Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Northampton
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 1.9 miles of mapped trail cross Northampton, 0.8 per square mile of land. 62 acres are parks and preserves, 6.0 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #425 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Northampton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Northampton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Northampton is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #425 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Northampton’s 4% is ahead of 27% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 70% of them.
Water is 6% of Northampton’s area (0 of 3 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Canal Street Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fourth Street Playground
60 conserved acres
4% of Northampton’s land. Water is left out: Northampton has 2.5 square miles of land and 0.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Northampton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canal Street Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 26 | Open |
| Northampton Borough Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 17 | Open |
| 26th Street Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| Northampton Borough Football Field Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| 4th Street Playground Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
| Northampton Athletic Association Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
| Alliance Playground Local Park | Not recorded | 1 | Open |
4 places to go in Northampton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
1.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
The best walking months in Northampton: April to June
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 | 42 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.9 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Northampton →
Northampton and its neighbors
Northampton has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northampton | 4% | 0.8 | 6 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Allen Township | 19% | 0.1 | 56 | 76% | B+ |
| Whitehall Township | 8% | 1.4 | 25 | 97% | A |
| North Catasauqua | 5% | 2.1 | 5 | 99%+ | A− |
| Cementon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Coplay | 6% | 0.5 | 7 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Northampton
Where can I hike in Northampton?
The longest trail networks: Canal Street Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Northampton is conserved land?
4% 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 Northampton’s trails?
Canal Street Park and Northampton Municipal Park Complex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Northampton?
1.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: D&L Trail.
Is there public land near Northampton?
20,411 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Northampton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 62 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Northampton have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #425 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 Northampton neighbors.
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 →