Upper Schuylkill Valley Park
Park
57 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Schuylkill Navigation Canal, Oakes Reach Section · Photo: J Clear. · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Upper Providence Township
13% of Upper Providence Township’s land is conserved, and 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park
13% of Upper Providence Township’s land is conserved, about 1,474 acres. 17 miles of mapped trail cross Upper Providence Township, 1.0 per square mile of land. 1,136 acres are parks and preserves, 46 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #75 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
1,474 acres · of 17.8 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,136 ac
46 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
17 mi
0.4 mi lanes · 16 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Upper Providence Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Upper Providence Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Upper Providence Township is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #75 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 Upper Providence Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land46 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,136 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 93%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Upper Providence Township’s 13% is ahead of 66% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 76% of them.
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 Upper Schuylkill Valley Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Upper Schuylkill Valley
Park
90 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Lower Perkiomen Valley Park
Managed by Montgomery County
85 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
All 9 parks & preserves
Upper Schuylkill Valley Park57 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsLower Perkiomen Valley Park85 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Montgomery County
DirectionsUpper Schuylkill Valley90 acres
Black Rock Park46 acres
DirectionsAnderson Park34 acres
DirectionsCentral Perkiomen Valley8 acres · Montgomery County
Saint Michael's Park7 acres
Longford Park6 acres · Upper Providence Township
DirectionsPort Providence Road Park2 acres
Who protects it
1,474 conserved acres
13% of Upper Providence Township’s land. Who manages Upper Providence Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government744 ac
County472 ac
State fish & wildlife82 ac
Not recorded624 ac
Local Park · 819 acAgricultural Easement · 472 acLocal Other or Unknown · 466 acState Other or Unknown · 96 acResearch or Educational Area · 66 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 132 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 40 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 343 | Open |
| Upper Schuylkill Valley Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 182 | Open |
| Collegeville Road Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 129 | Open |
| Port Providence Access State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 96 | Open |
| Lower Perkiomen Valley Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 94 | Open |
| Central Perkiomen Valley Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 82 | Unknown |
| Schoolhouse Run Greenway Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 76 | Open |
| Black Rock Park Local Park | Not recorded | 74 | Open |
| Spring-Ford Senior High School Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 66 | Open |
| Mingo Basin Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 64 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
22 places to go in Upper Providence Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Upper Providence Township
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Upper Providence Township
Reynolds Dog ParkIn Longford Park
DirectionsReynolds Dog ParkIn Longford Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Upper Providence Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Upper Providence Township
Pavilion 1In Lower Perkiomen Valley Park
DirectionsPlus 5 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.0 mi
Black Rock2.9 mi
Portage0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
17 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
16 mi
off-road bike paths
Black RockBike route
2.9 miCourts & fields
25Baseball
22Golf
16Tennis
5Soccer
4Basketball
2Lacrosse
2Field hockey
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Schuylkill Navigation Canal, Oakes Reach SectionDistrict · listed 1988
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Upper Providence 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 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Upper Providence Township →
Next door
Upper Providence Township and its neighbors
Upper Providence Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lower Providence Township23 miUpper Providence Township17 miSchuylkill Township8.8 miPhoenixville6.7 miAudubon3.7 miMont Clare2.1 miEast Pikeland Township1.9 miTrappe1.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Providence Township | 13% | 1.0 | 46 | 96% | A |
| Lower Providence Township | 25% | 1.5 | 63 | 99% | A+ |
| Phoenixville | 11% | 1.9 | 11 | 99%+ | A |
| Audubon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Schuylkill Township | 12% | 1.0 | 6 | 72% | B+ |
| Mont Clare | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| East Pikeland Township | 18% | 0.2 | 45 | 79% | A− |
| Trappe | 20% | 0.7 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Upper Providence Township
Where can I hike in Upper Providence Township?
The longest trail networks: Upper Schuylkill Valley Park, 0.6 miles; Lower Perkiomen Valley Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Upper Providence Township is conserved land?
13% 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 Providence Township’s trails?
Upper Schuylkill Valley Park and Upper Schuylkill Valley don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Upper Providence Township?
17 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of painted or protected lanes and 16 of off-road paths. Named routes: Black Rock.
Is there public land near Upper Providence Township?
26,178 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Upper Providence Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,218 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Upper Providence Township have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #75 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 Providence 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 →