Zelienople Community Park
Park
10 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainC+Outdoors
Outdoors in Jackson Township
Jackson Township has 11 miles of mapped trails, 0.5 for every square mile of land
37% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of Jackson Township’s land is conserved, about 192 acres. 50 acres are parks and preserves, 9.0 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns · #873 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
192 acres · of 21.7 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
50 ac
9.0 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
37%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
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 38% of U.S. towns, #873 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jackson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land9.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (50 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home37% 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 38%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 16%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Jackson Township’s 1% is ahead of 9% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 57% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. 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 Zelienople Community Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
192 conserved acres
1% of Jackson Township’s land. Who manages Jackson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits147 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government10 ac
Not recorded182 ac
Private Conservation · 295 acLocal Park · 37 acLocal Other or Unknown · 7 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 9 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connoquenessing Creek NA Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 146 | Open |
| Connoquenessing Creek Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 146 | Open |
| Jackson Park Local Park | Not recorded | 13 | Open |
| Seneca Valley Athletic Fields Local Park | Not recorded | 13 | Unknown |
| Zelienople Community Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
| Fema Flood Buyout (County Or Municipal Owned) Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 7 | Open |
| Porter's Cove Private Conservation | Not recorded | 3 | Open |
| Zelienople Community Park And Pool Local Park | Not recorded | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
6 places to go in Jackson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
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
Rock Overlook
DirectionsPeaks in Jackson Township
2 peaks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Jackson Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Jackson Township
Indian Brave CampgroundFee
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.8 miUnpaved · 4.5 mi
ECOZ Whitetailed Deer Trail (White)1.3 mi
Harmony Trail0.6 mi
ECOZ Trail0.5 mi
Grove Hill Lane Path0.4 mi
ECOZ Redtailed Hawk Trail (Red)0.3 mi
ECOZ Red Dot Trail0.2 mi
ECOZ Black Dot Trail0.2 mi
ECOZ Spur Trail (Green)0.1 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
20Golf
6Tennis
5Soccer
4Baseball
3Football
1Basketball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Harmony Mennonite Meetinghouse and CemeteryBuilding · listed 2016
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Jackson 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 40 | 49 | 62 | 72 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Jackson Township →
Next door
Jackson Township and its neighbors
Jackson Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Cranberry Township17 miJackson Township11 miFranklin Township8.9 miZelienople5.1 miLancaster Township4.7 miNew Sewickley Township1.5 miHarmony0.5 miEvans City0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Township | 1% | 0.5 | 9 | 37% | C+ |
| Zelienople | 3% | 2.5 | 10 | 80% | B+ |
| Harmony | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Evans City | 4% | under 0.1 | 7 | 99%+ | C+ |
| Cranberry Township | 4% | 0.7 | 16 | 65% | B+ |
| Lancaster Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 1 | under 1% | D |
| Franklin Township | 11% | 0.5 | 4 | 36% | B− |
| New Sewickley Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 29 | 12% | C |
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: Zelienople Community Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jackson Township is conserved land?
1% 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?
Zelienople Community Park and Grove Hill Lane Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Jackson Township?
21,498 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jackson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 50 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jackson Township have?
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #873 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 →