Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area
Nature preserve
1,126 acres8.2 mi of trail
Lake Border Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Shuvaev · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Penn Township
39% of Penn Township’s land is conserved: 4,667 acres
97 acres are parks and preserves, 48 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area (8.2 mi), State Game Lands Number 280 (2.9 mi). 11 miles of mapped trail cross Penn Township, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
39%
4,667 acres · of 18.5 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
97 ac
48 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
48%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
896 ft
Scull Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Penn Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Penn Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Penn Township is ahead of 83% 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 Penn Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land39% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land48 acres of park per 1,000 residents (97 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home48% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Penn Township’s 39% is ahead of 96% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 62% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area, with 8.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 280
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
1,841 acres2.9 mi of trail
Lake Border Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rentschler Arboretum
Managed by Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club
34 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
Who protects it
4,667 conserved acres
39% of Penn Township’s land. Who manages Penn Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County5,532 ac
State fish & wildlife3,927 ac
Army Corps of Engineers1,127 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)577 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits134 ac
Joint90 ac
Town or city45 ac
Agricultural Easement · 6,224 acState Resource Management Area · 2,108 acState Recreation Area · 1,819 acRecreation Management Area · 1,127 acRecreation or Education Easement · 100 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,558 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 280 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,148 | Open |
| Sgl 280 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,819 | Open |
| Blue Marsh Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 1,127 | Open |
| Penn Township Park Local Park | Not recorded | 72 | Open |
| Rentschler Arboretum Private Recreation or Education | Not recorded | 67 | Open |
| Good Barry L & Barbara A Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 45 | Closed |
| Bmecc Rentschler Arboretum Private Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 33 | Open |
| Bern Church Grove Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 6 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Penn Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Penn Township
Kayak LaunchIn Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area
DirectionsSheidy Boat LaunchIn Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Penn Township
Scull Hill896 ft elevation
DirectionsScull Hill663 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.4 miHorses · 8.4 miUnpaved · 3.1 mi
Lake Border Trail8.4 mi
Lakes & 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.
Blue Marsh Lake Multi-Use TrailBike route
8.4 miCourts & fields
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Penn 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 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Penn Township →
Next door
Penn Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Bern Township56 miLower Heidelberg Township46 miUpper Tulpehocken Township14 miNorth Heidelberg Township12 miPenn Township11 miJefferson Township2.6 miCentre Township1.5 miBernville0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Township | 39% | 0.6 | 48 | 48% | A− |
| Jefferson Township | 34% | 0.2 | 22 | 19% | B |
| North Heidelberg Township | 37% | 0.9 | 19 | 9% | B+ |
| Upper Tulpehocken Township | 51% | 0.6 | 9 | 30% | B |
| Bernville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Centre Township | 36% | 0.1 | 1 | 25% | C |
| Bern Township | 19% | 2.9 | 125 | 71% | A+ |
| Lower Heidelberg Township | 44% | 3.1 | 14 | 71% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Penn Township
Where can I hike in Penn Township?
The longest trail networks: Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area, 8.2 miles; State Game Lands Number 280, 2.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Penn Township is conserved land?
39% 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 Penn Township’s trails?
Blue Marsh Lake Recreation Area and State Game Lands Number 280 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Penn Township?
36,891 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Penn Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,220 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Penn Township have?
Ahead of 83% 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 Penn 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 →