George W. Wertz Tract
Nature preserve
89 acres2.7 mi of trail
Furnace TrailFox Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Heidelberg Township
More than half of Heidelberg Township’s land is conserved: 52%
52% of Heidelberg Township’s land is conserved, about 4,762 acres. 1,124 acres are parks and preserves, 632 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: George W. Wertz Tract (2.7 mi), Womelsdorf-Robesonia Joint Authority Watershed (2.4 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
52%
4,762 acres · of 14.3 sq mi of land
Trails
5.2 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,124 ac
632 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
63%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Heidelberg Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Heidelberg Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Heidelberg Township is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Heidelberg Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land52% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land632 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,124 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home63% 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 88%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Heidelberg Township’s 52% is ahead of 99% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 45% of them.
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 George W. Wertz Tract, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Womelsdorf-Robesonia Joint Authority Watershed
Nature preserve
1,097 acres2.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
William Penn State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
89 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Conrad Weiser Homestead Park
Park
25 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
4,762 conserved acres
52% of Heidelberg Township’s land. Who manages Heidelberg Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County13,673 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)248 ac
State natural resources125 ac
Other state land49 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits44 ac
State fish & wildlife26 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2 ac
Agricultural Easement · 13,965 acLocal Park · 1,091 acState Resource Management Area · 227 acPrivate Agricultural · 217 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 49 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,324 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Womelsdorf Authority Watershed Local Park | Not recorded | 1,091 | Open |
| William Penn State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 214 | Open |
| Private Landowner Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 173 | Closed |
| Charming Forge Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 44 | Closed |
| Charming Forge Lake State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 26 | Open |
| Conrad Weiser Homestead Park State Historic or Cultural Area | Other state land | 24 | Open |
| Conrad Weiser Homestead State Historic or Cultural Area | Other state land | 24 | Open |
| Robesonia Swimming Assn. Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
Trails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Furnace Trail1.0 mi
Fox Trail0.8 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
7Tennis
4Basketball
1Baseball
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Heidelberg Township: April and May
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 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Heidelberg Township →
Next door
Heidelberg Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lower Heidelberg Township46 miNorth Heidelberg Township12 miSouth Heidelberg Township6.9 miHeidelberg Township5.2 miWomelsdorf0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heidelberg Township | 52% | 0.4 | 632 | 63% | A |
| Lower Heidelberg Township | 44% | 3.1 | 14 | 71% | A |
| Womelsdorf | 4% | under 0.1 | 7 | 99%+ | B− |
| North Heidelberg Township | 37% | 0.9 | 19 | 9% | B+ |
| South Heidelberg Township | 12% | 0.5 | 14 | 71% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Heidelberg Township
Where can I hike in Heidelberg Township?
The longest trail networks: George W. Wertz Tract, 2.7 miles; Womelsdorf-Robesonia Joint Authority Watershed, 2.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Heidelberg Township is conserved land?
52% 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 Heidelberg Township’s trails?
George W. Wertz Tract and Womelsdorf-Robesonia Joint Authority Watershed don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Heidelberg Township?
20,884 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Heidelberg Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,225 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Heidelberg Township have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Heidelberg 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 →