Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.014% of Union Township’s land is conserved, about 2,670 acres. The biggest trail networks: Swatara State Park (6.2 mi). 50% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #310 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Union Township is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #310 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Union Township’s 14% is ahead of 68% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 45% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Swatara State Park, with 6.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
14% of Union Township’s land. Who manages Union Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 520 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swatara State Park State Park | State parks | 1,863 | Open |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 251 | Open |
| State Game Land 211 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 52 | Open |
| Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail - Northern Extension Acquisition Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 16 | Open |
| Lebanon Valley Rail Trail - Northern Extension Acquisition Private Recreation or Education | Not recorded | 16 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
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.
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 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 40 | 49 | 62 | 72 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.8 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Union Township →
Union Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | 14% | 0.4 | 646 | 50% | A− |
| Swatara Township | 20% | 0.3 | 90 | 61% | A− |
| East Hanover Township | 3% | 0.1 | 132 | 18% | B− |
| Bethel Township | 27% | 0.3 | 64 | 22% | B+ |
| Jonestown | 6% | 1.1 | 17 | 99%+ | A |
| North Annville Township | 12% | 0.2 | 20 | 22% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Swatara State Park, 6.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
14% 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.
Swatara State Park and State Game Lands Number 211 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
17 miles of bike routes are on the map: 17 of off-road paths. Named routes: Lebanon Valley Rail Trail.
81,682 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Union Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,161 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #310 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Union Township neighbors.
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 →