Meng Preserve
Managed by Natural Lands
160 acres2.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Lower Frederick Township
Lower Frederick Township has 296 acres of parks, 60 for every 1,000 residents
13% of Lower Frederick Township’s land is conserved, about 666 acres. The biggest trail networks: Meng Preserve (2.7 mi). 86% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns · #159 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
666 acres · of 8.0 sq mi of land
Trails
4.9 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
296 ac
60 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
86%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Lower Frederick Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lower Frederick Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lower Frederick Township is ahead of 89% of U.S. towns, #159 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lower Frederick Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land60 acres of park per 1,000 residents (296 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home86% 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 89%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 85%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Lower Frederick Township’s 13% is ahead of 66% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 62% 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 Meng Preserve, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sunrise Mill
Managed by Montgomery County
62 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Colonial Park
Park
21 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Central Perkiomen Valley
Park
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Meng Preserve160 acres · 2.7 mi of trail · Natural Lands
DirectionsFoy Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSunrise Mill62 acres · Montgomery County
Colonial Park21 acres
Central Perkiomen Valley12 acres
Coble Park6 acres
Bat Roost3 acres
Who protects it
666 conserved acres
13% of Lower Frederick Township’s land. Who manages Lower Frederick Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits652 ac
County643 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government281 ac
Joint158 ac
Not recorded253 ac
Agricultural Easement · 632 acForest Stewardship Easement · 445 acLocal Park · 359 acPrivate Conservation · 212 acConservation Easement · 191 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 263 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 58 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Mill Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 278 | Open |
| Meng Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 102 | Open |
| Meng Wildlife Preserve and Bird Sanctuary Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 100 | Open |
| Lower Frederick Township Open Space Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 53 | Open |
| Colonial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 22 | Open |
| Central Perkiomen Valley Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 21 | Open |
| Cedar Hill Road Open Space Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 18 | Open |
| Cuddy Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 13 | Open |
| Maag Property Acquisition Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 10 | Open |
| Central Perkiomen Memorial Park Local Park | County | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
5 places to go in Lower Frederick Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lower Frederick Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lower Frederick Township
Cuddy Dog Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.8 mi
Muhlenberg Woods Trail1.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Baseball
3Tennis
3Basketball
2Soccer
2Tracks
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lower Frederick 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 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 54 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Lower Frederick Township →
Next door
Lower Frederick Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Upper Frederick Township7.9 miUpper Salford Township6.0 miLower Frederick Township4.9 miPerkiomen Township0.9 miSpring Mount0.4 miSchwenksville0.2 miWoxall0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Frederick Township | 13% | 0.6 | 60 | 86% | A |
| Upper Salford Township | 13% | 0.7 | 139 | 94% | A |
| Woxall | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Schwenksville | 8% | 0.5 | 13 | 99%+ | A− |
| Upper Frederick Township | 28% | 0.8 | 272 | 32% | A |
| Perkiomen Township | 20% | 0.2 | 54 | 99%+ | A |
| Spring Mount | — 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 Lower Frederick Township
Where can I hike in Lower Frederick Township?
The longest trail networks: Meng Preserve, 2.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lower Frederick Township is conserved land?
13% 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 Frederick Township’s trails?
Meng Preserve and Sunrise Mill don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lower Frederick Township?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Lower Frederick Township?
22,959 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lower Frederick Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 336 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lower Frederick Township have?
Ahead of 89% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #159 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 Frederick 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 →