Vincent DiFilippo Nature Preserve
Park
66 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Silver Spring Township
9% of Silver Spring Township’s land is conserved: 1,887 acres
The biggest trail networks: Vincent DiFilippo Nature Preserve (2.2 mi), State Game Lands Number 170 (1.4 mi), Pleasant View Park (0.6 mi). 312 acres are parks and preserves, 15 per 1,000 residents. 12 miles of mapped trail cross Silver Spring Township, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #604 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
1,887 acres · of 32.3 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
312 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
54%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
3 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Silver Spring Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Silver Spring Township is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #604 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Silver Spring Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (312 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13BParks close to home54% 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 62%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 42%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Silver Spring Township’s 9% is ahead of 53% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 45% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Vincent DiFilippo Nature Preserve, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 170
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
325 acres1.4 mi of trail
Darlington Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Vincent DiFilippo Nature Preserve66 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 170325 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsPleasant View Park11 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsTerra Park9 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWillow Mill Park18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsStony Ridge Park99 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHidden Creek Park17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAdventure Zone Park13 acres
DirectionsPaul Walters Memorial Park9 acres
DirectionsPotteiger Park7 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,887 conserved acres
9% of Silver Spring Township’s land. Who manages Silver Spring Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County2,128 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,001 ac
State fish & wildlife322 ac
Joint264 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government229 ac
National Park Service190 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)115 ac
Agricultural Easement · 2,428 acConservation Easement · 1,982 acState Resource Management Area · 322 acLocal Park · 229 acNational Scenic or Historic Trail · 171 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,164 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 105 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 170 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 322 | Open |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 171 | Open |
| Stony Ridge Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 101 | Open |
| Paul Walters Memorial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 43 | Open |
| Willow Mill Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 19 | Open |
| Hidden Creek Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 18 | Open |
| White Birch Farm Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 14 | Open |
| Pleasant View Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 12 | Open |
| Adventure Zone Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
| Potteiger Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 7 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in Silver Spring Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Silver Spring Township
Walden Community Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Silver Spring Township
Walden Terra ParkIn Terra Park
DirectionsPlus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Silver Spring Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miUnpaved · 1.1 mi
Appalachian National Scenic Trail1.3 mi
Darlington Trail1.1 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
21Golf
16Baseball
16Tennis
8Soccer
7Lacrosse
5Basketball
3Football
2Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
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.
George Trimble HouseBuilding · listed 1992
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Silver Spring Township: April to 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.4 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Silver Spring Township →
Next door
Silver Spring Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Rye Township63 miSouth Middleton Township32 miHampden Township17 miMonroe Township17 miMiddlesex Township15 miSilver Spring Township12 miMechanicsburg1.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Spring Township | 9% | 0.4 | 15 | 54% | B |
| Hampden Township | 4% | 1.0 | 8 | 84% | B+ |
| Middlesex Township | 11% | 0.6 | 30 | 49% | B+ |
| Monroe Township | 24% | 0.6 | 150 | 45% | A− |
| Mechanicsburg | 4% | 0.6 | 7 | 93% | B |
| Rye Township | 47% | 2.4 | 214 | 19% | A |
| South Middleton Township | 18% | 0.7 | 90 | 47% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Silver Spring Township
Where can I hike in Silver Spring Township?
The longest trail networks: Vincent DiFilippo Nature Preserve, 2.2 miles; State Game Lands Number 170, 1.4 miles; Pleasant View Park, 0.6 miles; Terra Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Silver Spring Township is conserved land?
9% 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 Silver Spring Township’s trails?
Vincent DiFilippo Nature Preserve and State Game Lands Number 170 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Silver Spring Township?
32,346 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Silver Spring Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 804 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Silver Spring Township have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #604 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 Silver Spring 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 →