Washington Crossing Historic Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
253 acres4.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Upper Makefield Township
28% of Upper Makefield Township’s land is conserved: 3,800 acres
340 acres are parks and preserves, 38 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Washington Crossing Historic Park (4.5 mi), Lookout Park (0.9 mi). 57% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #344 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
28%
3,800 acres · of 21.3 sq mi of land
Trails
7.1 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
340 ac
38 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
57%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.4 mi
6.4 mi paths
Highest peak
423 ft
Jericho Mountain
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Upper Makefield Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Upper Makefield Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Upper Makefield Township is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns, #344 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 Upper Makefield Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land28% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land38 acres of park per 1,000 residents (340 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home57% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 77%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 67%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Upper Makefield Township’s 28% is ahead of 89% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 43% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Washington Crossing Historic Park, with 4.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Delaware Canal State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
212 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Brownsburg Park
Park
36 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
3,800 conserved acres
28% of Upper Makefield Township’s land. Who manages Upper Makefield Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits5,257 ac
County3,680 ac
Town or city2,977 ac
Joint1,255 ac
State parks728 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government67 ac
Not recorded387 ac
Agricultural Easement · 7,001 acConservation Easement · 2,288 acOther Easement · 1,796 acForest Stewardship Easement · 1,023 acRecreation or Education Easement · 882 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 3,040 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 373 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Crossing Historic Park State Historic or Cultural Area | State parks | 547 | Open |
| Delaware Canal State Park (David Library) State Park | State parks | 256 | Open |
| Diabase Farm Preserve-MCLT Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 121 | Closed |
| Diabase Farm Preserve - MCLT Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 98 | Closed |
| Buckingham Township Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 73 | Open |
| Delaware Canal State Park State Park | State parks | 53 | Open |
| Brownsburg Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 42 | Open |
| Herons Watch Local Park | Not recorded | 35 | Unknown |
| Diabase Farm Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 26 | Unknown |
| Sol & Rose Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 26 | Closed |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in Upper Makefield Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Upper Makefield Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Upper Makefield Township
Kayak Launch
DirectionsScenic views in Upper Makefield Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Upper Makefield Township
Jericho Mountain423 ft elevation
DirectionsBowman Hill397 ft elevation · In Washington Crossing Historic Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Upper Makefield Township
General Greene Picnic PavilionIn Washington Crossing Historic Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
20Golf
9Baseball
6Tennis
4Soccer
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 10 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Makefield MeetingSite · listed 1974
About itJohn Chapman HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itHayhurst FarmBuilding · listed 1974
About itSmith Family FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1978
About itEagle TavernBuilding · listed 1978
About itKeith House-Washington's HeadquartersBuilding · listed 1978
About itJohn Burroughs HomesteadBuilding · listed 1984
About itBrownsburg Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1994
About itDolington Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1994
About itBuckmanville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2002
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Upper Makefield 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 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Upper Makefield Township →
Next door
Upper Makefield Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hopewell Township96 miLower Makefield Township21 miSolebury Township9.6 miUpper Makefield Township7.1 miNewtown Township6.2 miTitusville1.0 miWrightstown Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Makefield Township | 28% | 0.3 | 38 | 57% | A− |
| Lower Makefield Township | 21% | 1.2 | 41 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Newtown Township | 18% | 0.5 | 43 | 78% | A |
| Wrightstown Township | 17% | under 0.1 | 95 | 92% | B+ |
| Solebury Township | 37% | 0.4 | 54 | 59% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Upper Makefield Township
Where can I hike in Upper Makefield Township?
The longest trail networks: Washington Crossing Historic Park, 4.5 miles; Lookout Park, 0.9 miles; Delaware Canal State Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Upper Makefield Township is conserved land?
28% 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 Upper Makefield Township’s trails?
Washington Crossing Historic Park and Lookout Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Upper Makefield Township?
6.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Upper Makefield Township?
37,799 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Upper Makefield Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 614 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Upper Makefield Township have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #344 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 Upper Makefield 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 →