Steelton High School · Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ. M.D. · CC BY-SA 4.05% of Swatara Township’s land is conserved: 428 acres
80% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 196 acres are parks and preserves, 7.0 per 1,000 residents. 2.1 miles of mapped trail cross Swatara Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns · #758 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Swatara Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Swatara Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Swatara Township is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns, #758 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Swatara Township’s 5% is ahead of 36% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 27% of them.
Water is 16% of Swatara Township’s area (2 of 16 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Earl Long Memorial Park
All 14 parks & preserves
428 conserved acres
5% of Swatara Township’s land. Water is left out: Swatara Township has 13.0 square miles of land and 2.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Swatara Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 11 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 31 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dauphin Highlands Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 213 | Unknown |
| Capitol Area Greenbelt Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 38 | Open |
| Mcnaughton Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 32 | Open |
| Hess Island State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 26 | Open |
| Mario And Clorinda Schiavoni Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Schiavoni Tract Acquisition Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 13 | Open |
| Cameron Parkway Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 11 | Open |
| Swatara Crest Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Gerald H. Vanatta Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 11 | Open |
| Chambers Hill Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
9 places to go in Swatara Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
5 lakes & rivers
3.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
2 places 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.
The best walking months in Swatara 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 | 42 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 86 | 84 | 77 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 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. The climate in Swatara Township →
Swatara Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swatara Township | 5% | 0.2 | 7 | 80% | B− |
| Steelton | 3% | 0.1 | 4 | 99%+ | B− |
| Fairview Township | 2% | 0.1 | 8 | 41% | C− |
| Lower Swatara Township | 2% | 0.3 | 13 | 91% | B |
| Paxtang | 10% | under 0.1 | 16 | 99%+ | B |
| South Hanover Township | 3% | 0.5 | 18 | 70% | B |
| New Cumberland | 5% | 0.3 | 8 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Lower Paxton Township | 5% | 0.6 | 9 | 46% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Swatara Township
Where can I hike in Swatara Township?
The longest trail networks: Schiavoni Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Swatara Township 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 Swatara Township’s trails?
McNaughton Park and Schiavoni Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Swatara Township?
3.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Swatara Township?
18,181 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Swatara Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 230 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Swatara Township have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #758 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 Swatara Township neighbors.
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 →