Mount Penn Preserve
Managed by Mount Penn Preserve Partnership Council of Governments
1,276 acres30.3 mi of trail
Blue TrailBridal PathWhite TrailSting Like a Bee+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Lower Alsace Township
Lower Alsace Township has 75 miles of mapped trails, 15.6 for every square mile of land
49% of Lower Alsace Township’s land is conserved, about 1,516 acres. 1,265 acres are parks and preserves, 261 per 1,000 residents. 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #1 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
49%
1,516 acres · of 4.8 sq mi of land
Trails
75 mi
15.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,265 ac
261 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.5 mi
1.5 mi paths
Highest peak
1,122 ft
Mount Penn
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Lower Alsace Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lower Alsace Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lower Alsace Township is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lower Alsace Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land49% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails15.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (75 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land261 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,265 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)#1 of 1,037
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Lower Alsace Township’s 49% is ahead of 98% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 100% 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 Mount Penn Preserve, with 30.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Antietam Lake Park
Managed by Berks County Parks and Recreation Department
470 acres17.4 mi of trail
Twisted SisterAntietam Reservoir TrailGravity TrailTNT+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the trailhead
Neversink Mountain Preserve
Managed by Berks Nature
415 acres13.7 mi of trail
Neversink South TrailNeversink North TrailUpper Glen TrailPromenade Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Pavilion ParkingWebsite ↗
Antietam Athletic Field
Park
8 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Mount Penn Preserve1,276 acres · 30.3 mi of trail · Mount Penn Preserve Partnership Council of Governments
DirectionsAntietam Lake Park470 acres · 17.4 mi of trail · Berks County Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsNeversink Mountain Preserve415 acres · 13.7 mi of trail · Berks Nature
DirectionsAntietam Athletic Field8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Rotary Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCarsonia Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWho protects it
1,516 conserved acres
49% of Lower Alsace Township’s land. Who manages Lower Alsace Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government1,306 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits928 ac
Not recorded243 ac
Local Park · 745 acLocal Conservation Area · 583 acConservation Easement · 522 acPrivate Conservation · 468 acForest Stewardship Easement · 81 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 19 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 35 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antietam Lake Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 593 | Open |
| Mount Penn Preserve Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 465 | Open |
| Neversink Mountain Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 270 | Open |
| Carsonia Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 130 | Open |
| Neversink Mountain Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 118 | Open |
| Neversink / Heck Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 84 | Closed |
| Municipal Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 78 | Open |
| Neversink / Feick Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 47 | Closed |
| Neversink / Gerhart Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 27 | Closed |
| City Of Reading Water Bureau Local Park | Not recorded | 21 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Lower Alsace Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lower Alsace Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lower Alsace Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Lower Alsace Township
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Lower Alsace Township
Mount Penn1,122 ft elevation · In Mount Penn Preserve
DirectionsNeversink Mountain879 ft elevation · In Neversink Mountain Preserve
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 14.0 miHorses · 0.7 miUnpaved · 14.8 mi
Twisted Sister1.5 mi
Blue Trail1.5 mi
Bridal Path1.3 mi
White Trail1.2 mi
Antietam Reservoir Trail1.2 mi
Gravity Trail1.2 mi
Sting Like a Bee1.1 mi
Neversink South Trail1.0 mi
Ferndale Trail1.0 mi
Neversink North Trail0.9 mi
15 more trails
TNT
0.9 miDeer Head
0.9 miWizard Of Oz
0.9 miLavender Trail
0.8 miWood Cutter
0.8 miBoomsauce
0.7 miTower Trail
0.7 miBlue Dot Trail
0.7 miTsunami
0.7 miRaw XL
0.7 miDane's Run
0.6 miLanshe's Hill
0.6 miUpper Glen Trail
0.5 miPromenade Trail
0.5 miAlternate Orchard
0.5 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Gravity TrailBike route
2 miCourts & fields
6Baseball
5Tennis
1Soccer
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lower Alsace Township: April and May
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 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.9 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Lower Alsace Township →
Next door
Lower Alsace Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Exeter Township128 miCumru Township104 miLower Alsace Township75 miAlsace Township60 miReading55 miSt. Lawrence8.3 miPennside5.0 miMount Penn0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Alsace Township | 49% | 15.6 | 261 | 96% | A+ |
| Mount Penn | 1% | 0.7 | under 1 | 99%+ | B− |
| Reading | 17% | 5.6 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
| Pennside | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Exeter Township | 11% | 5.3 | 33 | 82% | A |
| Cumru Township | 10% | 5.0 | 14 | 69% | A− |
| Alsace Township | 3% | 4.9 | 36 | 51% | A− |
| St. Lawrence | 18% | 9.2 | 36 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lower Alsace Township
Where can I hike in Lower Alsace Township?
The longest trail networks: Mount Penn Preserve, 30.3 miles; Antietam Lake Park, 17.4 miles; Neversink Mountain Preserve, 13.7 miles; Antietam Athletic Field, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lower Alsace Township is conserved land?
49% 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 Alsace Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Mount Penn Preserve, Antietam Lake Park and Rotary Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lower Alsace Township?
1.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.5 of off-road paths. Named routes: Gravity Trail.
Is there public land near Lower Alsace Township?
26,430 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lower Alsace Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,322 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lower Alsace Township have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #1 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 Alsace 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 →