Codorus State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
653 acres7.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
AOutdoors
Outdoors in West Manheim Township
West Manheim Township has 2,569 acres of parks, 261 for every 1,000 residents
25% of West Manheim Township’s land is conserved, about 3,071 acres. The biggest trail networks: Codorus State Park (7.6 mi), West Manheim Township Recreation Park (0.7 mi). 14 miles of mapped trail cross West Manheim Township, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #144 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
25%
3,071 acres · of 19.4 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,569 ac
261 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
62%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is West Manheim Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Manheim Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Manheim Township is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #144 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of West Manheim Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land25% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land261 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,569 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home62% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 86%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so West Manheim Township’s 25% is ahead of 85% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 66% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Codorus State Park, with 7.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
West Manheim Township Recreation Park
Park
110 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
3,071 conserved acres
25% of West Manheim Township’s land. Who manages West Manheim Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government1,882 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,579 ac
State parks667 ac
Town or city112 ac
Not recorded744 ac
Local Recreation Area · 1,883 acState Park · 1,320 acForest Stewardship Easement · 889 acConservation Easement · 454 acAgricultural Easement · 197 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 518 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codorus State Park State Park | State parks | 1,320 | Open |
| Sheppard Myers Dam Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1,087 | Open |
| Long Arm Dam Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 731 | Open |
| Recreation Park 1 Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 112 | Open |
| West Manheim Township Community Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 111 | Open |
| West Manheim Township Open Space Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 1 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in West Manheim Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in West Manheim Township
Codorus State Park Swimming PoolFee · In Codorus State Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in West Manheim Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in West Manheim Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
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
6Baseball
2Volleyball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in West Manheim 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 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 42 | 51 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.7 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.9 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in West Manheim Township →
Next door
West Manheim Township 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 Manheim Township | 25% | 0.7 | 261 | 62% | A |
| Penn Township | 8% | 1.3 | 27 | 83% | A |
| Manheim Township | 20% | 0.7 | 538 | 29% | A− |
| Union Township | 19% | 0.1 | 4 | 8% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in West Manheim Township
Where can I hike in West Manheim Township?
The longest trail networks: Codorus State Park, 7.6 miles; West Manheim Township Recreation Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Manheim Township is conserved land?
25% 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 Manheim Township’s trails?
Codorus State Park and West Manheim Township Recreation Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near West Manheim Township?
7,033 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Manheim Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,569 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does West Manheim Township have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #144 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 Manheim 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 →