Trexler Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
1,026 acres19.3 mi of trail
Trexler Border TrailElk Viewing TrailFireman's TrailCovered Bridge Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Schlicher Covered Bridge · Photo: Lehigh Valley, PA · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in North Whitehall Township
North Whitehall Township has 1,299 acres of parks, 82 for every 1,000 residents
27 miles of mapped trail cross North Whitehall Township, 1.0 per square mile of land. 10% of North Whitehall Township’s land is conserved, about 1,763 acres. The biggest trail networks: Trexler Nature Preserve (19.3 mi), Laurys Firehouse Park (0.8 mi).
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #207 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
1,763 acres · of 28.1 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,299 ac
82 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
66%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.2 mi
6.2 mi paths
Highest peak
758 ft
Schantz Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is North Whitehall Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Whitehall Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Whitehall Township is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #207 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Whitehall Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land82 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,299 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home66% 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 86%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 80%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so North Whitehall Township’s 10% is ahead of 56% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 75% 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 Trexler Nature Preserve, with 19.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Johnson's Pond Wildlife Park
Managed by North Whitehall Township
19 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 11 parks & preserves
Trexler Nature Preserve1,026 acres · 19.3 mi of trail
DirectionsLaurys Firehouse Park31 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsJohnson's Pond Wildlife Park19 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · North Whitehall Township
DirectionsKolapechka Park19 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsNeffs Valley Park12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Independence Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLevans Park (Holben Park)8 acres
DirectionsNorth Whitehall Recreation Area7 acres
DirectionsOrefield Athletic Association4 acres
DirectionsNeffs Ballfield3 acres
United States Armed Forces Plaza1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,763 conserved acres
10% of North Whitehall Township’s land. Who manages North Whitehall Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,819 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1,229 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits327 ac
Town or city13 ac
Private owners12 ac
Not recorded22 ac
Agricultural Easement · 1,662 acLocal Conservation Area · 1,017 acLocal Park · 467 acUnknown Easement · 133 acLocal Recreation Area · 87 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 471 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 43 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trexler Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1,017 | Open |
| County Park Local Park | County | 310 | Open |
| Laurys Firehouse Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 34 | Open |
| Kern's Dam Open Space Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 28 | Open |
| Kolapechka Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 21 | Open |
| Schnecksville Little League Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 21 | Open |
| Johnsons' Pond Wildlife Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 20 | Open |
| Recreation Area Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 19 | Open |
| Neffs Valley Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 15 | Open |
| Orchard View Swim Club Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 13 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
27 places to go in North Whitehall Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in North Whitehall Township
Orchard View Swim Club
DirectionsPlaygrounds in North Whitehall Township
15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in North Whitehall Township
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in North Whitehall Township
Treichlers Bridge Boat Ramp
DirectionsScenic views in North Whitehall Township
View PointIn Trexler Nature Preserve
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in North Whitehall Township
Schantz Hill758 ft elevation · In Trexler Nature Preserve
DirectionsMill Hill722 ft elevation · In Trexler Nature Preserve
DirectionsSandstone Ridge692 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in North Whitehall Township
1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
13 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 9.3 miHorses · 6.6 miUnpaved · 10.2 mi
Trexler Border Trail5.6 mi
Elk Viewing Trail1.4 mi
Fireman's Trail1.2 mi
Covered Bridge Trail1.1 mi
Broken Arrow Trail1.0 mi
Spur Trail0.6 mi
Teardrop Trail0.6 mi
Trexler Nature Trail0.4 mi
Boy Scout Trail0.4 mi
Observation Trail0.4 mi
3 more trails
Bird Watching Trail
0.3 miTrexler Border Trail / Bird Watching Trail
0.3 miHunsicker Valley Trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Trexler Border TrailBike route
5.8 miBroken Arrow TrailBike route
1 miCourts & fields
24Basketball
19Baseball
10Tennis
6Soccer
1Softball
1Beach volleyball
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in North Whitehall Township: April and May
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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 86 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in North Whitehall Township →
Next door
North Whitehall Township and its neighbors
North Whitehall Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
North Whitehall Township27 miWhitehall Township18 miLowhill Township13 miLehigh Township12 miSouth Whitehall Township2.6 miSchnecksville2.2 miLaurys Station0.8 miAllen Township0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Whitehall Township | 10% | 1.0 | 82 | 66% | A |
| Lehigh Township | 18% | 0.4 | 19 | 38% | B+ |
| Laurys Station | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lowhill Township | 28% | 0.9 | 223 | 19% | A− |
| Allen Township | 19% | 0.1 | 56 | 76% | B+ |
| Whitehall Township | 8% | 1.4 | 25 | 97% | A |
| Schnecksville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| South Whitehall Township | 4% | 0.2 | 20 | 94% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Whitehall Township
Where can I hike in North Whitehall Township?
The longest trail networks: Trexler Nature Preserve, 19.3 miles; Laurys Firehouse Park, 0.8 miles; Johnson's Pond Wildlife Park, 0.3 miles; Kolapechka Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Whitehall Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Whitehall Township’s trails?
Trexler Nature Preserve and Laurys Firehouse Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Whitehall Township?
6.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.2 of off-road paths. Named routes: Trexler Border Trail and Broken Arrow Trail.
Is there public land near North Whitehall Township?
28,613 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Whitehall Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,299 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Whitehall Township have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #207 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 Whitehall 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 →