Pinchot State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
1,376 acres2.3 mi of trail
Audubon Loop TrailSeven Tubs Main LoopD&L Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Plains Township
21% of Plains Township’s land is conserved: 1,798 acres
The biggest trail networks: Pinchot State Forest (2.3 mi). 85% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 218 acres are parks and preserves, 22 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #287 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
1,798 acres · of 13.4 sq mi of land
Trails
4.9 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
218 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Plains Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Plains Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Plains Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #287 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Plains Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (218 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home85% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 81%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 72%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Plains Township’s 21% is ahead of 81% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 45% 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 Pinchot State Forest, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 91
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
235 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Plains Township Municipal Park
Park
101 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
1,798 conserved acres
21% of Plains Township’s land. Who manages Plains Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,377 ac
State fish & wildlife235 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government179 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits5 ac
Not recorded1,385 ac
State Resource Management Area · 1,581 acState Other or Unknown · 724 acState Recreation Area · 653 acLocal Park · 138 acLocal Conservation Area · 33 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 17 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinchot State Forest State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 1,151 | Open |
| Deep Hollow Tract State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 724 | Open |
| Seven Tubs Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 653 | Open |
| State Game Land 091 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 235 | Open |
| Pinchot State Forest - Seven Tubs Preserve State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 196 | Open |
| Plains Township Municipal Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 135 | Open |
| Seven Tubbs Natural Area Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 33 | Unknown |
| D&L Trail Private Recreation or Education | Not recorded | 27 | Open |
| Earth Conservancy Property Private Other or Unknown | Land trusts & nonprofits | 8 | Unknown |
| Fema Flood Buyout (County Or Municipal Owned) Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in Plains Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Plains Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Plains Township
Salvatore FallsIn State Game Lands Number 91
DirectionsPicnic areas in Plains Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miUnpaved · 1.3 mi
Audubon Loop Trail0.5 mi
Seven Tubs Main Loop0.2 mi
D&L Trail0.2 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
5Baseball
4Basketball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Plains Township: April to July
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 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 46 | 60 | 71 | 79 | 84 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.1 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Plains Township →
Next door
Plains Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Bear Creek Township45 miJenkins Township12 miPlains Township4.9 miWilkes-Barre3.2 miWyoming0.3 miKingston0.2 miForty Fort0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plains Township | 21% | 0.4 | 22 | 85% | A− |
| Wilkes-Barre | 8% | 0.5 | 8 | 99%+ | A− |
| Jenkins Township | 41% | 0.9 | 11 | 83% | A− |
| Forty Fort | 23% | 0.1 | 48 | 99%+ | A |
| Kingston | 11% | 0.1 | 11 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Wyoming | 7% | 0.2 | 20 | 99%+ | A− |
| Bear Creek Township | 69% | 0.7 | 1,249 | 42% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Plains Township
Where can I hike in Plains Township?
The longest trail networks: Pinchot State Forest, 2.3 miles; State Game Lands Number 91, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Plains Township is conserved land?
21% 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 Plains Township’s trails?
Pinchot State Forest and State Game Lands Number 91 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Plains Township?
86,669 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Plains Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,852 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Plains Township have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #287 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 Plains 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 →