John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
434 acres5 mi of trail
Darby Creek TrailWoodland TrailTurkey Foot TrailTinicum Marsh Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Lazaretto, The · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Tinicum Township
21% of Tinicum Township’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 11 miles of mapped trail cross Tinicum Township, 1.9 per square mile of land. 21% of Tinicum Township’s land is conserved, about 786 acres.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #5 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
786 acres · of 5.7 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
1.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
246 ac
62 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.0 mi
0.3 mi lanes · 3.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Tinicum Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Tinicum Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Tinicum Township is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #5 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Tinicum Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land62 acres of park per 1,000 residents (246 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)#5 of 1,037
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Tinicum Township’s 21% is ahead of 82% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 93% of them.
Water is 35% of Tinicum Township’s area (3 of 9 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 14%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, with 5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Little Tinicum Island Natural Area
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
80 acres1.2 mi of trail
Tinicum Trail
Dogs allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
William Penn State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
80 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge434 acres · 5 mi of trail · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsLittle Tinicum Island Natural Area80 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
Governor Printz Park5 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsWilliam Penn State Forest80 acres · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
Manor Field15 acres
Ziggie's Park1 acres
Lester Park1 acres
Who protects it
786 conserved acres
21% of Tinicum Township’s land. Water is left out: Tinicum Township has 5.7 square miles of land and 3.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Tinicum Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service865 ac
State natural resources255 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government206 ac
Not recorded114 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 865 acState Resource Management Area · 254 acLocal Park · 185 acState Conservation Area · 79 acLocal Other or Unknown · 30 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 17 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge At Tinicum National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 865 | Restricted |
| Westinghouse Site Acquisition Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 158 | Unknown |
| Wild Plant Sanctuary State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 95 | Open |
| William Penn State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 80 | Open |
| Tinicum Island Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 79 | Open |
| William Penn State Forest - Tinicum Island Natural Area State Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 79 | Open |
| Municipal Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 30 | Open |
| Tinicum Manor Recreation Area Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 17 | Open |
| Westinghouse Grove Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 11 | Open |
| Riverfront Marina Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Tinicum Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Tinicum Township
Tinicum Township Swim Club
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Tinicum Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Tinicum Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Tinicum Township
Tinicum Island Primitive CampsiteHours: Open 24 hours · In Little Tinicum Island Natural Area · William Penn State Forest
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.8 miUnpaved · 3.3 mi
Tinicum Trail1.6 mi
Darby Creek Trail1.3 mi
Woodland Trail1.0 mi
Turkey Foot Trail0.5 mi
Tinicum Marsh Trail0.4 mi
Long Hook Creek Loop Trail0.4 mi
Fishing Point Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.7 mi
off-road bike paths
East Coast Greenway (PA)Bike route
0.8 mi9/11 National Memorial Trail (Pennsylvania Philadelphia area)Bike route
0.5 miCourts & fields
6Baseball
2Pickleball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Tinicum 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 45 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 83 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Tinicum Township →
Next door
Tinicum Township and its neighbors
Tinicum Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Philadelphia234 miTinicum Township11 miWest Deptford Township6.3 miRidley Township1.6 miGreenwich Township0.9 miFolcroft0.1 miNorwood0.1 miProspect Park0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tinicum Township | 21% | 1.9 | 62 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Philadelphia | 15% | 1.7 | 7 | 99%+ | A |
| Folcroft | 36% | 0.1 | 7 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Norwood | 12% | 0.1 | 11 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Ridley Township | 5% | 0.3 | 5 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Prospect Park | 5% | under 0.1 | 4 | 99%+ | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Tinicum Township
Where can I hike in Tinicum Township?
The longest trail networks: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, 5 miles; Little Tinicum Island Natural Area, 1.2 miles; Governor Printz Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Tinicum Township is conserved land?
21% 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 Tinicum Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Little Tinicum Island Natural Area. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Tinicum Township?
4.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of painted or protected lanes and 3.7 of off-road paths. Named routes: East Coast Greenway (PA) and 9/11 National Memorial Trail (Pennsylvania Philadelphia area).
Is there public land near Tinicum Township?
21,449 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Tinicum Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 359 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Tinicum Township have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #5 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 Tinicum 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 →