Old Orchard Park
Managed by Palmer Township
6 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Palmer Township
6% of Palmer Township’s land is conserved, and 95% of residents live within a half mile of a park
6% of Palmer Township’s land is conserved, about 379 acres. 2.4 miles of mapped trail cross Palmer Township, 0.2 per square mile of land. 283 acres are parks and preserves, 13 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #534 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
379 acres · of 10.3 sq mi of land
Trails
2.4 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
283 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
1.5 mi lanes · 9.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Palmer Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Palmer Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Palmer Township is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #534 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Palmer Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (283 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home95% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 66%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 49%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Palmer Township’s 6% is ahead of 40% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 35% 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 Old Orchard Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fairview Park
Managed by Palmer Township
18 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 19 parks & preserves
Old Orchard Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Palmer Township
Fairview Park18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Palmer Township
DirectionsPenn Pump Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Palmer Township
DirectionsBriarcliffe Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHugh Moore Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMill Race Park33 acres · Palmer Township
DirectionsRiverview Park22 acres · Palmer Township
DirectionsWeller Tract14 acres · Palmer Township
DirectionsBinney and Smith Preserve11 acres · Wildlands Conservancy
DirectionsKeystone Park9 acres · Palmer Township
DirectionsKnob Hill Open Space9 acres · Palmer Township
DirectionsFox Run Open Space9 acres
DirectionsFox Run Park8 acres · Palmer Township
DirectionsLaBarre Park5 acres · Palmer Township
Hillcrest Open Space3 acres
Hackett Park2 acres
Barberry Park1 acres · Palmer Township
Stephens Street Park1 acres
Newburg Park1 acres · Palmer Township
DirectionsWho protects it
379 conserved acres
6% of Palmer Township’s land. Who manages Palmer Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government214 ac
Town or city138 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits9 ac
Not recorded86 ac
Local Park · 174 acLocal Recreation Area · 126 acConservation Easement · 112 acPrivate Conservation · 19 acLocal Other or Unknown · 16 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 112 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 28 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview Park Local Park | Not recorded | 68 | Open |
| Palmer Township Open Space Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 44 | Closed |
| Penn'S Grant Open Space Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 30 | Open |
| Village At Mill Race Park And Open Space Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| D & L Trail Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 26 | Open |
| Two Rivers Trailway Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 26 | Open |
| Binney and Smith Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 19 | Open |
| Briarcliffe Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 17 | Open |
| Fairview Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 15 | Open |
| Keystone Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
36 places to go in Palmer Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Palmer Township
Stones Crossing Swimming Club
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Palmer Township
Hillcrest Tot Lot
DirectionsPlus 27 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Palmer Township
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Palmer Township
Fishing PierIn Hugh Moore Park
DirectionsWaterfalls in Palmer Township
2 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Palmer Township
Dam VistaIn Hugh Moore Park
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
9.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
26Baseball
18Tennis
10Soccer
8Basketball
8Pickleball
4Football
1Tracks
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Palmer Township: April to June and September
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 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Palmer Township →
Next door
Palmer Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Forks Township13 miEaston5.7 miLower Nazareth Township3.9 miPalmer Township2.4 miStockertown1.1 miWilson0.8 miTatamy0.3 miOld Orchard0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmer Township | 6% | 0.2 | 13 | 95% | B+ |
| Forks Township | 7% | 1.1 | 20 | 94% | A |
| Easton | 19% | 1.3 | 18 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Stockertown | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Wilson | 6% | 0.7 | 6 | 99%+ | A− |
| Tatamy | 4% | 0.5 | 11 | 99%+ | A− |
| Old Orchard | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lower Nazareth Township | 12% | 0.3 | 27 | 68% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Palmer Township
Where can I hike in Palmer Township?
The longest trail networks: Old Orchard Park, 0.3 miles; Fairview Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Palmer Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Palmer Township’s trails?
Old Orchard Park and Mill Race Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Palmer Township?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.5 of painted or protected lanes and 9.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Palmer Township?
22,641 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Palmer Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 387 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Palmer Township have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #534 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 Palmer 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 →