Lower Allen Community Park
Park
110 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ashton-Hursh House · Photo: Smallbones · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Lower Allen Township
Lower Allen Township has 7.8 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Lower Allen Community Park (1.1 mi), Peiffer Memorial Arboretum and Nature Preserve (0.5 mi), Wass Park (0.5 mi). 77% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 193 acres are parks and preserves, 9.4 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #584 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
248 acres · of 10.1 sq mi of land
Trails
7.8 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
193 ac
9.4 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
77%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lower Allen Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lower Allen Township is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #584 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lower Allen Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land9.4 acres of park per 1,000 residents (193 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home77% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 63%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 44%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Lower Allen Township’s 4% is ahead of 28% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 70% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Lower Allen Community Park, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Peiffer Memorial Arboretum and Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
17 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 17 parks & preserves
Lower Allen Community Park110 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPeiffer Memorial Arboretum and Nature Preserve17 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Wass Park13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCreekwood Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCedar Spring Run Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsYellow Breeches Park10 acres
DirectionsBeacon Hill Radar Site8 acres · Lower Allen Township
DirectionsSpangler's Mill Access4 acres
DirectionsHempt Field4 acres
DirectionsBeacon Hill Park4 acres · Lower Allen Township
DirectionsPeters Field Park3 acres
DirectionsHighland Park2 acres
DirectionsWinding Hills Park (East)1 acres
DirectionsSheepford Crossing Park1 acres · Lower Allen Township
Arcona TerraPark1 acres
DirectionsAllendale Park1 acres
Arcona Green1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
248 conserved acres
4% of Lower Allen Township’s land. Who manages Lower Allen Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government160 ac
State fish & wildlife69 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits12 ac
Town or city3 ac
Not recorded15 ac
Local Park · 165 acState Other or Unknown · 69 acLocal Other or Unknown · 7 acLocal Recreation Area · 6 acConservation Easement · 6 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 18 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Allen Community Park (LACP) Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 113 | Open |
| Camp Hill Access State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 69 | Open |
| Yellow Breeches Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 11 | Open |
| Wass Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
| Beacon Hill Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
| Beacon Heights, Tract 2 Local Park | Not recorded | 8 | Unknown |
| Municipal Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 7 | Open |
| Creekwood Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
| Cedar Spring Run Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
| Linsenbach Parkland Acquisition Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Lower Allen Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lower Allen Township
Fun FortIn Lower Allen Community Park
DirectionsTot LotIn Lower Allen Community Park
DirectionsTot LotIn Lower Allen Community Park
DirectionsPlus 17 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lower Allen Township
Doggie Dugout – Dog ParkIn Lower Allen Community Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Lower Allen Township
Lower Allen Community Park AccessIn Lower Allen Community Park
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.0 mi
Path through the woods0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
23Tennis
19Baseball
10Basketball
5Soccer
4Pickleball
2Beach volleyball
2Lacrosse
1Football
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).
Ashton-Hursh HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Lower Allen Township: 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 | 14.8 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 42 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.4 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Lower Allen Township →
Next door
Lower Allen Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hampden Township17 miUpper Allen Township13 miLower Allen Township7.8 miFairview Township1.8 miCamp Hill1.5 miLemoyne0.9 miNew Cumberland0.5 miShiremanstown0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Allen Township | 4% | 0.8 | 9 | 77% | B |
| Fairview Township | 2% | 0.1 | 8 | 41% | C− |
| New Cumberland | 5% | 0.3 | 8 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Lemoyne | 4% | 0.6 | 10 | 99%+ | A− |
| Shiremanstown | 2% | under 0.1 | 2 | 99%+ | C |
| Upper Allen Township | 7% | 1.0 | 13 | 80% | A− |
| Camp Hill | 6% | 0.7 | 11 | 92% | B+ |
| Hampden Township | 4% | 1.0 | 8 | 84% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lower Allen Township
Where can I hike in Lower Allen Township?
The longest trail networks: Lower Allen Community Park, 1.1 miles; Peiffer Memorial Arboretum and Nature Preserve, 0.5 miles; Wass Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lower Allen Township is conserved land?
4% 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 Lower Allen Township’s trails?
Lower Allen Community Park and Peiffer Memorial Arboretum and Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lower Allen Township?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Lower Allen Township?
22,256 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lower Allen Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 253 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lower Allen Township have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #584 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 Lower Allen 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 →