Laurel Ridge State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
2,963 acres20.3 mi of trail
Laurel Highlands Hiking TrailLHHT - Decker Avenue Shelter Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Lower Yoder Township
More than half of Lower Yoder Township’s land is conserved: 59%
59% of Lower Yoder Township’s land is conserved, about 4,951 acres. 3,261 acres are parks and preserves, 1,478 per 1,000 residents. 42 miles of mapped trail cross Lower Yoder Township, 3.2 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
59%
4,951 acres · of 13.1 sq mi of land
Trails
42 mi
3.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,261 ac
1,478 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
84%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Lower Yoder Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lower Yoder Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lower Yoder Township is among the top 1% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lower Yoder Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land59% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails3.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (42 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land1,478 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,261 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home84% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Lower Yoder Township’s 59% is ahead of 100% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 98% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Laurel Ridge State Park, with 20.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 42
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
1,741 acres14.6 mi of trail
Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Brownstown Recreation Park
Park
4 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
4,951 conserved acres
59% of Lower Yoder Township’s land. Who manages Lower Yoder Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits3,160 ac
State parks2,965 ac
State fish & wildlife1,741 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government171 ac
State natural resources39 ac
Not recorded13 ac
State Park · 2,965 acState Resource Management Area · 1,780 acConservation Easement · 1,660 acForest Stewardship Easement · 1,498 acLocal Park · 168 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laurel Ridge State Park State Park | State parks | 2,965 | Open |
| State Game Land 042 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,741 | Open |
| Powell Stackhouse Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 160 | Open |
| Gallitzin State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 39 | Open |
| Sunnehanna Country Club Local Park | Not recorded | 7 | Open |
| CVC Property Private Conservation | Not recorded | 6 | Closed |
| Brownstown Recreation Park Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 6 | Open |
| Aspen Way Ballfield Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| Burkhard Street Playground Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Lower Yoder Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lower Yoder Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Lower Yoder Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 1.4 miUnpaved · 5.7 mi
Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail4.5 mi
LHHT - Decker Avenue Shelter Trail0.4 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.
Courts & fields
6Baseball
1Basketball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Lower Yoder Township: May 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) | 33 | 37 | 45 | 59 | 68 | 76 | 79 | 78 | 71 | 60 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 4.1 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Lower Yoder Township →
Next door
Lower Yoder Township and its neighbors
Lower Yoder Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
St. Clair Township44 miLower Yoder Township42 miUpper Yoder Township14 miJohnstown4.5 miWest Taylor Township2.7 miWestmont2.2 miWestwood1.0 miBrownstown0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Yoder Township | 59% | 3.2 | 1,478 | 84% | A+ |
| St. Clair Township | 58% | 1.5 | 2,027 | 48% | A |
| Johnstown | 2% | 0.8 | 3 | 96% | B− |
| West Taylor Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Westmont | 11% | 0.9 | 57 | 92% | A |
| Westwood | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Brownstown | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Upper Yoder Township | 15% | 1.2 | 14 | 45% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lower Yoder Township
Where can I hike in Lower Yoder Township?
The longest trail networks: Laurel Ridge State Park, 20.3 miles; State Game Lands Number 42, 14.6 miles; Brownstown Recreation Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lower Yoder Township is conserved land?
59% 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 Yoder Township’s trails?
Laurel Ridge State Park and State Game Lands Number 42 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Lower Yoder Township?
47,562 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lower Yoder Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,379 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lower Yoder Township have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Yoder 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 →