Bethlehem Authority Tunkhannock
Nature preserve
7,579 acres25.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Tunkhannock Township
More than half of Tunkhannock Township’s land is conserved: 59%
59% of Tunkhannock Township’s land is conserved, about 14,581 acres. 58 miles of mapped trail cross Tunkhannock Township, 1.5 per square mile of land. 628 acres are parks and preserves, 90 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #146 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
59%
14,581 acres · of 38.6 sq mi of land
Trails
58 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
628 ac
90 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
36%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,195 ft
Pimple Hill
Lakes & rivers
6
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Tunkhannock Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Tunkhannock Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Tunkhannock Township is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #146 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Tunkhannock Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land59% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (58 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land90 acres of park per 1,000 residents (628 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home36% 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 90%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 86%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Tunkhannock Township’s 59% is ahead of 100% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 88% 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 Bethlehem Authority Tunkhannock, with 25.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Delaware State Forest
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
2,050 acres12.3 mi of trail
Dyson TrailKnorr TrailCreek TrailBoulder Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
State Game Lands Number 38
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
941 acres5.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Maple Tract Preserve
Managed by Wildlands Conservancy
618 acres3.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
State Game Lands Number 129
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
837 acres2.5 mi of trail
Old Farm Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Long Pond Preserve - Heimbach Tract
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
226 acres1.8 mi of trail
Woodcock Loop
Dogs usually not allowed
No trailhead mapped yet
Long Pond Barrens
Nature preserve
457 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 10 parks & preserves
Bethlehem Authority Tunkhannock7,579 acres · 25.5 mi of trail
Delaware State Forest2,050 acres · 12.3 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 38941 acres · 5.4 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
Maple Tract Preserve618 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · Wildlands Conservancy
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 129837 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsLong Pond Preserve - Heimbach Tract226 acres · 1.8 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
Long Pond Barrens457 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Tunkhannock Ballfields10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Adams Swamp Preserve681 acres
Indian Mountain Lake Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
14,581 conserved acres
59% of Tunkhannock Township’s land. Who manages Tunkhannock Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits29,102 ac
State natural resources6,148 ac
State fish & wildlife2,590 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government736 ac
County414 ac
Private owners39 ac
Not recorded2,266 ac
Conservation Easement · 26,663 acState Resource Management Area · 7,954 acPrivate Conservation · 4,079 acState Recreation Area · 809 acLocal Conservation Area · 546 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 7,761 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 14 of 86 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 6,173 | Open |
| Long Pond Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 2,506 | Unknown |
| State Game Land 038 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 941 | Open |
| State Game Land 129 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 839 | Open |
| Sgl 129 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 809 | Open |
| Maple Tract Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 647 | Open |
| Fern Ridge Bog Preserve (Adams Swamp) Private Conservation | Not recorded | 459 | Restricted |
| Adams Swamp Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 458 | Unknown |
| Bethlehem Authority Maple Tract Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 441 | Restricted |
| Long Pond - Heimbach Tract Private Conservation | Not recorded | 290 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Tunkhannock Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Tunkhannock Township
Indain Mountain Lake Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Tunkhannock Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Tunkhannock Township
Pimple Hill2,195 ft elevation · In Delaware State Forest
DirectionsPohopoco Mountain2,008 ft elevation
DirectionsHigh Knob1,995 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 2 peaks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.4 mi
Dyson Trail1.1 mi
Knorr Trail0.5 mi
Woodcock Loop0.4 mi
Old Farm Trail0.4 mi
Creek Trail0.4 mi
Boulder Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & 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
6Tennis
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Tunkhannock Township: May, 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 31 | 34 | 42 | 55 | 66 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 69 | 58 | 46 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 4.2 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 78 °F). 5.7 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Tunkhannock Township →
Next door
Tunkhannock Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Penn Forest Township75 miKidder Township66 miTunkhannock Township58 miChestnuthill Township26 miPolk Township25 miTobyhanna Township23 miIndian Mountain Lake0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunkhannock Township | 59% | 1.5 | 90 | 36% | A |
| Kidder Township | 50% | 1.0 | 6,991 | 48% | A |
| Penn Forest Township | 42% | 1.0 | 277 | 34% | A |
| Chestnuthill Township | 20% | 0.7 | 75 | 25% | A− |
| Indian Mountain Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Tobyhanna Township | 31% | 0.5 | 194 | 54% | A |
| Polk Township | 28% | 0.8 | 67 | 18% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Tunkhannock Township
Where can I hike in Tunkhannock Township?
The longest trail networks: Bethlehem Authority Tunkhannock, 25.5 miles; Delaware State Forest, 12.3 miles; State Game Lands Number 38, 5.4 miles; Maple Tract Preserve, 3.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Tunkhannock Township is conserved land?
59% 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 Tunkhannock Township’s trails?
Bethlehem Authority Tunkhannock and Delaware State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Tunkhannock Township?
105,225 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Tunkhannock Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,485 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Tunkhannock Township have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #146 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 Tunkhannock 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 →