Buchanan State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
5,927 acres27.5 mi of trail
Standing Stone TrailForbes Road - Tuscarora TrailLockard TrailKing Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Cold Spring Farm · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Todd Township
39% of Todd Township’s land is conserved: 7,169 acres
956 acres are parks and preserves, 550 per 1,000 residents. 43 miles of mapped trail cross Todd Township, 1.5 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Buchanan State Forest (27.5 mi), Cowans Gap State Park (9.3 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
39%
7,169 acres · of 28.9 sq mi of land
Trails
43 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
956 ac
550 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
51%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,476 ft
Summit
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Todd Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Todd Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Todd Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Todd Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land39% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (43 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land550 acres of park per 1,000 residents (956 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home51% 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 94%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Todd Township’s 39% is ahead of 96% 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 A 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 Buchanan State Forest, with 27.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cowans Gap State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
939 acres9.3 mi of trail
Three Mile TrailPlessinger TrailNorth Logging Road TrailSouth Logging Road Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Horse trailer parkingWebsite ↗
Lions Park
Park
15 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sports Fields
Park
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
7,169 conserved acres
39% of Todd Township’s land. Who manages Todd Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources5,926 ac
State parks931 ac
County886 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)131 ac
Joint88 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government23 ac
Not recorded52 ac
State Resource Management Area · 5,926 acAgricultural Easement · 1,018 acState Park · 974 acConservation Easement · 87 acLocal Park · 32 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 295 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchanan State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 5,926 | Open |
| Cowans Gap State Park State Park | State parks | 974 | Open |
| McConnellsburg Lions Club Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 32 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Todd Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Todd Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Todd Township
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Todd Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Todd Township
Cowans Gap OverlookIn Cowans Gap State Park
DirectionsPeaks in Todd Township
Summit1,476 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Todd Township
BV020 - Tower CCOFee · In Buchanan State Forest · PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
DirectionsWalk In CampingIn Cowans Gap State Park
DirectionsPlus 2 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 14.5 miHorses · 20.9 miUnpaved · 12.5 mi
Standing Stone Trail3.9 mi
Forbes Road - Tuscarora Trail3.0 mi
Tuscarora Trail1.6 mi
Lockard Trail1.5 mi
South Logging Road Trail1.4 mi
Wagner Trail1.2 mi
Three Mile Trail1.2 mi
Plessinger Trail1.2 mi
King Trail1.0 mi
North Logging Road Trail1.0 mi
15 more trails
Richmond Trail
0.7 miFore Trail
0.7 miNagle Trail
0.7 miCameron Trail
0.6 miKnobsville Road Trail (SST)
0.6 miStanding Stone Trail / Lakeside Trail
0.6 miFox Trail
0.6 miLog Slide Trail
0.5 miGeyer Trail
0.5 miSharpe Trail
0.5 miHeath Trail
0.5 miBurd Trail
0.5 miForney Trail
0.4 miCreek Crossing Trail
0.4 miLakeside Trail
0.4 miLakes & 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
7Baseball
1Tennis
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Todd Township: April, July 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 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 40 | 49 | 62 | 71 | 79 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 51 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.4 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Todd Township →
Next door
Todd Township and its neighbors
Todd Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Todd Township43 miPeters Township27 miMetal Township22 miDublin Township19 miLicking Creek Township7.7 miAyr Township4.3 miMcConnellsburg0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Todd Township | 39% | 1.5 | 550 | 51% | A |
| Ayr Township | 19% | 0.1 | under 1 | 8% | C− |
| Metal Township | 12% | 0.5 | 105 | 4% | B+ |
| McConnellsburg | 2% | under 0.1 | 4 | 99%+ | C |
| Dublin Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Peters Township | 19% | 0.5 | 8 | 18% | B− |
| Licking Creek Township | 9% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Todd Township
Where can I hike in Todd Township?
The longest trail networks: Buchanan State Forest, 27.5 miles; Cowans Gap State Park, 9.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Todd Township is conserved land?
39% 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 Todd Township’s trails?
Buchanan State Forest and Cowans Gap State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Todd Township?
64,092 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Todd Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 6,916 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Todd Township have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Todd 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 →