Everhart Park
Managed by West Chester Borough
11 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Zoewscott · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in West Chester
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in West Chester
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 1.8 miles of mapped trail cross West Chester, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Everhart Park (0.6 mi), Marshall Square (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #483 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
46 acres · of 1.8 sq mi of land
Trails
1.8 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
48 ac
2.3 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.3 mi
What kind of outdoors town is West Chester?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Chester have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Chester is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #483 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of West Chester’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land2.3 acres of park per 1,000 residents (48 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 70%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 53%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so West Chester’s 4% is ahead of 27% 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 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 Everhart Park, with 0.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Marshall Square
Managed by West Chester Borough
5 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hoopes Park
Managed by West Chester Borough
16 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Greenfield Park
Managed by West Chester Borough
3 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Everhart Park11 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · West Chester Borough
DirectionsMarshall Square5 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · West Chester Borough
Hoopes Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · West Chester Borough
DirectionsGreenfield Park3 acres · West Chester Borough
DirectionsBarclay Grounds2 acres · West Chester Borough
DirectionsRustin Park1 acres
DirectionsJohn O. Green Park1 acres · West Chester Borough
DirectionsHorace Pippin Park1 acres · West Chester Borough
Mosteller Park1 acres · West Chester Borough
Fugett Park1 acres · Borough of West Chester
DirectionsKathy McBratnie Park1 acres · West Chester Borough
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park1 acres · West Chester Borough
DirectionsWho protects it
46 conserved acres
4% of West Chester’s land. Who manages West Chester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government43 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits4 ac
Not recorded4 ac
Local Park · 43 acLocal Recreation Area · 3 acOther Easement · 2 acRecreation or Education Easement · 1 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoopes Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 15 | Open |
| Everhart Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 10 | Open |
| Marshall Square Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| Barclay Acquisition Local Park | Not recorded | 4 | Open |
| Greenfield Park Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 3 | Open |
| Barclay Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
| Bayard Rustin Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
| Horace Pippin Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
| Mosteller Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
| John O. Green Memorial Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
20 places to go in West Chester
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in West Chester
lulu’s casita
DirectionsPlus 17 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in West Chester
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in West Chester
West End Community Garden
DirectionsBiking & sports
1.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
8Basketball
7Tennis
2Baseball
1Pickleball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →15 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 14 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Bank of Chester CountyBuilding · listed 1972
About itChester County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itFirst Presbyterian Church of West ChesterBuilding · listed 1972
About itEverhart, William, BuildingsBuilding · listed 1979
About itWarner TheaterBuilding · listed 1979
About itWest Chester State College Quadrangle Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1981
About itFarmers and Mechanics Trust Company BuildingBuilding · listed 1983
About itNew Century ClubhouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itBuckwalter BuildingBuilding · listed 1984
About itSharples Separator WorksBuilding · listed 1984
About itWest Chester Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About itSharples HomesteadBuilding · listed 1985
About it3 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in West Chester: 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 81 | 86 | 84 | 78 | 66 | 54 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.9 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in West Chester →
Next door
West Chester and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Chester | 4% | 1.0 | 2 | 99%+ | B+ |
| West Goshen Township | 2% | 0.5 | 6 | 92% | B− |
| East Bradford Township | 35% | 3.1 | 100 | 85% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in West Chester
Where can I hike in West Chester?
The longest trail networks: Everhart Park, 0.6 miles; Marshall Square, 0.6 miles; Hoopes Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Chester is conserved land?
4% 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 West Chester’s trails?
Everhart Park and Marshall Square don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in West Chester?
1.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near West Chester?
20,649 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Chester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 48 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does West Chester have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #483 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 West Chester 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 →