)National Historic Landmark · District · listed 2013
About itWalnut Street BridgeStructure · listed 1972
About itBroad Street MarketBuilding · listed 1974
About itSalem United Church of ChristBuilding · listed 1975
About itGerman Evangelical Zion Lutheran ChurchBuilding · listed 1975
About itHarrisburg Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itWilliam R. Griffith HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itKeystone BuildingBuilding · listed 1979
About itWilliam Seel BuildingBuilding · listed 1980
About it25 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Harrisburg: April to 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 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 42 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Harrisburg →
Next door
Harrisburg and its neighbors
Harrisburg has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
East Pennsboro Township23 miHarrisburg9.1 miSusquehanna Township4.9 miSwatara Township2.1 miWest Fairview1.5 miLemoyne0.9 miWormleysburg0.1 miPaxtang0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisburg | 12% | 1.1 | 14 | 99%+ | A |
| Susquehanna Township | 5% | 0.4 | 15 | 90% | B+ |
| East Pennsboro Township | 4% | 2.2 | 13 | 79% | A− |
| Wormleysburg | 5% | 0.1 | 10 | 99%+ | B |
| West Fairview | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lemoyne | 4% | 0.6 | 10 | 99%+ | A− |
| Swatara Township | 5% | 0.2 | 7 | 80% | B− |
| Paxtang | 10% | under 0.1 | 16 | 99%+ | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Harrisburg
Where can I hike in Harrisburg?
The longest trail networks: Wildwood Park, 2.7 miles; Reservoir Park, 1.8 miles; Italian Lake Park, 1 miles; City Island, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Harrisburg is conserved land?
12% 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 Harrisburg’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Wildwood Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Harrisburg?
22 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.9 of painted or protected lanes, 17 of off-road paths and 2.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Harrisburg?
34,771 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harrisburg or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 697 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Harrisburg have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #136 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 Harrisburg 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 →