Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ, M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.0Lower Swatara Township has 127 acres of parks, 13 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Greenfield Park (0.6 mi). 91% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Lower Swatara Township’s land is conserved, about 164 acres.
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns · #674 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Lower Swatara Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Lower Swatara Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lower Swatara Township is ahead of 56% of U.S. towns, #674 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Lower Swatara Township’s 2% is ahead of 13% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 38% of them.
Water is 17% of Lower Swatara Township’s area (2 of 15 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Greenfield Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 275
164 conserved acres
2% of Lower Swatara Township’s land. Water is left out: Lower Swatara Township has 12.3 square miles of land and 2.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lower Swatara Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| High School Park Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 34 | Open |
| Shireman Property Acquisition Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 31 | Open |
| Sassafras Island Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 28 | Open |
| Messick Tract Acquisition Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Messick Park Phase II Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 27 | Open |
| Lower Swatara Memorial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 14 | Open |
| Fema Flood Buyout (County Or Municipal Owned) Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
| Woodbridge Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| Borough of Highspire Reservoir Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| Swatara Crest Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
9 places to go in Lower Swatara Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
0.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Lower Swatara 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) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Lower Swatara Township →
Lower Swatara Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Swatara Township | 2% | 0.3 | 13 | 91% | B |
| Highspire | 8% | under 0.1 | 16 | 99%+ | B |
| Derry Township | 2% | 1.1 | 14 | 63% | B |
| Middletown | 6% | 0.4 | 7 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Swatara Township | 5% | 0.2 | 7 | 80% | B− |
| Fairview Township | 2% | 0.1 | 8 | 41% | C− |
| Londonderry Township | 17% | 0.4 | 130 | 38% | A− |
| Steelton | 3% | 0.1 | 4 | 99%+ | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lower Swatara Township
Where can I hike in Lower Swatara Township?
The longest trail networks: Greenfield Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lower Swatara Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Swatara Township’s trails?
Greenfield Park and State Game Lands Number 275 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lower Swatara Township?
0.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Lower Swatara Township?
8,218 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lower Swatara Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 130 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lower Swatara Township have?
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #674 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 Swatara Township neighbors.
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 →