Elk State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
15,558 acres28.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Swedish Lutheran Parsonage · Photo: Pubdog · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Jones Township
More than half of Jones Township’s land is conserved: 63%
63% of Jones Township’s land is conserved, about 58,389 acres. 3,149 acres are parks and preserves, 2,202 per 1,000 residents. 197 miles of mapped trail cross Jones Township, 1.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
63%
58,389 acres · of 144.8 sq mi of land
Trails
197 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,149 ac
2,202 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
30%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,303 ft
Jarrets Summit
Lakes & rivers
4
2 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Jones Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jones Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jones Township is ahead of 91% 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 Jones Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land63% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (197 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land2,202 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,149 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home30% 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 91%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Jones Township’s 63% is ahead of 100% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 85% 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 Elk State Forest, with 28.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 25
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
9,483 acres5.5 mi of trail
Eagle Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Elk State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
2,930 acres4.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Kane Experimental Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
1,714 acres2.4 mi of trail
Knox & Kane Rail TrailT334Forest Road 304Fr 330
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Jones Township Community Park
Park
10 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bendigo State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
107 acres0.4 mi of trail
Eagle Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
State Game Lands Number 293
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
57 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
58,389 conserved acres
63% of Jones Township’s land. Who manages Jones Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service15,920 ac
State natural resources15,587 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits14,262 ac
State fish & wildlife9,608 ac
State parks3,039 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government29 ac
Not recorded17,174 ac
Private Conservation · 28,433 acState Resource Management Area · 25,196 acNational Forest · 15,920 acState Park · 5,969 acState Other or Unknown · 40 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 15 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarion Junction Forest Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 28,399 | Unknown |
| Allegheny National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 15,920 | Open |
| Elk State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 15,587 | Open |
| State Game Land 025 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 9,592 | Open |
| Elk State Park State Park | State parks | 5,860 | Open |
| Bendigo State Park State Park | State parks | 109 | Open |
| Knox & Kane Railroad Corridor Private Recreation or Education | Not recorded | 67 | Open |
| State Game Land 293 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 57 | Open |
| Jones Township Community Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 21 | Open |
| Stafford Road Community Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 7 | Open |
Things to do
13 places to go in Jones Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Jones Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Jones Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Jones Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Jones Township
2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Peaks in Jones Township
Jarrets Summit2,303 ft elevation
DirectionsNorth Fork Summit2,297 ft elevation · In State Game Lands Number 25
DirectionsPistner Hill2,021 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Jones Township
Red Mill PondAllegheny National Forest
DirectionsTwin Lakes Recreation AreaFee
DirectionsTrails & water
16 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.4 miUnpaved · 7.4 mi
Knox & Kane Rail Trail3.4 mi
Elli Loop3.1 mi
Mill Creek Trail2.9 mi
Forest Road 3042.7 mi
Challenger Loop2.4 mi
Forest Road 3021.8 mi
Fr 3301.6 mi
T3341.4 mi
Forest Road 4971.3 mi
Eagle Trail1.2 mi
6 more trails
Brush Hollow Trail
1.0 miT458
0.9 miFr 340
0.8 miForest Road 639
0.8 miBrushy Gap
0.6 miFr 170
0.3 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.
Knox & Kane Rail TrailBike route
3.4 miCourts & fields
3Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Baseball
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).
Swedish Lutheran ParsonageBuilding · listed 2005
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Jones Township: May and July to 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 35 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Jones Township →
Next door
Jones Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Highland Township271 miShippen Township219 miJones Township197 miWetmore Township150 miSergeant Township146 miSt. Marys99 miRidgway Township47 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jones Township | 63% | 1.4 | 2,202 | 30% | A |
| St. Marys | 30% | 1.0 | 9 | 62% | A− |
| Shippen Township | 45% | 1.4 | 1 | 3% | B− |
| Sergeant Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Highland Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Ridgway Township | 68% | 0.5 | 46 | 13% | B+ |
| Wetmore Township | 54% | 1.9 | 3 | 5% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jones Township
Where can I hike in Jones Township?
The longest trail networks: Elk State Forest, 28.2 miles; State Game Lands Number 25, 5.5 miles; Elk State Park, 4.9 miles; Kane Experimental Forest, 2.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jones Township is conserved land?
63% 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 Jones Township’s trails?
Elk State Forest and State Game Lands Number 25 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Jones Township?
296,594 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jones Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 40,942 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jones Township have?
Ahead of 91% 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 Jones 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 →