Sandra Yerger Community Recreation Area and Nature Preserve
Managed by Lower Saucon Township
147 acres3.4 mi of trail
Outer TrailInner Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Michael and Margaret Heller House · Photo: Coemgenus · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Lower Saucon Township
Lower Saucon Township has 753 acres of parks, 68 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Lower Saucon Township’s land is conserved, about 1,559 acres. The biggest trail networks: Sandra Yerger Community Recreation Area and Nature Preserve (3.4 mi), South Mountain Park (0.7 mi), Polk Valley Park (0.6 mi). 16 miles of mapped trail cross Lower Saucon Township, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #276 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
1,559 acres · of 24.3 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
753 ac
68 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.5 mi
1.5 mi paths
Highest peak
1,001 ft
Kirchberg
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Lower Saucon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lower Saucon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lower Saucon Township is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #276 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lower Saucon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land68 acres of park per 1,000 residents (753 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home65% 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 82%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 73%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Lower Saucon Township’s 10% is ahead of 57% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 65% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Sandra Yerger Community Recreation Area and Nature Preserve, with 3.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
South Mountain Park
Managed by City of Bethlehem
33 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Polk Valley Park
Managed by Lower Saucon Township
49 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Town Hall Park
Managed by Lower Saucon Township
19 acres0.6 mi of trail
Workout Path
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Heller Homestead Park
Managed by Lower Saucon Township
6 acres0.3 mi of trail
Nature Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Sandra Yerger Community Recreation Area and Nature Preserve147 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · Lower Saucon Township
DirectionsSouth Mountain Park33 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · City of Bethlehem
DirectionsPolk Valley Park49 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Lower Saucon Township
DirectionsTown Hall Park19 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Lower Saucon Township
Heller Homestead Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Lower Saucon Township
DirectionsSteel City Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Lower Saucon Township
Southeastern Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Lower Saucon Township
DirectionsFreeman's Island6 acres · Wildlands Conservancy
Kingston Park2 acres · Lower Saucon Township
Grist Mill Park1 acres · Borough of Hellertown
DirectionsWho protects it
1,559 conserved acres
10% of Lower Saucon Township’s land. Who manages Lower Saucon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,562 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits709 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government611 ac
County379 ac
Joint76 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)3 ac
Not recorded181 ac
Forest Stewardship Easement · 1,027 acConservation Easement · 772 acAgricultural Easement · 449 acLocal Park · 431 acRecreation or Education Easement · 272 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 767 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 7 of 113 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hellertown Reservoir Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 248 | Open |
| Woodland Hills Preserve Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 221 | Open |
| Dravecz Acquisition And Easements Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 66 | Open |
| Riverside Drive Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 62 | Unknown |
| Polk Valley Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 46 | Open |
| Farm Property Local Park | Not recorded | 36 | Open |
| South Mountain Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 33 | Open |
| Town Hall Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 27 | Open |
| Heller Homestead Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 14 | Open |
| Southeastern Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Lower Saucon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lower Saucon Township
Public Playground
DirectionsSwings and SlideIn Town Hall Park
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lower Saucon Township
Polk Valley Dog Park
DirectionsPeaks in Lower Saucon Township
Kirchberg1,001 ft elevation
DirectionsSouth Mountain988 ft elevation · In South Mountain Park
DirectionsKohlberg965 ft elevation
DirectionsSwoveberg843 ft elevation
DirectionsSherry Hill804 ft elevation
DirectionsFocht Hill801 ft elevation
DirectionsGranite Hill781 ft elevation
DirectionsGreen Hill673 ft elevation
Directions1 more peak
Church Hill581 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Lower Saucon Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.0 miUnpaved · 1.2 mi
Outer Trail2.1 mi
Inner Trail1.0 mi
Workout Path0.6 mi
Polk Valley Road Connector Trail0.2 mi
Nature Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & 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
Courts & fields
12Tennis
8Baseball
4Soccer
3Pickleball
2Basketball
1Softball
1Field hockey
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Ehrhart's Mill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itLutz-Franklin SchoolBuilding · listed 2008
About itMichael and Margaret Heller HouseBuilding · listed 2010
About itWagner, John and Family FarmsteadBuilding · listed 2020
About itNorthampton County Bridge No. 15Structure · listed 2020
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Lower Saucon Township: April to June
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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 86 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Lower Saucon Township →
Next door
Lower Saucon Township and its neighbors
Lower Saucon Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Bethlehem18 miLower Saucon Township16 miBethlehem Township14 miWilliams Township12 miSpringfield Township6.9 miEaston5.7 miFreemansburg2.6 miHellertown1.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Saucon Township | 10% | 0.7 | 68 | 65% | A− |
| Bethlehem | 5% | 0.9 | 8 | 99% | A− |
| Hellertown | 12% | 1.4 | 19 | 99%+ | A |
| Bethlehem Township | 5% | 1.0 | 14 | 90% | A− |
| Springfield Township | 27% | 0.2 | 25 | 29% | B |
| Freemansburg | 6% | 3.7 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
| Easton | 19% | 1.3 | 18 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Williams Township | 15% | 0.7 | 75 | 76% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lower Saucon Township
Where can I hike in Lower Saucon Township?
The longest trail networks: Sandra Yerger Community Recreation Area and Nature Preserve, 3.4 miles; South Mountain Park, 0.7 miles; Polk Valley Park, 0.6 miles; Town Hall Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lower Saucon Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Saucon Township’s trails?
Sandra Yerger Community Recreation Area and Nature Preserve and South Mountain Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lower Saucon Township?
1.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Lower Saucon Township?
30,677 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lower Saucon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 904 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lower Saucon Township have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #276 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 Saucon 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 →