Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area
Nature preserve
2,173 acres28.8 mi of trail
Lake Border TrailLoren Holl Memorial LoopState Hill LoopTulpy Flow Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Spring Creek Parking Area
Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Lower Heidelberg Township
44% of Lower Heidelberg Township’s land is conserved: 4,168 acres
46 miles of mapped trail cross Lower Heidelberg Township, 3.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area (28.8 mi), State Game Lands Number 280 (1 mi), Cacoosing Meadows Recreation Area (0.9 mi). 71% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #133 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
44%
4,168 acres · of 14.8 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
3.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
93 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
71%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Lower Heidelberg Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lower Heidelberg Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lower Heidelberg Township is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #133 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lower Heidelberg Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land44% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails3.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (46 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (93 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13BParks close to home71% 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 90%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 87%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Lower Heidelberg Township’s 44% is ahead of 98% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 97% 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 Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area, with 28.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 280
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
365 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cacoosing Meadows Recreation Area
Park
17 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Central GV Estates Park
Park
6 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area2,173 acres · 28.8 mi of trail
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 280365 acres · 1 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsCacoosing Meadows Recreation Area17 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral GV Estates Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsTulpehocken Creek Valley Parkway26 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth East Green Valley Estates Park3 acres
North GV Estates Park1 acres
Who protects it
4,168 conserved acres
44% of Lower Heidelberg Township’s land. Who manages Lower Heidelberg Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County5,686 ac
Army Corps of Engineers2,175 ac
State fish & wildlife840 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits491 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)180 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government71 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land12 ac
Agricultural Easement · 5,926 acRecreation Management Area · 2,175 acState Resource Management Area · 478 acState Recreation Area · 361 acForest Stewardship Easement · 297 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,554 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Marsh Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 2,175 | Open |
| State Game Land 280 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 478 | Open |
| Sgl 280 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 361 | Open |
| Cacoosing Meadows Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 34 | Open |
| Union Canal Trail Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 26 | Open |
| Blue Marsh Lake Border Trail Private Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Federal Land | 12 | Open |
| Spring Township Open Space Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 11 | Open |
| Green Valley Estates Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 7 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Lower Heidelberg Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lower Heidelberg Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Lower Heidelberg Township
Jesuit Center Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Lower Heidelberg Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Lower Heidelberg Township
State Hill Boat LaunchIn Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 22.4 miHorses · 11.1 miUnpaved · 23.7 mi
Lake Border Trail9.3 mi
Loren Holl Memorial Loop3.8 mi
State Hill Loop3.7 mi
Tulpy Flow Trail1.9 mi
State Hill Dike C Connector Trail0.7 mi
Squirrel Run Hiking Trail0.5 mi
Lakes & 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.
Blue Marsh Lake Multi-Use TrailBike route
9.4 miLoren Holl Memorial LoopBike route
4.1 miState Hill LoopBike route
3.7 miTully Flow TrailBike route
2.3 miState Hill Dike C Connector TrailBike route
0.7 miCourts & fields
12Tennis
7Baseball
6Basketball
5Soccer
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).
When to get out
The best walking months in Lower Heidelberg 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) | 3.3 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Lower Heidelberg Township →
Next door
Lower Heidelberg Township and its neighbors
Lower Heidelberg Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Bern Township56 miLower Heidelberg Township46 miSpring Township24 miNorth Heidelberg Township12 miSouth Heidelberg Township6.9 miHeidelberg Township5.2 miSinking Spring0.3 miWernersville0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Heidelberg Township | 44% | 3.1 | 14 | 71% | A |
| Heidelberg Township | 52% | 0.4 | 632 | 63% | A |
| Spring Township | 6% | 1.3 | 12 | 91% | A− |
| North Heidelberg Township | 37% | 0.9 | 19 | 9% | B+ |
| Bern Township | 19% | 2.9 | 125 | 71% | A+ |
| Wernersville | 2% | 0.1 | 4 | 93% | C+ |
| Sinking Spring | 2% | 0.2 | 4 | 91% | C+ |
| South Heidelberg Township | 12% | 0.5 | 14 | 71% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lower Heidelberg Township
Where can I hike in Lower Heidelberg Township?
The longest trail networks: Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area, 28.8 miles; State Game Lands Number 280, 1 miles; Cacoosing Meadows Recreation Area, 0.9 miles; Central GV Estates Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lower Heidelberg Township is conserved land?
44% 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 Heidelberg Township’s trails?
Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area and State Game Lands Number 280 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Lower Heidelberg Township?
22,008 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lower Heidelberg Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 574 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lower Heidelberg Township have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #133 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 Heidelberg 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 →