H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens
Park
20 acres1.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in State College
99% of residents live within a half mile of a park in State College
6.8 miles of mapped trail cross State College, 1.5 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens (1.8 mi), Lederer Park (1 mi). 160 acres are parks and preserves, 3.9 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns · #383 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
144 acres · of 4.6 sq mi of land
Trails
6.8 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
160 ac
3.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
3.8 mi lanes · 5.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is State College?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does State College have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, State College is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns, #383 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of State College’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land3.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (160 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13CParks close to home99% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 75%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 63%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so State College’s 5% is ahead of 35% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 87% 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 H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens, with 1.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Orchard Park
Managed by Borough of State College
22 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Walnut Springs Park
Park
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Walnut PathStreamside Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Westerly Parkway Wetland Education Center
Managed by State College Storm Water Authority
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 16 parks & preserves
H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens20 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsLederer Park22 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsOrchard Park22 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Borough of State College
DirectionsWalnut Springs Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWesterly Parkway Wetland Education Center5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · State College Storm Water Authority
DirectionsHigh Point Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSunset Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTussey View Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSouth Hills Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEast Fairmount Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · CRPR
Alumni Garden1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsNittany Village Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsThe Arboretum at Penn State20 acres
DirectionsHolmes-Foster Park10 acres · Borough of State College
DirectionsSmithfield Park2 acres
DirectionsSidney Friedman Park1 acres · CRPR
DirectionsWho protects it
144 conserved acres
5% of State College’s land. Who manages State College’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government105 ac
Regional agency22 ac
Not recorded17 ac
Local Park · 119 acLocal Recreation Area · 20 acLocal Conservation Area · 5 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 24 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lederer Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 22 | Open |
| Penn State Arboretum Local Park | Regional agency | 22 | Open |
| Orchard Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 19 | Open |
| Community Field Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 17 | Open |
| Holmes Foster Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 11 | Open |
| Sunset Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 9 | Open |
| Central Parklet Memorial Field Local Park | Not recorded | 7 | Unknown |
| High Point Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 6 | Open |
| Tussey View Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 6 | Open |
| Walnut Springs Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
56 places to go in State College
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in State College
Penn State Outdoor Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in State College
Corl Street Playground
Directions46 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in State College
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in State College
7 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Community gardens in State College
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 5.1 mi
Walnut Path0.2 mi
Streamside Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.9 mi
off-road bike paths
2.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
51Tennis
21Basketball
13Tracks
11Golf
10Soccer
10Beach volleyball
5Football
4Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 11 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in State College: 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.3 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in State College →
Next door
State College and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State College | 5% | 1.5 | 4 | 99% | A− |
| College Township | 16% | 2.3 | 57 | 96% | A+ |
| Ferguson Township | 32% | 1.6 | 36 | 94% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in State College
Where can I hike in State College?
The longest trail networks: H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens, 1.8 miles; Lederer Park, 1 miles; Orchard Park, 0.4 miles; Walnut Springs Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of State College is conserved land?
5% 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 State College’s trails?
H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens and Lederer Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in State College?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.8 of painted or protected lanes, 5.9 of off-road paths and 2.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near State College?
72,845 acres of parks and open public land lie inside State College or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 160 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does State College have?
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #383 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 State College 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 →