State Game Lands Number 230
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
579 acres0.6 mi of trail
Tuscarora Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Carlisle Indian School · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in North Middleton Township
8% of North Middleton Township’s land is conserved: 1,211 acres
The biggest trail networks: State Game Lands Number 230 (0.6 mi). 256 acres are parks and preserves, 21 per 1,000 residents. 69% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #509 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,211 acres · of 23.2 sq mi of land
Trails
7.6 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
256 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
69%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.1 mi
0.1 mi paths
Highest peak
476 ft
Cave Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Middleton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Middleton Township is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #509 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Middleton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (256 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13BParks close to home69% 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 68%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 51%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so North Middleton Township’s 8% is ahead of 50% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 42% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. 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 230, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Creekview Park
Park
9 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
State Game Lands Number 230579 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsNorth Middleton Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsCreekview Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Village Park44 acres
DirectionsShaffer Park18 acres
DirectionsLeTort Regional Authority1 acres
Who protects it
1,211 conserved acres
8% of North Middleton Township’s land. Who manages North Middleton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,136 ac
State fish & wildlife553 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits194 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government148 ac
Not recorded97 ac
Agricultural Easement · 1,136 acState Resource Management Area · 553 acPrivate Conservation · 289 acLocal Park · 146 acLocal Recreation Area · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 297 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 230 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 553 | Open |
| Windemaker Acquisition Private Conservation | Not recorded | 173 | Open |
| Reineman Wildlife Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 116 | Closed |
| Creekview & Carlisle Landfill Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 48 | Open |
| Village Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 41 | Open |
| Cave Hill Nature Center Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 19 | Open |
| Shaffer Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 15 | Open |
| North Middleton Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 15 | Open |
| Creekview Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 9 | Open |
| Cumberland Valley Rail-Trail Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
19 places to go in North Middleton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in North Middleton Township
15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in North Middleton Township
Carlisle Area Dog ParkIn Shaffer Park
DirectionsBoat launches in North Middleton Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in North Middleton Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in North Middleton Township
Cave Hill476 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Tuscarora Trail1.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Baseball
7Tennis
4Soccer
2Basketball
2Pickleball
1Football
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in North Middleton 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 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 42 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 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. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in North Middleton Township →
Next door
North Middleton Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Middlesex Township15 miCarroll Township13 miCarlisle8.0 miSpring Township7.7 miNorth Middleton Township7.6 miLower Frankford Township5.8 miWest Pennsboro Township4.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Middleton Township | 8% | 0.3 | 21 | 69% | B+ |
| Carlisle | 4% | 1.4 | 8 | 95% | B+ |
| Spring Township | 7% | 0.3 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| Lower Frankford Township | 5% | 0.4 | 8 | 4% | C+ |
| Carroll Township | 2% | 0.4 | 26 | 32% | C+ |
| Middlesex Township | 11% | 0.6 | 30 | 49% | B+ |
| West Pennsboro Township | 23% | 0.1 | 26 | 34% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Middleton Township
Where can I hike in North Middleton Township?
The longest trail networks: State Game Lands Number 230, 0.6 miles; North Middleton Park, 0.4 miles; Creekview Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Middleton Township is conserved land?
8% 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 North Middleton Township’s trails?
State Game Lands Number 230 and North Middleton Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Middleton Township?
0.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near North Middleton Township?
35,049 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Middleton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 810 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Middleton Township have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #509 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 North Middleton 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 →