Jefferson Tract - Weiser State Forest
Nature preserve
1,584 acres2.1 mi of trail
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in South Manheim Township
14% of South Manheim Township’s land is conserved: 1,896 acres
The biggest trail networks: Jefferson Tract - Weiser State Forest (2.1 mi), State Game Lands Number 110 (0.7 mi). 15 acres are parks and preserves, 5.5 per 1,000 residents. 47% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns · #743 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
14%
1,896 acres · of 20.8 sq mi of land
Trails
5.7 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
15 ac
5.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
47%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.4 mi
1.4 mi paths
Highest peak
1,007 ft
Summer Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is South Manheim Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Manheim Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Manheim Township is ahead of 50% of U.S. towns, #743 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of South Manheim Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land14% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land5.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (15 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13CParks close to home47% 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 50%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 28%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so South Manheim Township’s 14% is ahead of 69% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 38% 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 Jefferson Tract - Weiser State Forest, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 110
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
90 acres0.7 mi of trail
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Weiser State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
1,584 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
State Game Lands Number 286
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
160 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
1,896 conserved acres
14% of South Manheim Township’s land. Who manages South Manheim Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources3,146 ac
State fish & wildlife537 ac
County140 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government15 ac
State Resource Management Area · 3,414 acState Recreation Area · 265 acAgricultural Easement · 140 acLocal Park · 15 acState Other or Unknown · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 47 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weiser State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 3,146 | Open |
| State Game Land 286 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 160 | Open |
| Sgl 286 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 160 | Open |
| State Game Land 110 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 106 | Open |
| Sgl 110 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 105 | Open |
| Compost Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
| Auburn Access State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 6 | Open |
| G Dock Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
| E Dock Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
| C Dock Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in South Manheim Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in South Manheim Township
PFBC Boat Ramp
DirectionsPrimitive Kayak Launch
DirectionsScenic views in South Manheim Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in South Manheim Township
Summer Hill1,007 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miHorses · 0.6 miUnpaved · 3.1 mi
Appalachian National Scenic Trail1.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
The best walking months in South Manheim Township: April to June
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 | 48 | 62 | 72 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.0 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in South Manheim Township →
Next door
South Manheim Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
West Brunswick Township19 miUpper Tulpehocken Township14 miTilden Township11 miNorth Manheim Township9.9 miUpper Bern Township8.8 miSouth Manheim Township5.7 miSchuylkill Haven0.9 miLandingville0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Manheim Township | 14% | 0.3 | 6 | 47% | B− |
| West Brunswick Township | 19% | 0.6 | under 1 | 13% | C+ |
| Upper Tulpehocken Township | 51% | 0.6 | 9 | 30% | B |
| Upper Bern Township | 50% | 0.5 | 10 | 47% | B+ |
| Tilden Township | 28% | 0.6 | 59 | 31% | A− |
| North Manheim Township | 7% | 0.5 | 4 | 46% | B− |
| Landingville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Schuylkill Haven | 7% | 0.6 | 14 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Manheim Township
Where can I hike in South Manheim Township?
The longest trail networks: Jefferson Tract - Weiser State Forest, 2.1 miles; State Game Lands Number 110, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Manheim Township is conserved land?
14% 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 South Manheim Township’s trails?
Jefferson Tract - Weiser State Forest and State Game Lands Number 110 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in South Manheim Township?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near South Manheim Township?
40,917 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Manheim Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,856 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does South Manheim Township have?
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #743 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 South Manheim 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 →