Kemmerer Park
Managed by Borough of Jim Thorpe - Parks & Recreation
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Administration Building LotWebsite ↗
St. Mark's Episcopal Church · Photo: Jet Lowe · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe has 1,966 acres of parks, 433 for every 1,000 residents
28 miles of mapped trail cross Jim Thorpe, 1.9 per square mile of land. 23% of Jim Thorpe’s land is conserved, about 2,184 acres. 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #7 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
2,184 acres · of 14.6 sq mi of land
Trails
28 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,966 ac
433 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.2 mi
4.2 mi paths
Highest peak
1,696 ft
Pocono Mountain
Lakes & rivers
1
2 beaches · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Jim Thorpe?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam433 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 93% of U.S. towns.Land that stays wild23% of the land is conserved; a typical Pennsylvania town, 8%.History along the way8 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jim Thorpe have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jim Thorpe is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #7 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jim Thorpe’s overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (28 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land433 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,966 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)#7 of 1,037
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Jim Thorpe’s 23% is ahead of 84% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 92% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Kemmerer Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lehigh Gorge State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
282 acres0.2 mi of trail
Turn Hole Tunnel
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
Kemmerer Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Borough of Jim Thorpe - Parks & Recreation
DirectionsLehigh Gorge State Park282 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
DirectionsSam Miller Field2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJim Thorpe Memorial Park3 acres
DirectionsTwining Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,184 conserved acres
23% of Jim Thorpe’s land. Who manages Jim Thorpe’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks2,408 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government739 ac
State fish & wildlife401 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits20 ac
Not recorded178 ac
State Park · 2,408 acLocal Park · 739 acState Other or Unknown · 201 acState Resource Management Area · 200 acLocal Recreation Area · 175 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lehigh Gorge State Park State Park | State parks | 2,408 | Open |
| Mauch Chunk Lake Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 553 | Open |
| Mauch Chunk Lake State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 401 | Open |
| Mount Pisgah Park Local Park | Not recorded | 175 | Open |
| Carbon County Open Space Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 173 | Open |
| Kemmerer Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 8 | Open |
| The Asa Packer Mansion Museum Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 3 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
| Sam Miller Field Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
| Twining Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Jim Thorpe
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe Lehigh River Access
DirectionsPlus 1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Jim Thorpe
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Jim Thorpe
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Jim Thorpe
Pocono Mountain1,696 ft elevation
DirectionsBear Mountain1,660 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Jim Thorpe
Camp Apple Tree
DirectionsCampgrounds in Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
20 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.7 miUnpaved · 7.8 mi
Switchback Trail4.0 mi
Upper Switchback2.5 mi
Ridge Drop2.0 mi
Cabin Ridge1.2 mi
Bear Mountain Overlook1.0 mi
Orchard Trail0.9 mi
Galen's Surprise0.8 mi
Bob's Option0.6 mi
Board Bottom0.5 mi
LC Singletrack0.4 mi
10 more trails
Pisgah Plane
0.4 miDead End
0.4 miShoreline Trail
0.4 miDeadly Deposit
0.4 miAnna's Trail
0.3 miShort Pine
0.3 miGalen's Revenge
0.2 miIntergalactic Planetary
0.1 miTurn Hole Tunnel
0.1 miStone Steps Connector
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Switchback TrailBike route
7.3 mi9/11 National Memorial Trail (Pennsylvania thru route)Bike route
3.6 miCourts & fields
7Tennis
5Basketball
5Tracks
4Baseball
3Beach volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Carbon County JailBuilding · listed 1974
About itHarry Packer MansionBuilding · listed 1974
About itCentral Railroad of New Jersey StationBuilding · listed 1976
About itMauch Chunk and Summit Hill Switchback RailroadSite · listed 1976
About itOld Mauch Chunk Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1977
About itMauch Chunk CemeteryDistrict · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Jim Thorpe: April, 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 39 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.2 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Jim Thorpe →
Next door
Jim Thorpe and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Nesquehoning96 miPenn Forest Township75 miLehigh Township39 miJim Thorpe28 miSummit Hill22 miFranklin Township6.4 miMahoning Township2.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Thorpe | 23% | 1.9 | 433 | 96% | A+ |
| Lehigh Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Penn Forest Township | 42% | 1.0 | 277 | 34% | A |
| Nesquehoning | 28% | 4.6 | 131 | 72% | A+ |
| Mahoning Township | 3% | 0.1 | 3 | 13% | C− |
| Franklin Township | 14% | 0.4 | 10 | 49% | B |
| Summit Hill | 20% | 2.5 | 220 | 95% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jim Thorpe
Where can I hike in Jim Thorpe?
The longest trail networks: Kemmerer Park, 0.3 miles; Lehigh Gorge State Park, 0.2 miles; Sam Miller Field, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jim Thorpe is conserved land?
23% 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 Jim Thorpe’s trails?
Kemmerer Park and Lehigh Gorge State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jim Thorpe?
4.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.2 of off-road paths. Named routes: Switchback Trail and 9/11 National Memorial Trail (Pennsylvania thru route).
Is there public land near Jim Thorpe?
62,611 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jim Thorpe or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,169 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jim Thorpe have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #7 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 Jim Thorpe 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 →