State Game Lands Number 305
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
53 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
John Williams House · Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Monroe Township
24% of Monroe Township’s land is conserved: 3,979 acres
976 acres are parks and preserves, 150 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: State Game Lands Number 305 (0.7 mi). 17 miles of mapped trail cross Monroe Township, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #244 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
24%
3,979 acres · of 26.1 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
976 ac
150 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
45%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.1 mi
9.1 mi paths
Highest peak
1,066 ft
White Rocks
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Monroe Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Monroe Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Monroe Township is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #244 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Monroe Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land24% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land150 acres of park per 1,000 residents (976 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home45% 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 84%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 77%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Monroe Township’s 24% is ahead of 84% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 64% 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 State Game Lands Number 305, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
3,979 conserved acres
24% of Monroe Township’s land. Who manages Monroe Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County9,216 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,346 ac
National Park Service1,099 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)243 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government141 ac
State fish & wildlife47 ac
Not recorded134 ac
Agricultural Easement · 9,459 acNational Scenic or Historic Trail · 1,095 acPrivate Conservation · 821 acLocal Recreation Area · 439 acLocal Park · 142 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,335 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 135 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 1,095 | Open |
| White Rocks Land Acquisition Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 821 | Open |
| White Rocks Acquisition Local Recreation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 439 | Open |
| Deckman, D.E. Living Trust Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 131 | Closed |
| Willams Grove Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 85 | Open |
| State Game Land 305 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 47 | Open |
| Monroe Community Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 32 | Open |
| Monroe Memorial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 13 | Open |
| Leidigh Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
| Monroe Acres Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in Monroe Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Monroe Township
Spring Rock Playground
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Monroe Township
White Rocks1,066 ft elevation
DirectionsCenter Point Knob1,056 ft elevation · In State Game Lands Number 305
DirectionsSteam Engine Hill
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Monroe Township
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miHorses · 0.5 miUnpaved · 0.9 mi
Appalachian National Scenic Trail4.8 mi
White Rocks Trail1.4 mi
Pulling Track0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Baseball
3Tennis
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). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
John Williams HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Monroe Township: April to 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 | 42 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
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 Monroe Township →
Next door
Monroe Township and its neighbors
Monroe Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
South Middleton Township32 miMonroe Township17 miMiddlesex Township15 miUpper Allen Township13 miSilver Spring Township12 miMechanicsburg1.5 miCarroll Township0.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Township | 24% | 0.6 | 150 | 45% | A− |
| Carroll Township | 2% | 0.1 | 8 | 43% | C |
| South Middleton Township | 18% | 0.7 | 90 | 47% | A− |
| Silver Spring Township | 9% | 0.4 | 15 | 54% | B |
| Upper Allen Township | 7% | 1.0 | 13 | 80% | A− |
| Mechanicsburg | 4% | 0.6 | 7 | 93% | B |
| Middlesex Township | 11% | 0.6 | 30 | 49% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Monroe Township
Where can I hike in Monroe Township?
The longest trail networks: State Game Lands Number 305, 0.7 miles; Leidighs Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Monroe Township is conserved land?
24% 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 Monroe Township’s trails?
State Game Lands Number 305 and Leidighs Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Monroe Township?
9.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Monroe Township?
34,181 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Monroe Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,523 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Monroe Township have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #244 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 Monroe 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 →