Thompson Athletic Complex
Park
32 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Hope Moore on Flickr · CC BY 2.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Vernon Township
Vernon Township has 381 acres of parks, 72 for every 1,000 residents
10% of Vernon Township’s land is conserved, about 1,805 acres. The biggest trail networks: Thompson Athletic Complex (1.1 mi). 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #537 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
1,805 acres · of 29.6 sq mi of land
Trails
6.5 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
381 ac
72 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.6 mi
8.3 mi paths
Highest peak
1,509 ft
Round Top
Lakes & rivers
1
13 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Vernon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Vernon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Vernon Township is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #537 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Vernon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land72 acres of park per 1,000 residents (381 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home46% 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 66%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 48%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Vernon Township’s 10% is ahead of 56% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 33% 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 Thompson Athletic Complex, with 1.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
State Game Lands Number 213
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
1,136 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Helen B Katz Natural Area
Managed by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
211 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Cussewago Meanders
Managed by French Creek Valley Conservancy
183 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Thompson Athletic Complex32 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsState Game Lands Number 2131,136 acres · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsHelen B Katz Natural Area211 acres · Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
DirectionsCussewago Meanders183 acres · French Creek Valley Conservancy
Roche Park21 acres · Vernon Township
DirectionsBemus Mill21 acres · French Creek Valley Conservancy
Cussewago Riffle6 acres · French Creek Valley Conservancy
Cussewago4 acres · Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Collins Bird Sanctuary2 acres
Cussewago Island1 acres · French Creek Valley Conservancy
Kerrtown Community Center and Playground1 acres · Vernon Township
DirectionsMary Gable Community Park of Vernon Township1 acres · Vernon Township
DirectionsThompson Park/ Playground1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,805 conserved acres
10% of Vernon Township’s land. Who manages Vernon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife1,159 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits564 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government90 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)81 ac
Not recorded697 ac
State Resource Management Area · 1,150 acPrivate Conservation · 1,070 acConservation Easement · 273 acLocal Park · 54 acLocal Recreation Area · 36 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 64 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 30 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 213 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,150 | Open |
| Helen B. Katz Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 624 | Unknown |
| Cussewago Meanders Private Conservation | Not recorded | 255 | Open |
| Lew's Land Private Conservation | Not recorded | 104 | Open |
| Roche Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 54 | Open |
| Bemus Mill Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 35 | Open |
| Vernon Township Ball Fields Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 34 | Open |
| Shryock-Bailey Private Conservation | Not recorded | 34 | Open |
| Cussewago Creek Access State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 6 | Open |
| Spring Street Management Area (Cussewago Riffle) Private Conservation | Not recorded | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
19 places to go in Vernon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Vernon Township
13 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Vernon Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Vernon Township
CussewagoIn Cussewago
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Peaks in Vernon Township
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.3 mi
off-road bike paths
0.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
8Baseball
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Vernon Township: May and July to September
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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 35 | 44 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 61 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Vernon Township →
Next door
Vernon Township and its neighbors
Vernon Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Vernon Township6.5 miUnion Township4.0 miMeadville3.8 miGreenwood Township3.2 miWest Mead Township2.1 miHayfield Township1.0 miFredericksburg0.5 miSummit Township0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Township | 10% | 0.2 | 72 | 46% | B+ |
| West Mead Township | 7% | 0.1 | 74 | 53% | B |
| Meadville | 6% | 0.9 | 14 | 97% | A− |
| Fredericksburg | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Greenwood Township | 12% | 0.1 | 15 | 9% | C+ |
| Hayfield Township | 4% | under 0.1 | 85 | 18% | C+ |
| Union Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Summit Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 46 | 10% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Vernon Township
Where can I hike in Vernon Township?
The longest trail networks: Thompson Athletic Complex, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Vernon Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Vernon Township’s trails?
Thompson Athletic Complex and State Game Lands Number 213 don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Vernon Township?
8.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.3 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Vernon Township?
24,186 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Vernon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,545 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Vernon Township have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #537 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 Vernon 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 →