State Game Lands Number 38
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
3,342 acres19.4 mi of trail
South Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Jackson Township
38% of Jackson Township’s land is conserved: 7,204 acres
1,309 acres are parks and preserves, 200 per 1,000 residents. 32 miles of mapped trail cross Jackson Township, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: State Game Lands Number 38 (19.4 mi), Sherwood Forest (5 mi), Big Pocono State Park (2 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #171 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
38%
7,204 acres · of 29.5 sq mi of land
Trails
32 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,309 ac
200 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,123 ft
Camelback Mountain
Lakes & rivers
8
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Jackson Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jackson Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jackson Township is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #171 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jackson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land38% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (32 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land200 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,309 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home34% 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 88%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 84%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Jackson Township’s 38% is ahead of 96% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 80% 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 State Game Lands Number 38, with 19.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sherwood Forest
Nature preserve
308 acres5 mi of trail
Scenic Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Big Pocono State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
768 acres2 mi of trail
South TrailVista TrailScout Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Lot 1Website ↗
Bethlehem Authority Tunkhannock
Nature preserve
234 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Conklin Park
Nature preserve
152 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
The Big Woods Natural Area
Managed by Chestnuthill Township
57 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
State Game Lands Number 383,342 acres · 19.4 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsSherwood Forest308 acres · 5 mi of trail
DirectionsBig Pocono State Park768 acres · 2 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
DirectionsBethlehem Authority Tunkhannock234 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
Conklin Park152 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsThe Big Woods Natural Area57 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Chestnuthill Township
State Game Lands Number 186960 acres · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsHamilton Jackson Pocono Park119 acres
DirectionsJackson Township Park8 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
7,204 conserved acres
38% of Jackson Township’s land. Who manages Jackson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife5,262 ac
County2,667 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,148 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government777 ac
State parks774 ac
Town or city516 ac
Joint97 ac
State Resource Management Area · 4,302 acAgricultural Easement · 2,667 acConservation Easement · 1,101 acState Recreation Area · 960 acForest Stewardship Easement · 898 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,327 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 84 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 038 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 3,383 | Open |
| State Game Land 186 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 960 | Open |
| Sgl 186 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 960 | Open |
| Big Pocono State Park State Park | State parks | 774 | Open |
| Lynch Property- Sherwood Forest Road Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 341 | Closed |
| Donofrio Acquisition Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 166 | Closed |
| HJP Regional Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 123 | Open |
| Conklin Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 107 | Open |
| Shaw Acquisition Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 94 | Open |
| Ray Acquisition Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 92 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Jackson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Jackson Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Jackson Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Jackson Township
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Jackson Township
Camelback Mountain2,123 ft elevation · In Big Pocono State Park
DirectionsBeehive1,841 ft elevation · In State Game Lands Number 38
DirectionsCampgrounds in Jackson Township
Trails & water
4 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.6 miHorses · 1.6 miUnpaved · 0.8 mi
South Trail1.5 mi
Scenic Loop0.8 mi
Vista Trail0.1 mi
Scout 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
7Tennis
3Basketball
3Baseball
2Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Jackson Township: April, May, July 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 38 | 46 | 59 | 69 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.8 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Jackson Township →
Next door
Jackson Township and its neighbors
Jackson Township has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Township | 38% | 1.1 | 200 | 34% | A |
| Hamilton Township | 25% | 0.2 | 40 | 25% | B+ |
| Pocono Township | 10% | 0.8 | 74 | 33% | A− |
| Chestnuthill Township | 20% | 0.7 | 75 | 25% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jackson Township
Where can I hike in Jackson Township?
The longest trail networks: State Game Lands Number 38, 19.4 miles; Sherwood Forest, 5 miles; Big Pocono State Park, 2 miles; Bethlehem Authority Tunkhannock, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jackson Township is conserved land?
38% 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 Jackson Township’s trails?
State Game Lands Number 38 and Sherwood Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Jackson Township?
65,296 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jackson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,631 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jackson Township have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #171 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 Jackson 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 →