ChesLen Preserve
Managed by Natural Lands
1,241 acres15.3 mi of trail
Gray - Other TrailsYellow LoopPeter O. Hausmann TrailPurple Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Harlan House · Photo: Smallbones at en.wikipedia · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Newlin Township
More than half of Newlin Township’s land is conserved: 63%
63% of Newlin Township’s land is conserved, about 4,774 acres. 764 acres are parks and preserves, 616 per 1,000 residents. 21 miles of mapped trail cross Newlin Township, 1.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
63%
4,774 acres · of 12.0 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
764 ac
616 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Newlin Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild63% of the land is conserved; a typical Pennsylvania town, 8%.Room to roam616 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 91% of U.S. towns.History along the way14 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Newlin Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Newlin Township is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Newlin Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land63% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land616 acres of park per 1,000 residents (764 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home58% 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 96%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Newlin Township’s 63% is ahead of 100% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 90% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 ChesLen Preserve, with 15.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Laurels Preserve
Managed by Brandywine Conservancy
239 acres2.8 mi of trail
Tape Worm LoopAmristed Farm LoopBoy Scout Trail (to private property)Waterfall Trail (to private property)+1
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
4,774 conserved acres
63% of Newlin Township’s land. Who manages Newlin Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits16,715 ac
County1,011 ac
Joint708 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)215 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government64 ac
Town or city5 ac
Not recorded1,501 ac
Conservation Easement · 12,309 acPrivate Conservation · 2,850 acAgricultural Easement · 2,421 acForest Stewardship Easement · 1,831 acLocal Park · 525 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,236 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 7 of 274 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChesLen Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 2,478 | Open |
| Embreeville County Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 513 | Open |
| The Laurels Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 368 | Open |
| Telegraph Preserve Local Conservation Area | Not recorded | 67 | Open |
| West Bradford Open Space Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 52 | Closed |
| Tlcforscc Ce #016 Private Historic or Cultural | Not recorded | 9 | Closed |
| Lieds Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 7 | Open |
| Claffy Land Acquisition Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Mason Dixon Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| Brandywine Conservancy Fee-owned Lands Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 3 | Restricted |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Trails & water
14 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.0 miHorses · 16.5 miUnpaved · 16.1 mi
Gray - Other Trails5.0 mi
Yellow Loop2.7 mi
Peter O. Hausmann Trail1.6 mi
Purple Loop1.5 mi
Peter O. Hausmann Trail (Red)1.1 mi
Blue Loop1.1 mi
Tape Worm Loop0.7 mi
Green Loop0.6 mi
Amristed Farm Loop0.4 mi
Waterfall Trail (to private property)0.4 mi
4 more trails
Boy Scout Trail (to private property)
0.3 miLower Crossing Access
0.2 miPeter O. Hausmann Trail/Yellow Trail
0.2 miLower Meadow Loop
0.2 miLakes & 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
26Equestrian
3Tennis
2Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →14 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Harlan HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itEmbreeville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About itGreen Valley Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About itHayes HomesteadBuilding · listed 1985
About itHayes Mill HouseDistrict · listed 1985
About itHouse at Upper Laurel Iron WorksBuilding · listed 1985
About itIndian Deep FarmBuilding · listed 1985
About itJacob Hayes HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itJoseph Young HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itMountain Meadow FarmBuilding · listed 1985
About itNorthbrook Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About itSpruce Grove SchoolBuilding · listed 1985
About it2 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Newlin 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.0 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Newlin Township →
Next door
Newlin Township and its neighbors
Newlin Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Newlin Township21 miEast Marlborough Township15 miEast Fallowfield Township12 miWest Bradford Township8.9 miPocopson Township4.5 miWest Marlborough Township3.4 miUnionville0.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newlin Township | 63% | 1.7 | 616 | 58% | A+ |
| West Bradford Township | 19% | 0.5 | 33 | 67% | A− |
| East Marlborough Township | 38% | 1.0 | 82 | 53% | A |
| Unionville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| East Fallowfield Township | 34% | 0.8 | 18 | 62% | A− |
| Pocopson Township | 31% | 0.5 | 100 | 89% | A |
| West Marlborough Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Newlin Township
Where can I hike in Newlin Township?
The longest trail networks: ChesLen Preserve, 15.3 miles; Laurels Preserve, 2.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Newlin Township is conserved land?
63% 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 Newlin Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Laurels Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Newlin Township?
19,755 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Newlin Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,320 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Newlin Township have?
Ahead of 96% 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 Newlin 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 →