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A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Middletown Township

Middletown Township has 43 miles of mapped trails, 3.2 for every square mile of land

19% of Middletown Township’s land is conserved, about 1,654 acres. 1,617 acres are parks and preserves, 97 per 1,000 residents. 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park.

Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #10 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it

Conserved land
19%
1,654 acres · of 13.5 sq mi of land
Trails
43 mi
3.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,617 ac
97 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.3 mi
3.3 mi paths

What kind of outdoors town is Middletown Township?

Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.

A trail town3.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 98% of U.S. towns.Land that stays wild19% of the land is conserved; a typical Pennsylvania town, 8%.Room to roam97 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.
Outdoors grade

How much outdoors does Middletown Township have?

On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Middletown Township is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #10 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs put Middletown Township near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.

A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Middletown Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (43 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land97 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,617 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)#10 of 1,037

Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Middletown Township’s 19% is ahead of 78% 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.

12345
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 Tyler Arboretum, with 19.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Tyler Arboretum

Nature preserve
638 acres19.2 mi of trail
WhiteOrangeBlueRed+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Ridley Creek State Park

Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
166 acres1.6 mi of trail
White TrailBlue
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Wawa Preserve

Managed by Natural Lands
34 acres0.6 mi of trail
Rocky Run Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Natural Lands' Wawa Preserve

Managed by Natural Lands
25 acres0.6 mi of trail
Rocky Run TrailDarlington Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Sleighton Park

Park
27 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Tyler Arboretum638 acres · 19.2 mi of trail
Directions
Ridley Creek State Park166 acres · 1.6 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
Directions
Wawa Preserve34 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Natural Lands
Directions
Natural Lands' Wawa Preserve25 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Natural Lands
Directions
Sleighton Park27 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Longview Park13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Directions
Indian Lane Park8 acres
High Meadow Park2 acres
Directions
Who protects it

1,654 conserved acres

19% of Middletown Township’s land. Who manages Middletown Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

Other or Unknown Local Government1,274 ac
State parks349 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits257 ac
County35 ac
Town or city9 ac
Not recorded493 ac
Local Park · 1,001 acLocal Other or Unknown · 389 acState Park · 349 acLocal Recreation Area · 278 acRecreation or Education Easement · 144 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 68 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 46 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Tyler Arboretum
Local Park
Other or Unknown Local Government637Open
Municipal Land
Local Other or Unknown
Not recorded389Open
Ridley Creek State Park
State Park
State parks349Open
Middletown Open Space
Local Recreation Area
Other or Unknown Local Government229Open
Wawa Preserve
Private Conservation
Not recorded127Open
Sleighton Park
Local Park
Other or Unknown Local Government84Open
Smedley Park
Local Park
Other or Unknown Local Government71Open
County Land
Local Park
Other or Unknown Local Government66Unknown
Mineral Hill County Park
Local Park
Other or Unknown Local Government53Open
Indian Orchard Park
Local Park
Other or Unknown Local Government40Open

5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.

Things to do

7 places to go in Middletown Township

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Public pools in Middletown Township
Knowlton Swim Club
Directions
Knowlton Swim Club
Directions
Knowlton Swim Club
Directions
Rocky Run YMCA
Directions
Trails & water

24 named trails

Named trails
Unpaved · 12.4 mi
White5.4 mi
Darlington Trail3.3 mi
Rocky Run Trail2.6 mi
Blue1.6 mi
Orange1.3 mi
Linvill Trail1.3 mi
Cornucopia Trail1.2 mi
Red1.1 mi
Pink1.1 mi
White Red0.8 mi
14 more trails
Wister Walk
0.3 mi
Purple
0.3 mi
White Trail
0.3 mi
Yellow
0.3 mi
White Orange
0.3 mi
Purple Triangle
0.2 mi
Orange/White
0.2 mi
Yellow White
0.2 mi
White Red Blue
0.2 mi
White Pink
0.1 mi
White Blue
0.1 mi
Pink White
0.1 mi
Starch Mill Trail
0.1 mi
blue/white blaze east
0.1 mi
Biking & sports

3.3 miles of bike routes

Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.

3.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Tennis
9Soccer
8Baseball
4Basketball
1Softball
1Volleyball
1Football

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

History along the way

2 places on the National Register

The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.

History →
Tyler, John J., ArboretumDistrict · listed 2003
About it
Williamson Free School of Mechanical TradesDistrict · listed 2022
About it
When to get out

The best walking months in Middletown 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.610.611.813.214.415.014.713.712.411.19.99.3
High (°F)414452647482878578675546
Rain (in)3.32.84.23.73.64.44.54.34.73.93.24.0

February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.7 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Middletown Township →

Next door

Middletown Township and its neighbors

Middletown Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Middletown Township43 miEdgmont Township24 miThornbury Township9.2 miUpper Providence Township6.0 miAston Township3.2 miBrookhaven0.4 miVillage Green-Green Ridge0.3 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Middletown Township19%3.29798%A+
Upper Providence Township10%1.13596%A
Aston Township5%0.51299%A−
Thornbury Township10%1.07292%A
Village Green-Green Ridge— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Brookhaven9%0.21099%+B+
Edgmont Township44%2.553788%A+

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in Middletown Township

Where can I hike in Middletown Township?

The longest trail networks: Tyler Arboretum, 19.2 miles; Ridley Creek State Park, 1.6 miles; Wawa Preserve, 0.6 miles; Natural Lands' Wawa Preserve, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

How much of Middletown Township is conserved land?

19% 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 Middletown Township’s trails?

Tyler Arboretum and Ridley Creek State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Where can I bike in Middletown Township?

3.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.3 of off-road paths.

Is there public land near Middletown Township?

23,014 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Middletown Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,617 of them inside the town line.

How much outdoors does Middletown Township have?

Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #10 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 Middletown Township neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →