Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain Preserve
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
1,113 acres28.8 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Public domain · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Penn Township
44% of Penn Township’s land is conserved: 5,993 acres
50 miles of mapped trail cross Penn Township, 2.4 per square mile of land. 198 acres are parks and preserves, 63 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain Preserve (28.8 mi), State Game Lands Number 170 (3.5 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #122 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
44%
5,993 acres · of 21.2 sq mi of land
Trails
50 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
198 ac
63 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
41%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,375 ft
Cove Mountain
Lakes & rivers
2
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 91% of U.S. towns, #122 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 Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land44% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (50 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land63 acres of park per 1,000 residents (198 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home41% 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 91%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 88%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Penn Township’s 44% is ahead of 98% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 95% 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 Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain Preserve, with 28.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 170
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
2,367 acres3.5 mi of trail
Appalachian National Scenic TrailTeal-Blazed TrailCove Mountain Shelter
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
State Game Lands Number 290
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
27 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
5,993 conserved acres
44% of Penn Township’s land. Who manages Penn Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits6,673 ac
State fish & wildlife2,509 ac
County2,446 ac
National Park Service420 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)270 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government81 ac
Not recorded1,284 ac
Conservation Easement · 4,705 acPrivate Conservation · 3,229 acAgricultural Easement · 3,038 acState Resource Management Area · 2,509 acState Other or Unknown · 117 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,146 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 46 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cove Mountain Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 3,229 | Open |
| State Game Land 170 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,483 | Open |
| State Game Land #170 State Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 117 | Unknown |
| Perry County Recreation Association Park Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 77 | Open |
| State Game Land 290 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 26 | Open |
| Centennial Field Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 4 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Penn Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Penn Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Penn Township
Hawk RockIn State Game Lands Number 170
DirectionsHawk Rock Overlook
DirectionsPeaks in Penn Township
Cove Mountain1,375 ft elevation
DirectionsHawk Rock1,047 ft elevation · In State Game Lands Number 170
DirectionsCampgrounds in Penn Township
Duncannon Lions Club Campground
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 7.4 mi
Appalachian National Scenic Trail4.9 mi
Teal-Blazed Trail0.4 mi
Cove Mountain Shelter0.1 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.
Courts & fields
5Baseball
4Tennis
3Soccer
1Basketball
1Beach volleyball
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 to 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 41 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.4 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Penn Township →
Next door
Penn Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rye Township63 miMiddle Paxton Township58 miPenn Township50 miMarysville15 miReed Township9.1 miWheatfield Township2.3 miDuncannon0.0 miWatts Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Township | 44% | 2.4 | 63 | 41% | A |
| Wheatfield Township | 10% | 0.1 | 83 | 5% | B− |
| Middle Paxton Township | 51% | 1.1 | 171 | 50% | A |
| Rye Township | 47% | 2.4 | 214 | 19% | A |
| Duncannon | 2% | under 0.1 | 5 | 83% | C |
| Reed Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Marysville | 15% | 6.3 | 16 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Watts Township | 6% | under 0.1 | 9 | 12% | C− |
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: Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain Preserve, 28.8 miles; State Game Lands Number 170, 3.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Penn Township is conserved land?
44% 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?
Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain Preserve and State Game Lands Number 170 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Penn Township?
39,976 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Penn Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,689 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Penn Township have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #122 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 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 →