Lancaster County Central Park
Managed by Lancaster County
220 acres2.6 mi of trail
CVA TrailScout TrailKinglet TrailEquestrian Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fulton Opera House · Photo: Scanlan · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Lancaster
12% of Lancaster’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
9.4 miles of mapped trail cross Lancaster, 1.3 per square mile of land. 12% of Lancaster’s land is conserved, about 535 acres. The biggest trail networks: Lancaster County Central Park (2.6 mi), Williamson Area (2.1 mi), Kiwanis Natural Area (1.8 mi).
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #186 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
535 acres · of 7.2 sq mi of land
Trails
9.4 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
549 ac
9.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
15 mi
6.9 mi lanes · 0.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Lancaster?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lancaster have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lancaster is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #186 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lancaster’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land9.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (549 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 87%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 82%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Lancaster’s 12% is ahead of 62% 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 Lancaster County Central Park, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Williamson Area
Managed by Lancaster County Central Park
67 acres2.1 mi of trail
CVA TrailEquestrian TrailConestoga TrailScout Trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Kiwanis Natural Area
Managed by Lancaster County Central Park
60 acres1.8 mi of trail
Mill Creek TrailWildflower Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
All 22 parks & preserves
Lancaster County Central Park220 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · Lancaster County
DirectionsWilliamson Area67 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Lancaster County Central Park
DirectionsKiwanis Natural Area60 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Lancaster County Central Park
DirectionsConestoga Pines Park42 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsSixth Ward Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Musser Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCrystal Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Long's Park71 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsReservoir Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHolly Pointe Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Lancaster
Farnum Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHartman Green2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMilburn Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCity of Lancaster Open Space81 acres · City of Lancaster
DirectionsBuchanan Park21 acres
DirectionsConestoga Creek Park7 acres · City of Lancaster
DirectionsBrandon Park7 acres
DirectionsHolly Pointe Nature Preserve2 acres · Lancaster County Conservancy
Mayor Janice C Stork Corridor Park2 acres
DirectionsSouth End Park1 acres
Rodney Park1 acres
DirectionsBinns Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
535 conserved acres
12% of Lancaster’s land. Who manages Lancaster’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government521 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits20 ac
County9 ac
Not recorded17 ac
Local Park · 446 acLocal Recreation Area · 91 acRecreation or Education Easement · 18 acPrivate Conservation · 5 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 30 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster County Central Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 217 | Open |
| Open Space Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 88 | Open |
| Conestoga Pines Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 71 | Open |
| Long's Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 69 | Open |
| Buchanan Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 21 | Open |
| Holly Pointe Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 14 | Open |
| Reservoir Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 9 | Open |
| Hand W.O.O.D.S Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
| Grant D. Brandon City Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 8 | Open |
| Conestoga Creek Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
33 places to go in Lancaster
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Lancaster
Buchanan Park Wading PoolIn Buchanan Park
DirectionsCentral Park PoolIn Lancaster County Central Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Lancaster
Kid's Place playgroundIn Long's Park
DirectionsWading PoolIn Reservoir Park
DirectionsPlus 24 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lancaster
Beneful Dream Dog Park at Buchanan ParkIn Buchanan Park
DirectionsScenic views in Lancaster
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Lancaster
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.0 miHorses · 0.5 miUnpaved · 5.2 mi
Mill Creek Trail1.3 mi
CVA Trail1.1 mi
Equestrian Trail0.5 mi
Scout Trail0.4 mi
Wildflower Trail0.4 mi
Conestoga Trail0.4 mi
Conestoga Trail System0.2 mi
Kinglet Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
15 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.7 mi
off-road bike paths
7.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Lancaster County Central ParkBike route
2.4 miCourts & fields
21Tennis
17Basketball
8Baseball
6Soccer
5Football
2Beach volleyball
1Pickleball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →57 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Andrew Ellicott HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itOld City HallBuilding · listed 1972
About itCentral MarketBuilding · listed 1972
About itSoldiers and Sailors MonumentSite · listed 1973
About itOld Main, Goethean Hall, and Diagnothian HallBuilding · listed 1975
About itGen. Edward Hand HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itLancaster County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itHager BuildingBuilding · listed 1979
About itSteinman Hardware StoreBuilding · listed 1979
About itLancaster Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itSprenger BreweryBuilding · listed 1979
About it45 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lancaster: April to June 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) | 39 | 42 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Lancaster →
Next door
Lancaster and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
West Lampeter Township16 miManheim Township15 miLancaster9.4 miEast Lampeter Township4.5 miLancaster Township3.4 miWillow Street1.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | 12% | 1.3 | 10 | 99% | A |
| Manheim Township | 7% | 0.6 | 14 | 85% | B+ |
| West Lampeter Township | 28% | 1.0 | 36 | 76% | A |
| Lancaster Township | 5% | 0.6 | 8 | 80% | B |
| East Lampeter Township | 12% | 0.2 | 9 | 56% | B− |
| Willow Street | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lancaster
Where can I hike in Lancaster?
The longest trail networks: Lancaster County Central Park, 2.6 miles; Williamson Area, 2.1 miles; Kiwanis Natural Area, 1.8 miles; Conestoga Pines Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lancaster is conserved land?
12% 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 Lancaster’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Williamson Area and Kiwanis Natural Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lancaster?
15 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.9 of painted or protected lanes, 0.7 of off-road paths and 7.2 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Lancaster County Central Park.
Is there public land near Lancaster?
10,009 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lancaster or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 549 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lancaster have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #186 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 Lancaster 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 →