State Game Lands 217
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
1,797 acres6.8 mi of trail
Appalachian TrailBypass TrailSouth TrailWoodpecker Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto A.T. Parking: Lehigh Furnace Gap (Ashfield Rd) Parking Area
Photo: Nicholas · CC BY 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Washington Township
21% of Washington Township’s land is conserved: 3,166 acres
486 acres are parks and preserves, 74 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: State Game Lands 217 (6.8 mi), Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge (0.5 mi). 9.1 miles of mapped trail cross Washington Township, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #316 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
3,166 acres · of 23.6 sq mi of land
Trails
9.1 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
486 ac
74 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
54%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.8 mi
4.8 mi paths
Highest peak
1,020 ft
Sandstone Ridge
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Washington Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Washington Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Washington Township is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #316 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 Washington Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land74 acres of park per 1,000 residents (486 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home54% 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 79%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 70%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Washington Township’s 21% is ahead of 82% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 46% 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 State Game Lands 217, with 6.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge
Managed by Lehigh Gap Nature Center
11 acres0.5 mi of trail
Prairie Warbler TrailL&NE TrailNative Sensory Garden Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Eagles Nest Park
Managed by Washington Township
17 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Emerald Playground
Park
7 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
State Game Lands 2171,797 acres · 6.8 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsLehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge11 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Lehigh Gap Nature Center
DirectionsEagles Nest Park17 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Washington Township
DirectionsEmerald Playground7 acres
Slatedale Playground6 acres
DirectionsVictory Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,166 conserved acres
21% of Washington Township’s land. Who manages Washington Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife3,620 ac
County3,152 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government463 ac
National Park Service28 ac
Town or city24 ac
Private owners18 ac
Not recorded115 ac
Agricultural Easement · 3,230 acState Recreation Area · 1,811 acState Resource Management Area · 1,810 acLocal Park · 459 acLocal Recreation Area · 46 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 827 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sgl 217 State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,811 | Open |
| State Game Land 217 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,810 | Open |
| Slatington Borough Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 360 | Open |
| Lehigh County Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 35 | Open |
| Trabin, N & Ginsburg, B Private Agricultural | Not recorded | 28 | Closed |
| Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Scenic or Historic Trail | National Park Service | 21 | Open |
| Schuylkill and Lehigh Rail-Trail Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 20 | Open |
| Emerald Playground Local Park | Private owners | 18 | Open |
| Eagle's Nest Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Eagles Nest Recreation & Env Park Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 17 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in Washington Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Washington Township
Northern Lehigh Swimming Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Washington Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Washington Township
Lehigh Gap Boat Ramp
DirectionsScenic views in Washington Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Washington Township
Sandstone Ridge1,020 ft elevation
DirectionsHungary Hill673 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Washington Township
3 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.7 mi
Appalachian Trail3.5 mi
Bypass Trail1.5 mi
South Trail0.7 mi
River Trail0.3 mi
Woodpecker Trail0.2 mi
Prairie Warbler Trail0.2 mi
L&NE Trail0.1 mi
Native Sensory Garden Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Baseball
4Tennis
3Basketball
2Beach volleyball
1Pickleball
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Vigilant Fire Company Firemen's MonumentObject · listed 2004
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Washington Township: April, May 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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 41 | 49 | 62 | 73 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Washington Township →
Next door
Washington Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
North Whitehall Township27 miEast Penn Township17 miLehigh Township12 miWashington Township9.1 miHeidelberg Township4.0 miWalnutport0.4 miSlatington0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Township | 21% | 0.4 | 74 | 54% | A− |
| Slatington | 2% | under 0.1 | 3 | 94% | C |
| Lehigh Township | 18% | 0.4 | 19 | 38% | B+ |
| East Penn Township | 25% | 0.7 | 318 | 29% | A− |
| North Whitehall Township | 10% | 1.0 | 82 | 66% | A |
| Heidelberg Township | 35% | 0.2 | 22 | 26% | B |
| Walnutport | 4% | 0.5 | 12 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Washington Township
Where can I hike in Washington Township?
The longest trail networks: State Game Lands 217, 6.8 miles; Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge, 0.5 miles; Eagles Nest Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Washington Township is conserved land?
21% 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 Washington Township’s trails?
State Game Lands 217 and Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Washington Township?
4.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Washington Township?
29,076 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Washington Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,316 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Washington Township have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #316 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 Washington 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 →