Forbes State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
4,415 acres28.5 mi of trail
Laurel Highlands Hiking TrailMountain View Trail LoopJones Mill Run TrailMarshall Fields Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Jefferson Township
Jefferson Township has 1,408 acres of parks, 1,148 for every 1,000 residents
32% of Jefferson Township’s land is conserved, about 8,380 acres. 54 miles of mapped trail cross Jefferson Township, 1.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Forbes State Forest (28.5 mi), Laurel Hill State Park (8.2 mi), Kooser State Park (1.5 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
8,380 acres · of 41.2 sq mi of land
Trails
54 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,408 ac
1,148 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.5 mi
0.5 mi paths
Highest peak
3,028 ft
2768 feet
Lakes & rivers
3
3 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Jefferson Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jefferson Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jefferson Township is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jefferson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (54 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land1,148 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,408 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home21% 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 conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Jefferson Township’s 32% is ahead of 92% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 84% 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 Forbes State Forest, with 28.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Laurel Hill State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
2,103 acres8.2 mi of trail
Hemlock TrailBobcat TrailPumphouse TrailLake Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Kooser State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
230 acres1.5 mi of trail
Kincora Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
8,380 conserved acres
32% of Jefferson Township’s land. Who manages Jefferson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources4,427 ac
State parks3,519 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,787 ac
County1,487 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)21 ac
Not recorded42 ac
State Resource Management Area · 4,427 acState Park · 3,562 acConservation Easement · 2,516 acAgricultural Easement · 1,508 acPrivate Conservation · 136 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 431 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 4,427 | Open |
| Laurel Hill State Park State Park | State parks | 2,186 | Open |
| Laurel Ridge State Park State Park | State parks | 1,131 | Open |
| Kooser State Park State Park | State parks | 245 | Open |
| Countryman Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 136 | Closed |
Things to do
8 places to go in Jefferson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Jefferson Township
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Jefferson Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Jefferson Township
2768 feet3,028 ft elevation · In Forbes State Forest
DirectionsBald Knob2,930 ft elevation · In Forbes State Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Jefferson Township
Pioneer Lakes RV ParkFee
DirectionsTrails & water
23 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.7 miHorses · 21.1 miUnpaved · 24.3 mi
Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail6.9 mi
North Woods Trail Loop2.2 mi
Mountain View Trail Loop2.1 mi
Pyle Farm Trail1.8 mi
Shaffer Run Trail Loop1.6 mi
Jones Mill Run Trail1.6 mi
Marshall Fields Trail1.5 mi
Hemlock Trail1.4 mi
Lookout Trail1.2 mi
Bobcat Trail1.2 mi
13 more trails
Pumphouse Trail
0.9 miKincora Trail
0.9 miLake Trail
0.8 miKoring Trail
0.7 miLookout Loop Trail
0.7 miNorth Woods Trail Connector
0.5 miBeltz Road/Trail
0.5 miCopper Kettle Trail
0.4 miCraighead Trail
0.3 miT390
0.3 miLHHT - PA31 Shelter Trail
0.1 miLaurel Highlands Connecting Trail
0.1 miQuarry Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Tennis
1Basketball
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).
Kooser State Park Family Cabin DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Jefferson Township: May 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 66 | 73 | 77 | 75 | 69 | 58 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.6 |
February is the driest month (3.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Jefferson Township →
Next door
Jefferson Township and its neighbors
Jefferson Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Jefferson Township54 miDonegal Township51 miCook Township45 miMiddlecreek Township31 miSomerset Township15 miLincoln Township15 miSeven Springs2.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Township | 32% | 1.3 | 1,148 | 21% | A |
| Donegal Township | 39% | 1.0 | 2,334 | 17% | A |
| Lincoln Township | 12% | 0.6 | 352 | 8% | B+ |
| Cook Township | 38% | 1.0 | 409 | 8% | A− |
| Seven Springs | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Middlecreek Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Somerset Township | 8% | 0.2 | 56 | 8% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jefferson Township
Where can I hike in Jefferson Township?
The longest trail networks: Forbes State Forest, 28.5 miles; Laurel Hill State Park, 8.2 miles; Kooser State Park, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jefferson Township is conserved land?
32% 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 Jefferson Township’s trails?
Forbes State Forest and Laurel Hill State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jefferson Township?
0.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Jefferson Township?
62,551 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jefferson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7,861 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 →