Moshannon State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
19,902 acres40.4 mi of trail
Abbot Hollow TrailQuehanna TrailCPL Lumber Company Railroad TrailBeaver Dam Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Clint · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Huston Township
More than half of Huston Township’s land is conserved: 66%
66% of Huston Township’s land is conserved, about 26,913 acres. 2,314 acres are parks and preserves, 1,568 per 1,000 residents. 78 miles of mapped trail cross Huston Township, 1.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
66%
26,913 acres · of 64.0 sq mi of land
Trails
78 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,314 ac
1,568 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,415 ft
Boone Mountain
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Huston Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild66% of the land is conserved; a typical Pennsylvania town, 8%.Room to roam1,568 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 85% of U.S. towns.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Huston Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Huston Township is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Huston Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land66% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (78 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land1,568 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,314 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home46% 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 93%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Huston Township’s 66% is ahead of 100% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 83% 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 Moshannon State Forest, with 40.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 331
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
4,766 acres12.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Parker Dam State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
953 acres7.7 mi of trail
Laurel Run TrailNew Trail of the GiantsSauder's TrailCCC Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
26,913 conserved acres
66% of Huston Township’s land. Who manages Huston Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources19,764 ac
State fish & wildlife4,759 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,469 ac
State parks953 ac
Not recorded1,359 ac
State Resource Management Area · 24,523 acPrivate Conservation · 2,810 acState Park · 971 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 8 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moshannon State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 19,764 | Open |
| State Game Land 331 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 4,759 | Open |
| Penfield Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 2,586 | Open |
| Parker Dam State Park State Park | State parks | 971 | Open |
| Bennet Branch Forest Private Conservation | Not recorded | 223 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Huston Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Huston Township
Parker Dam State Park BeachIn Parker Dam State Park
DirectionsSwimming spots in Huston Township
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Huston Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Huston Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Huston Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Huston Township
Boone Mountain2,415 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Hogback1,804 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Huston Township
B Bar M Campground
DirectionsCamp Mountain RunBSA
DirectionsParker Dam State Park CampgroundIn Parker Dam State Park
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
16 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 11.2 miUnpaved · 26.3 mi
Quehanna Trail2.7 mi
Abbot Hollow Trail2.3 mi
Beaver Dam Trail2.2 mi
CPL Lumber Company Railroad Trail1.9 mi
Laurel Run Trail1.8 mi
Skunk Trail1.4 mi
Snow Trail1.3 mi
New Trail of the Giants1.1 mi
Sullivan Ridge Trail1.1 mi
Sauder's Trail0.9 mi
6 more trails
CCC Trail
0.9 miTornado Alley Trail
0.7 miFairview Trail
0.7 miSpurline Trail
0.7 miSkunk to Beaver Connector Trail
0.3 miVista Spur
0.1 miLakes & 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
2Volleyball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Huston Township: 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) | 33 | 37 | 46 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Huston Township →
Next door
Huston Township and its neighbors
Huston Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Huston Township78 miFox Township33 miSandy Township32 miPine Township30 miLawrence Township30 miHorton Township29 miUnion Township12 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huston Township | 66% | 1.2 | 1,568 | 46% | A |
| Sandy Township | 12% | 0.6 | 53 | 18% | B+ |
| Lawrence Township | 34% | 0.4 | 9 | 34% | B |
| Fox Township | 26% | 0.5 | 27 | 24% | B+ |
| Horton Township | 35% | 0.5 | 68 | 16% | B+ |
| Pine Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Union Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Huston Township
Where can I hike in Huston Township?
The longest trail networks: Moshannon State Forest, 40.4 miles; State Game Lands Number 331, 12.7 miles; Parker Dam State Park, 7.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Huston Township is conserved land?
66% 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 Huston Township’s trails?
Moshannon State Forest and State Game Lands Number 331 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Huston Township?
160,974 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Huston Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 27,005 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Huston Township have?
Ahead of 93% 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 Huston 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 →