Tuscarora State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
726 acres4.1 mi of trail
Forest Edge TrailLaurel TrailOld Log TrailSpirit of Tuscarora Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Rush Township
Rush Township has 794 acres of parks, 230 for every 1,000 residents
15% of Rush Township’s land is conserved, about 2,281 acres. The biggest trail networks: Tuscarora State Park (4.1 mi), State Game Lands Number 227 (0.6 mi). 60% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #196 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
2,281 acres · of 23.2 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
794 ac
230 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
60%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,549 ft
Nesquehoning Mountain
Lakes & rivers
5
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Rush Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rush Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rush Township is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #196 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rush Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land230 acres of park per 1,000 residents (794 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home60% 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 86%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 81%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Rush Township’s 15% is ahead of 72% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 64% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Tuscarora State Park, with 4.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 227
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
1,486 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Ryan Memorial Park
Park
27 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Grier City Park
Park
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Tuscarora State Park726 acres · 4.1 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 2271,486 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsRyan Memorial Park27 acres
Grier City Park5 acres
Miller Park2 acres
Quakake Park1 acres
Lincoln Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,281 conserved acres
15% of Rush Township’s land. Who manages Rush Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife2,945 ac
State parks1,478 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government53 ac
State natural resources7 ac
Not recorded70 ac
State Park · 1,548 acState Resource Management Area · 1,498 acState Recreation Area · 1,454 acLocal Park · 52 acLocal Recreation Area · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuscarora State Park State Park | State parks | 1,548 | Open |
| State Game Land 227 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,498 | Open |
| Sgl 227 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,447 | Open |
| Ryan Memorial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 25 | Open |
| Rush Township Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 17 | Open |
| Catawissa Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 7 | Open |
| Grier City Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 7 | Open |
| Miller Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
| Quakake Playground Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Rush Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Rush Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Rush Township
1 playground without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Rush Township
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Peaks in Rush Township
Nesquehoning Mountain1,549 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Rush Township
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.7 miHorses · 2.7 miUnpaved · 1.5 mi
UTV Trails1.1 mi
Forest Edge Trail0.4 mi
Laurel Trail0.4 mi
Old Log Trail0.3 mi
Spirit of Tuscarora Trail0.2 mi
Ravine 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
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Rush Township: May, June 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 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 37 | 45 | 59 | 69 | 76 | 81 | 79 | 72 | 61 | 48 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 5.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Rush Township →
Next door
Rush Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Packer Township46 miRyan Township16 miRush Township15 miKline Township1.7 miDelano Township1.6 miGrier City0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rush Township | 15% | 0.6 | 230 | 60% | A |
| Delano Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Kline Township | 30% | 0.1 | 911 | 69% | A− |
| Ryan Township | 24% | 0.9 | 951 | 74% | A |
| Packer Township | 13% | 1.6 | under 1 | under 1% | C+ |
| Grier City | — 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 Rush Township
Where can I hike in Rush Township?
The longest trail networks: Tuscarora State Park, 4.1 miles; State Game Lands Number 227, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rush 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 Rush Township’s trails?
Tuscarora State Park and State Game Lands Number 227 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Rush Township?
38,178 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rush Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,301 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rush Township have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #196 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 Rush 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 →