Buchanan State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
1,839 acres5.3 mi of trail
Tuscarora TrailPlank TrailLincoln TrailFore Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Church Hill Farm · Photo: Smallbones · CC0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Peters Township
19% of Peters Township’s land is conserved: 6,764 acres
The biggest trail networks: Buchanan State Forest (5.3 mi). 18% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 27 miles of mapped trail cross Peters Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns · #706 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
6,764 acres · of 55.8 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
36 ac
8.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
18%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,014 ft
Parnell Knob
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Peters Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Peters Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Peters Township is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns, #706 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Peters Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land8.1 acres of park per 1,000 residents (36 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home18% 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 53%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 32%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Peters Township’s 19% is ahead of 77% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 54% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C 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 Buchanan State Forest, with 5.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 235
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
208 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
State Game Lands Number 124
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
79 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Buchanan State Forest1,839 acres · 5.3 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 235208 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
State Game Lands Number 12479 acres · Pennsylvania Game Commission
Buchanan's Birthplace State Park19 acres
Community Center Grounds4 acres · Fort Loudon Community Center
DirectionsJohn W Angle Veterans Memorial Park2 acres
Who protects it
6,764 conserved acres
19% of Peters Township’s land. Who manages Peters Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County16,680 ac
State natural resources1,838 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)376 ac
State fish & wildlife287 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits27 ac
State parks17 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government8 ac
Agricultural Easement · 17,393 acState Resource Management Area · 2,126 acPrivate Agricultural · 204 acState Park · 17 acLocal Park · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4,415 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 1,838 | Open |
| State Game Land 235 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 209 | Open |
| Strickler Ii Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 204 | Closed |
| State Game Land 124 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 79 | Open |
| Buchanan's Birthplace State Park State Park | State parks | 17 | Open |
| Upton Community Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 8 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Peters Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Peters Township
Freedom Lighthouse Community Playground
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Peters Township
Parnell Knob2,014 ft elevation
DirectionsCape Horn1,729 ft elevation
DirectionsJordans Knob1,657 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Peters Township
BV013 - Lincoln TrailFee · In Buchanan State Forest · PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 17.6 mi
Tuscarora Trail2.8 mi
Plank Trail0.4 mi
Lincoln Trail0.2 mi
Fore Trail0.1 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
6Tennis
4Baseball
1Basketball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Peters Township: April, June 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 52 | 65 | 74 | 83 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 54 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Peters Township →
Next door
Peters Township and its neighbors
Peters Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Todd Township43 miPeters Township27 miSt. Thomas Township14 miMontgomery Township11 miAntrim Township7.4 miAyr Township4.3 miWarren Township3.5 miMercersburg0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peters Township | 19% | 0.5 | 8 | 18% | B− |
| Montgomery Township | 12% | 0.2 | 15 | 8% | C+ |
| Antrim Township | 3% | 0.1 | 21 | 16% | C+ |
| Ayr Township | 19% | 0.1 | under 1 | 8% | C− |
| Mercersburg | 1% | under 0.1 | 5 | 92% | C |
| Todd Township | 39% | 1.5 | 550 | 51% | A |
| Warren Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| St. Thomas Township | 22% | 0.3 | 5 | 10% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Peters Township
Where can I hike in Peters Township?
The longest trail networks: Buchanan State Forest, 5.3 miles; State Game Lands Number 235, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Peters Township is conserved land?
19% 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 Peters Township’s trails?
Buchanan State Forest and State Game Lands Number 235 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Peters Township?
37,954 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Peters Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,167 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Peters Township have?
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #706 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 Peters 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 →