Rothrock State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
2,096 acres4.3 mi of trail
Mid-State TrailMaple Spring TrailRound Top Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Porter Township
Porter Township has 332 acres of parks, 188 for every 1,000 residents
15% of Porter Township’s land is conserved, about 3,438 acres. The biggest trail networks: Rothrock State Forest (4.3 mi), Little Juniata Natural Area (1.5 mi). 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
3,438 acres · of 35.2 sq mi of land
Trails
7.9 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
332 ac
188 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
Highest peak
988 ft
Bunker Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Porter Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Porter Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Porter Township is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Porter Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land188 acres of park per 1,000 residents (332 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home21% 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 66%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Porter Township’s 15% is ahead of 71% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 34% 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 Rothrock State Forest, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Little Juniata Natural Area
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
321 acres1.5 mi of trail
Mid-State Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
State Game Lands Number 118
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
1,195 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
3,438 conserved acres
15% of Porter Township’s land. Who manages Porter Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources2,108 ac
State fish & wildlife1,180 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)348 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government9 ac
State Resource Management Area · 2,913 acState Conservation Area · 321 acConservation Easement · 193 acForest Stewardship Easement · 174 acRecreation or Education Easement · 37 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 195 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rothrock State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 1,788 | Open |
| State Game Land 118 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,125 | Open |
| Little Juniata Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 321 | Open |
| Alexandria Ball Field Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 9 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Porter Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Porter Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Porter Township
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Porter Township
Bunker Hill988 ft elevation
DirectionsCharlie Hill899 ft elevation
DirectionsShort MountainIn Rothrock State Forest
DirectionsCampgrounds in Porter Township
001 McGuire RoadIn Rothrock State Forest · PA DCNR
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.5 mi
Mid-State Trail2.1 mi
Maple Spring Trail0.4 mi
Round Top Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
3Baseball
2Basketball
1Tennis
1Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
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 Porter 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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 40 | 49 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.0 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Porter Township →
Next door
Porter Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Logan Township12 miOneida Township11 miWoodbury Township11 miPorter Township7.9 miCatharine Township7.1 miSpruce Creek Township5.5 miWalker Township1.5 miMorris Township1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porter Township | 15% | 0.2 | 188 | 21% | B+ |
| Logan Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Catharine Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Woodbury Township | 30% | 0.3 | 34 | 11% | B |
| Spruce Creek Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Morris Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Walker Township | 3% | 0.1 | 9 | 22% | C |
| Oneida Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Porter Township
Where can I hike in Porter Township?
The longest trail networks: Rothrock State Forest, 4.3 miles; Little Juniata Natural Area, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Porter Township is conserved land?
15% 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 Porter Township’s trails?
Rothrock State Forest and Little Juniata Natural Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Porter Township?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Porter Township?
76,603 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Porter Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,277 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Porter Township have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Porter 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 →