Delaware Canal State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
298 acres4.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Benjamin Taylor Homestead · Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Lower Makefield Township
21% of Lower Makefield Township’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 21% of Lower Makefield Township’s land is conserved, about 2,360 acres. 21 miles of mapped trail cross Lower Makefield Township, 1.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #27 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
2,360 acres · of 17.9 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,377 ac
41 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
19 mi
19 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Lower Makefield Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lower Makefield Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lower Makefield Township is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #27 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lower Makefield Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land41 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,377 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 97%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Lower Makefield Township’s 21% is ahead of 81% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 81% 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 Delaware Canal State Park, with 4.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
5 Mile Woods
Managed by Lower Makefield Township
248 acres4.3 mi of trail
Five Mile TrailEvergreen TrailCreek TrailFall Line Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Garden of Reflection
Managed by 9-11memorialgarden.org
59 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Fred Allen Softball Complex
Park
11 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Delaware Canal State Park298 acres · 4.5 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
Directions5 Mile Woods248 acres · 4.3 mi of trail · Lower Makefield Township
DirectionsGarden of Reflection59 acres · 2 mi of trail · 9-11memorialgarden.org
Fred Allen Softball Complex11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Lower Makefield Open Space3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Macclesfield Park74 acres
DirectionsDeerbrook Creek Park47 acres
DirectionsVeterans Square2 acres · Lower Makefield Township
DirectionsDeerbrook Square2 acres
Who protects it
2,360 conserved acres
21% of Lower Makefield Township’s land. Who manages Lower Makefield Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,635 ac
County818 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government682 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits352 ac
Joint105 ac
State parks50 ac
State fish & wildlife5 ac
Agricultural Easement · 2,247 acPrivate Agricultural · 675 acLocal Park · 584 acLocal Other or Unknown · 432 acLocal Recreation Area · 336 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 558 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 60 of 157 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckingham Township Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 312 | Open |
| Five Mile Woods Forest Preserve Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 245 | Open |
| Farmview Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 209 | Closed |
| Makefield Highlands Golf Club Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 161 | Unknown |
| Heather Ridge Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 121 | Closed |
| Bridle Estates Local Park | Not recorded | 95 | Unknown |
| Macclesfield Park Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 91 | Open |
| Farm 088 (Broadmeadow Farms) Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 81 | Closed |
| Longshore Estates Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 72 | Closed |
| Estates at Makefield Brooks Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 65 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
22 places to go in Lower Makefield Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Lower Makefield Township
Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Lower Makefield Township
Edgewood Elementary School Playground
DirectionsKids Kingdom
DirectionsMakefield Elementary Playground
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Lower Makefield Township
Yardley Boat Ramp
DirectionsScenic views in Lower Makefield Township
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Lower Makefield Township
Kids Kingdom Picnic Pavilion
DirectionsPlus 5 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Lower Makefield Township
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
11 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.9 mi
Five Mile Trail0.9 mi
Evergreen Trail0.8 mi
Creek Trail0.5 mi
Fall Line Trail0.5 mi
Paths Between Cell Towers0.5 mi
Heath Trail0.4 mi
Coastal Plain Trail0.3 mi
Ridge Trail0.3 mi
Sweetgum Trail0.3 mi
Sphagnum Trail0.2 mi
1 more trails
Nature Walk
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
19 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
19 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
32Tennis
23Golf
20Soccer
15Baseball
6Basketball
3Softball
1Volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 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 Makefield 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) | 41 | 44 | 52 | 64 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Lower Makefield Township →
Next door
Lower Makefield Township and its neighbors
Lower Makefield Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Middletown Township21 miLower Makefield Township21 miEwing Township10 miUpper Makefield Township7.1 miNewtown Township6.2 miFalls Township6.1 miMorrisville2.4 miYardley2.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Makefield Township | 21% | 1.2 | 41 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Yardley | 5% | 2.5 | 13 | 99%+ | A |
| Newtown Township | 18% | 0.5 | 43 | 78% | A |
| Upper Makefield Township | 28% | 0.3 | 38 | 57% | A− |
| Falls Township | 7% | 0.3 | 24 | 99%+ | A− |
| Middletown Township | 21% | 1.1 | 46 | 99% | A+ |
| Morrisville | 8% | 1.4 | 11 | 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 Makefield Township
Where can I hike in Lower Makefield Township?
The longest trail networks: Delaware Canal State Park, 4.5 miles; 5 Mile Woods, 4.3 miles; Garden of Reflection, 2 miles; Fred Allen Softball Complex, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lower Makefield Township is conserved land?
21% 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 Makefield Township’s trails?
Delaware Canal State Park and 5 Mile Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lower Makefield Township?
19 miles of bike routes are on the map: 19 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Lower Makefield Township?
40,961 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lower Makefield Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,379 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lower Makefield Township have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #27 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 Makefield 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 →