Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek
Nature preserve
2,528 acres14.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Polk Township
28% of Polk Township’s land is conserved: 5,473 acres
497 acres are parks and preserves, 67 per 1,000 residents. 25 miles of mapped trail cross Polk Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek (14.9 mi), Jonas Mountain Nature Preserve (3.9 mi), Polk Township Community Walking Park (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns · #328 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
28%
5,473 acres · of 30.8 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
497 ac
67 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
18%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Polk Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Polk Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Polk Township is ahead of 78% of U.S. towns, #328 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 Polk Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land28% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land67 acres of park per 1,000 residents (497 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−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 78%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 68%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Polk Township’s 28% is ahead of 88% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 71% 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 Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek, with 14.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Jonas Mountain Nature Preserve
Managed by Pocono Heritage Land Trust
398 acres3.9 mi of trail
White Trail LoopOak Ridge Pedestrian AccessJonas Creek (Red) LoopJonas Creek Extension+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Polk Township Community Walking Park
Managed by Polk Township
6 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Polk Township Nature Park
Managed by Polk Township
16 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek2,528 acres · 14.9 mi of trail
Jonas Mountain Nature Preserve398 acres · 3.9 mi of trail · Pocono Heritage Land Trust
DirectionsPolk Township Community Walking Park6 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Polk Township
DirectionsPolk Township Nature Park16 acres · Polk Township
DirectionsJC Park11 acres
Who protects it
5,473 conserved acres
28% of Polk Township’s land. Who manages Polk Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County9,023 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits8,009 ac
Joint2,332 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government61 ac
Not recorded426 ac
Conservation Easement · 9,721 acAgricultural Easement · 9,023 acPrivate Conservation · 851 acUnknown Easement · 196 acLocal Park · 61 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4,982 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 189 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonas Mountain Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 252 | Open |
| Jonas Mountain Nature Preserve - Gower II Private Conservation | Not recorded | 208 | Open |
| Jonas Mountain Preserve - Gower II Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 208 | Open |
| Jonas Mountain Nature Preserve - Gower I Private Conservation | Not recorded | 74 | Open |
| Jonas Mountain Preserve - Gower I Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 74 | Open |
| Polk Township Road Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 40 | Open |
| Western Pocono Jaycee Memorial Park Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 23 | Open |
| Route 209 Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 17 | Open |
| Jonas Mountain Nature Preserve - Gower IIII Private Conservation | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
| Jonas Mountain Preserve - Gower IIII Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 5 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
7 places to go in Polk Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Polk Township
Scenic views in Polk Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Polk Township
1 peak without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Polk Township
Camp Harlam
DirectionsCamp Harlam
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.0 mi
White Trail Loop1.6 mi
Oak Ridge Pedestrian Access0.6 mi
Jonas Creek (Red) Loop0.5 mi
White Trail Extension0.4 mi
Jonas Creek Extension0.4 mi
Gower Pedestrian Access0.3 mi
Yellow 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
8Tennis
3Beach volleyball
3Basketball
2Soccer
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Polk Township: April, 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 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 39 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.3 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Polk Township →
Next door
Polk Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Penn Forest Township75 miTunkhannock Township58 miChestnuthill Township26 miPolk Township25 miEldred Township7.2 miIndian Mountain Lake0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk Township | 28% | 0.8 | 67 | 18% | A− |
| Chestnuthill Township | 20% | 0.7 | 75 | 25% | A− |
| Penn Forest Township | 42% | 1.0 | 277 | 34% | A |
| Eldred Township | 22% | 0.3 | 42 | 28% | B+ |
| Indian Mountain Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| 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 Polk Township
Where can I hike in Polk Township?
The longest trail networks: Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek, 14.9 miles; Jonas Mountain Nature Preserve, 3.9 miles; Polk Township Community Walking Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Polk Township is conserved land?
28% 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 Polk Township’s trails?
Bethlehem Authority Wild Creek and Jonas Mountain Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Polk Township?
60,209 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Polk Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 497 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Polk Township have?
Ahead of 78% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #328 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 Polk 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 →