Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
338 acres3.1 mi of trail
Darlington Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Lower Paxton Township
Lower Paxton Township has 16 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area (3.1 mi), Brightbill Park (0.9 mi), Koon's Park (0.6 mi). 5% of Lower Paxton Township’s land is conserved, about 954 acres. 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns · #705 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
954 acres · of 28.2 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
509 ac
9.3 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.8 mi
0.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lower Paxton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lower Paxton Township is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns, #705 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lower Paxton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land9.3 acres of park per 1,000 residents (509 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home46% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 53%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 32%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Lower Paxton Township’s 5% is ahead of 37% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 60% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Koon's Park
Managed by Lower Paxton Township
26 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hodges Heights Park
Park
53 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area338 acres · 3.1 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
Brightbill Park28 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsKoon's Park26 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Lower Paxton Township
DirectionsThomas B. George park40 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHodges Heights Park53 acres
Kohl Memorial Park19 acres
DirectionsLingle Park16 acres
DirectionsStray Winds Park12 acres · Lower Paxton Township
DirectionsAutumn Oaks Park7 acres
Lamplight Park6 acres
DirectionsCentennial Acres Park4 acres
Kings Crossing Park3 acres · Lower Paxton Township
DirectionsHocker Park1 acres · Lower Paxton Township
DirectionsWho protects it
954 conserved acres
5% of Lower Paxton Township’s land. Who manages Lower Paxton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits561 ac
State parks367 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government302 ac
Town or city143 ac
Not recorded43 ac
State Other or Unknown · 367 acForest Stewardship Easement · 337 acLocal Park · 320 acConservation Easement · 135 acPrivate Conservation · 131 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 139 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 34 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boyd Big Tree Conservation Area State Other or Unknown | State parks | 367 | Open |
| Wolfersberger Tract Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 87 | Open |
| Elizabeth Woods Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 82 | Open |
| George Park - Possibility Place Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 72 | Open |
| Hodges Heights Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 55 | Open |
| Spangler Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 49 | Open |
| Brightbill Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 38 | Open |
| Lower Paxton Township Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 38 | Open |
| Buchanon Tract Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Kohl Memorial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 36 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Lower Paxton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Lower Paxton Township
Penn Colonial Swim Club
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Lower Paxton Township
Forest Hills Park
DirectionsLinglestown Elementary & Middle school playground
DirectionsThe Terraced Playground
Directionspossibility palceIn Thomas B. George park
DirectionsPlus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lower Paxton Township
Bow Wow WOW!!! Bark Park
DirectionsHappy Tails Dog ParkIn Kohl Memorial Park
DirectionsSpringford Terrace Bark Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.3 mi
Darlington Trail0.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
29Baseball
29Tennis
10Basketball
8Soccer
5Football
2Beach volleyball
2Volleyball
1Field hockey
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).
Abraham Bomberger FarmhouseBuilding · listed 2026
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Lower Paxton 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 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 41 | 50 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Lower Paxton Township →
Next door
Lower Paxton Township and its neighbors
Lower Paxton Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Middle Paxton Township58 miLower Paxton Township16 miWest Hanover Township11 miSouth Hanover Township5.5 miSwatara Township2.1 miRutherford0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Paxton Township | 5% | 0.6 | 9 | 46% | B− |
| West Hanover Township | 9% | 0.5 | 13 | 44% | B |
| South Hanover Township | 3% | 0.5 | 18 | 70% | B |
| Swatara Township | 5% | 0.2 | 7 | 80% | B− |
| Rutherford | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Middle Paxton Township | 51% | 1.1 | 171 | 50% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lower Paxton Township
Where can I hike in Lower Paxton Township?
The longest trail networks: Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area, 3.1 miles; Brightbill Park, 0.9 miles; Koon's Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lower Paxton Township is conserved land?
5% 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 Paxton Township’s trails?
Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area and Brightbill Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lower Paxton Township?
0.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Lower Paxton Township?
39,499 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lower Paxton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 843 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lower Paxton Township have?
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #705 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 Paxton 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 →