Erie National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
3,420 acres1.4 mi of trail
Trolley Line Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Bridge in Rockdale Township · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rockdale Township
22% of Rockdale Township’s land is conserved: 5,044 acres
65 acres are parks and preserves, 54 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Erie National Wildlife Refuge (1.4 mi). 7% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 51% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
5,044 acres · of 36.0 sq mi of land
Trails
1.6 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
65 ac
54 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
7%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,624 ft
Pleasant Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Rockdale Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rockdale Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rockdale Township is ahead of 51% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rockdale Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land54 acres of park per 1,000 residents (65 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home7% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 51%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Rockdale Township’s 22% is ahead of 83% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 12% 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 Erie National Wildlife Refuge, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 85
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
665 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
State Game Lands Number 277
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
471 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
5,044 conserved acres
22% of Rockdale Township’s land. Who manages Rockdale Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service6,838 ac
State fish & wildlife1,811 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,335 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)465 ac
Not recorded72 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 6,838 acState Resource Management Area · 1,258 acConservation Easement · 1,021 acForest Stewardship Easement · 713 acState Other or Unknown · 559 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 416 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erie National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 6,838 | Restricted |
| State Game Land 085 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 668 | Open |
| Western Game Farm State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 553 | Closed |
| State Game Land 277 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 476 | Open |
| Mystic Valley Conservation Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 133 | Open |
| State Game Land #85 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 119 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Rockdale Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Rockdale Township
Pleasant Hill1,624 ft elevation
DirectionsMackey Hill1,601 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.4 mi
Trolley Line Trail1.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Bridge in Rockdale TownshipStructure · listed 1988
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Rockdale Township: May and July to September
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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 44 | 58 | 70 | 77 | 81 | 80 | 73 | 61 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Rockdale Township →
Next door
Rockdale Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Richmond Township2.8 miAthens Township2.4 miRockdale Township1.6 miLeBoeuf Township1.5 miCambridge Township1.1 miBloomfield Township0.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockdale Township | 22% | under 0.1 | 54 | 7% | B− |
| Cambridge Township | 6% | 0.1 | 24 | 21% | C+ |
| Richmond Township | 4% | 0.1 | 11 | 5% | C |
| Bloomfield Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 10 | 24% | C− |
| LeBoeuf Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 21 | 4% | C− |
| Athens 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 Rockdale Township
Where can I hike in Rockdale Township?
The longest trail networks: Erie National Wildlife Refuge, 1.4 miles; State Game Lands Number 85, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rockdale Township is conserved land?
22% 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 Rockdale Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Erie National Wildlife Refuge (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Rockdale Township?
18,050 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rockdale Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,260 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rockdale Township have?
Ahead of 51% 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 Rockdale 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 →