State Game Lands Number 211
Managed by Pennsylvania Game Commission
837 acres4.7 mi of trail
Horse-Shoe Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
BOutdoors
Outdoors in West Hanover Township
9% of West Hanover Township’s land is conserved: 1,369 acres
The biggest trail networks: State Game Lands Number 211 (4.7 mi). 44% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 11 miles of mapped trail cross West Hanover Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns · #643 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
1,369 acres · of 23.2 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
142 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
44%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Hanover Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Hanover Township is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns, #643 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of West Hanover Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (142 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home44% 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 59%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 38%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so West Hanover Township’s 9% is ahead of 54% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 51% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. 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 Number 211, with 4.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fairville Park
Park
10 acres0.1 mi of trail
Fairville Path
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
State Game Lands Number 211837 acres · 4.7 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Game Commission
DirectionsFairville Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Skyline Commons Park14 acres
DirectionsHouck Manor Park8 acres
DirectionsMount Laurel Park3 acres
Lenker Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,369 conserved acres
9% of West Hanover Township’s land. Who manages West Hanover Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits914 ac
State fish & wildlife831 ac
County381 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government52 ac
Town or city9 ac
Not recorded870 ac
State Resource Management Area · 831 acState Other or Unknown · 831 acAgricultural Easement · 693 acForest Stewardship Easement · 286 acUnknown Easement · 175 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 363 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 36 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Game Land 211 State Resource Management Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,662 | Open |
| Rohrer Woodland Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 81 | Closed |
| Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 40 | Open |
| Fairville Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 23 | Open |
| Houck Manor Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Fireman's Memorial Fields Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 9 | Open |
| Houck Memorial Field Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 6 | Open |
| Mount Laurel Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| Skyline Commons Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
| Lenker Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in West Hanover Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in West Hanover Township
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in West Hanover Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.0 miHorses · 5.0 miUnpaved · 0.7 mi
Horse-Shoe Trail4.4 mi
Cross Country Course2.2 mi
Fairville Path0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
8Tennis
6Baseball
4Basketball
2Field hockey
2Soccer
2Softball
2Beach volleyball
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in West Hanover 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) | 37 | 41 | 50 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in West Hanover Township →
Next door
West Hanover Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Middle Paxton Township58 miLower Paxton Township16 miWest Hanover Township11 miSouth Hanover Township5.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Hanover Township | 9% | 0.5 | 13 | 44% | B |
| Lower Paxton Township | 5% | 0.6 | 9 | 46% | B− |
| Middle Paxton Township | 51% | 1.1 | 171 | 50% | A |
| South Hanover Township | 3% | 0.5 | 18 | 70% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in West Hanover Township
Where can I hike in West Hanover Township?
The longest trail networks: State Game Lands Number 211, 4.7 miles; Fairville Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Hanover Township is conserved land?
9% 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 Hanover Township’s trails?
State Game Lands Number 211 and Skyline Commons Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near West Hanover Township?
52,809 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Hanover Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 979 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does West Hanover Township have?
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #643 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 Hanover 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 →