Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek
Nature preserve
8,410 acres21.5 mi of trail
Potawatame TrailBoundary Line Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Penn Forest Township
42% of Penn Forest Township’s land is conserved: 19,840 acres
2,818 acres are parks and preserves, 277 per 1,000 residents. 75 miles of mapped trail cross Penn Forest Township, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek (21.5 mi), State Game Lands Number 141 (19.7 mi), Weiser State Forest Penn Forest Tract (7.2 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #166 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
19,840 acres · of 73.8 sq mi of land
Trails
75 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,818 ac
277 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,781 ft
Millstone Mountain
Lakes & rivers
6
2 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Penn Forest Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Penn Forest Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Penn Forest Township is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #166 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. 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 Forest Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (75 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land277 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,818 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home34% 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 88%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 84%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Penn Forest Township’s 42% is ahead of 97% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 78% 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 Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek, with 21.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 141
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
6,556 acres19.7 mi of trail
Penn Haven ExpressStony AccessDrakes ExpressScrub Mountain Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Weiser State Forest Penn Forest Tract
Nature preserve
1,039 acres7.2 mi of trail
Penn Forest TrailPowerline TrailBoundary Line TrailSawmill Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Hickory Run State Park
Nature preserve
1,552 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Penn Forest Township Recreational Park
Park
33 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Palmerton Fishing & Hunting Association
Nature preserve
1,126 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lehigh Gorge State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
130 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
State Game Lands Number 129
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
699 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek8,410 acres · 21.5 mi of trail
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 1416,556 acres · 19.7 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsWeiser State Forest Penn Forest Tract1,039 acres · 7.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHickory Run State Park1,552 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPenn Forest Township Recreational Park33 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Palmerton Fishing & Hunting Association1,126 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
Lehigh Gorge State Park130 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
State Game Lands Number 129699 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsWeiser State Forest1,039 acres · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
Delaware State Forest46 acres · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
DirectionsHorseshoes and Baseball fields9 acres · Towamnsing Trails
Jonas Mountain Nature Preserve4 acres · Pocono Heritage Land Trust
Who protects it
19,840 conserved acres
42% of Penn Forest Township’s land. Who manages Penn Forest Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits25,869 ac
State fish & wildlife14,512 ac
Joint8,233 ac
State parks5,479 ac
State natural resources2,051 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government40 ac
Not recorded450 ac
Conservation Easement · 33,331 acState Resource Management Area · 9,317 acState Recreation Area · 7,245 acState Park · 5,679 acPrivate Conservation · 754 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 8,510 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 27 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 141 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 6,566 | Open |
| Sgl 141 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 6,547 | Open |
| Hickory Run State Park State Park | State parks | 4,350 | Open |
| Weiser State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 1,910 | Open |
| Lehigh Gorge State Park State Park | State parks | 1,329 | Open |
| Lehigh Gorge (John & Mary Wargo Preserve) Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 747 | Unknown |
| State Game Land 129 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 700 | Open |
| Sgl 129 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 698 | Open |
| Delaware State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 141 | Open |
| Route 903 Recreational Park Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 34 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Penn Forest Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Penn Forest Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Penn Forest Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Penn Forest Township
Buzzard's PointIn State Game Lands Number 141
DirectionsTank HollowIn State Game Lands Number 141
DirectionsPeaks in Penn Forest Township
Millstone Mountain1,781 ft elevation · In Hickory Run State Park
DirectionsScrub Mountain1,781 ft elevation · In State Game Lands Number 141
DirectionsSummer Mountain1,690 ft elevation
DirectionsKettle Hill1,660 ft elevation
DirectionsCall Mountain1,545 ft elevation · In Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek
DirectionsPlus 4 peaks without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miUnpaved · 22.5 mi
Rattlesnake Ridge2.4 mi
Penn Haven Express1.9 mi
Penn Forest Trail1.6 mi
Potawatame Trail1.6 mi
Boundary Line Trail1.6 mi
Stony Access1.1 mi
Powerline Trail0.9 mi
Drakes Express0.8 mi
Scrub Mountain Trail0.7 mi
Me So Thorny0.7 mi
15 more trails
Sawmill Trail
0.7 miBuzzard's Option
0.6 miBlack Oak Connector
0.6 miEngler Run Trail
0.5 miTank Hollow Trail
0.5 miFire Break Trail
0.5 miWhitetail Trail
0.4 miPine Trail
0.4 miRattlesnake Connector
0.4 miSunset Drop
0.4 miFixsam Cut Trail
0.4 miRebold Trail
0.4 miTurkey Track Trail
0.4 miArrowhead Alley
0.3 miBear Paw Trail
0.2 miBiking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Tennis
4Basketball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Penn Forest Township: May 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 71 | 60 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 5.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Penn Forest Township →
Next door
Penn Forest Township and its neighbors
Penn Forest Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Penn Forest Township75 miKidder Township66 miTunkhannock Township58 miLehigh Township39 miJim Thorpe28 miPolk Township25 miFranklin Township6.4 miTowamensing Trails0.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Forest Township | 42% | 1.0 | 277 | 34% | A |
| Kidder Township | 50% | 1.0 | 6,991 | 48% | A |
| Lehigh Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Jim Thorpe | 23% | 1.9 | 433 | 96% | A+ |
| Polk Township | 28% | 0.8 | 67 | 18% | A− |
| Towamensing Trails | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Franklin Township | 14% | 0.4 | 10 | 49% | B |
| Tunkhannock Township | 59% | 1.5 | 90 | 36% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Penn Forest Township
Where can I hike in Penn Forest Township?
The longest trail networks: Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek, 21.5 miles; State Game Lands Number 141, 19.7 miles; Weiser State Forest Penn Forest Tract, 7.2 miles; Hickory Run State Park, 2.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Penn Forest Township is conserved land?
42% 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 Forest Township’s trails?
Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek and State Game Lands Number 141 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Penn Forest Township?
104,136 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Penn Forest Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 11,141 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Penn Forest Township have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #166 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 Penn Forest 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 →