Rothrock State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
6,076 acres18.5 mi of trail
Mid-State TrailTussey Mountain Extension TrailThickhead Mountain TrailFern Ridge?+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Maj. John Neff Homestead · Photo: Smallbones · CC0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Potter Township
32% of Potter Township’s land is conserved: 11,854 acres
398 acres are parks and preserves, 111 per 1,000 residents. 47 miles of mapped trail cross Potter Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Rothrock State Forest (18.5 mi), Bald Eagle State Forest (14.2 mi), Tri-Municipal Park (2.9 mi).
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #293 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
11,854 acres · of 58.6 sq mi of land
Trails
47 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
398 ac
111 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.3 mi
3.3 mi paths
Highest peak
2,405 ft
Thickhead Mountain
Lakes & rivers
2
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Potter Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild32% of the land is conserved; a typical Pennsylvania town, 8%.Room to roam111 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 75% of U.S. towns.History along the way6 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Potter Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Potter Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #293 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 Potter Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (47 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land111 acres of park per 1,000 residents (398 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 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 Potter Township’s 32% is ahead of 92% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 70% 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 18.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bald Eagle State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
2,881 acres14.2 mi of trail
Horse Path TrailJames Cleveland TrailRay Decker TrailSouth Sand Mountain Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Sand Mountain TrailheadWebsite ↗
Tri-Municipal Park
Managed by Potter Township
162 acres2.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Thickhead Mountain Wild Area
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
327 acres1.8 mi of trail
Thickhead Mountain TrailPenn Lookout TrailDetweiler Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Rothrock State Forest6,076 acres · 18.5 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
DirectionsBald Eagle State Forest2,881 acres · 14.2 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
DirectionsTri-Municipal Park162 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · Potter Township
DirectionsThickhead Mountain Wild Area327 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
Mira Lloyd Dock Resource Conservation Center62 acres · Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Potter Run Park6 acres · Potter Township
DirectionsWho protects it
11,854 conserved acres
32% of Potter Township’s land. Who manages Potter Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources9,007 ac
County4,419 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,739 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)762 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government302 ac
Town or city164 ac
State fish & wildlife155 ac
State Resource Management Area · 9,007 acAgricultural Easement · 7,484 acConservation Easement · 867 acLocal Park · 466 acState Wilderness · 379 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2,380 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 84 parcels. 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 | 5,708 | Open |
| Bald Eagle State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 2,921 | Open |
| Thickhead Wild Area State Wilderness | State natural resources | 379 | Open |
| Rothrock State Forest - Thickhead Wild Area State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 379 | Open |
| PSU Land Acquisition Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 164 | Open |
| Penn State University Land Acquisition Local Park | Not recorded | 164 | Open |
| Penn's Prairie - Tri-Municipal Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 163 | Open |
| Colyer Lake (formerly Sinking Springs Lake) Composite State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 155 | Open |
| Centre County Grange Fairgrounds Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 133 | Open |
| American Legion Ballfields Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 9 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Potter Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Potter Township
Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Potter Township
Human Foosball
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Potter Township
4 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Potter Township
Penn LookoutIn Thickhead Mountain Wild Area
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Potter Township
Thickhead Mountain2,405 ft elevation · In Thickhead Mountain Wild Area
DirectionsBald Mountain2,215 ft elevation · In Rothrock State Forest
DirectionsSand Mountain2,047 ft elevation · In Bald Eagle State Forest
DirectionsTriester Mountain1,873 ft elevation · In Rothrock State Forest
DirectionsFirst Mountain1,804 ft elevation
DirectionsKohler Mountain1,791 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Potter Township
005 Crowfield RoadIn Rothrock State Forest · PA DCNR
DirectionsSeven Mountains CampgroundsFee
DirectionsSeven Mountains Scout CampJuniata Valley Council
DirectionsDisc golf in Potter Township
Penn's Prairie DGCIn Tri-Municipal Park
DirectionsTri-Municipal Park Disc Golf CourseIn Tri-Municipal Park
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 21.3 miHorses · 19.6 miUnpaved · 39.5 mi
Mid-State Trail2.6 mi
Hobie's Trail2.5 mi
Thickhead Mountain Trail1.8 mi
Tussey Mountain Extension Trail1.6 mi
Horse Path Trail1.5 mi
James Cleveland Trail1.4 mi
Ray Decker Trail1.3 mi
South Sand Mountain Trail1.1 mi
Fern Ridge?1.0 mi
North Sand Mountain Trail1.0 mi
15 more trails
Underwood Trail
1.0 miFaust Valley Trail
0.9 miDecker Path
0.9 miDylan's Path
0.9 miStavefield Trail
0.9 miLeniency Trail
0.9 miBroad Mountain West Loop Trail
0.9 miTussey Mountain Trail
0.9 miSynagogue Gap Trail
0.8 miKistler Trail
0.8 miGround Oak Trail
0.7 miDeaf Run Trail
0.7 miMcKinney Trail
0.7 miHessick Trail
0.6 miPenn Lookout Trail
0.6 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.3 mi
off-road bike paths
South Sand Mountain TrailBike route
4.3 miColyer Lake Leniency LoopBike route
4.2 miHobie's Trail bikingBike route
2.7 miTussey Mountain TrailBike route
2.4 miCourts & fields
9Equestrian
2Baseball
2Soccer
1Tennis
1Beach volleyball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Maj. John Neff HomesteadBuilding · listed 1977
About itPotter-Allison FarmDistrict · listed 1977
About itDaniel Waggoner Log House and BarnBuilding · listed 1979
About itNeff Round BarnBuilding · listed 1979
About itEgg Hill ChurchBuilding · listed 1979
About itLeonard Rhone HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Potter 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 38 | 47 | 61 | 71 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.4 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Potter Township →
Next door
Potter Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Armagh Township87 miHarris Township84 miPotter Township47 miBenner Township41 miGregg Township23 miSpring Township9.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potter Township | 32% | 0.8 | 111 | 21% | A− |
| Benner Township | 14% | 1.4 | 7 | 24% | B |
| Gregg Township | 11% | 0.5 | 3 | 13% | C+ |
| Armagh Township | 54% | 0.9 | 60 | 42% | A |
| Spring Township | 22% | 0.3 | 13 | 68% | B+ |
| Harris Township | 51% | 2.7 | 186 | 83% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Potter Township
Where can I hike in Potter Township?
The longest trail networks: Rothrock State Forest, 18.5 miles; Bald Eagle State Forest, 14.2 miles; Tri-Municipal Park, 2.9 miles; Thickhead Mountain Wild Area, 1.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Potter Township is conserved land?
32% 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 Potter Township’s trails?
Rothrock State Forest and Bald Eagle State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Potter Township?
3.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.3 of off-road paths. Named routes: South Sand Mountain Trail, Colyer Lake Leniency Loop and Hobie's Trail biking.
Is there public land near Potter Township?
117,218 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Potter Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9,749 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Potter Township have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #293 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 Potter 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 →