Fort Washington State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
464 acres7.5 mi of trail
Militia Hill Day Use Area Loop TrailNature TrailBlue LoopOrange Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Smallbones at English Wikipedia · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Whitemarsh Township
Whitemarsh Township has 35 miles of mapped trails, 2.4 for every square mile of land
17% of Whitemarsh Township’s land is conserved, about 1,586 acres. 1,049 acres are parks and preserves, 53 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Fort Washington State Park (7.5 mi), Willow Lake Farm (3.8 mi), The Highlands Mansion and Gardens (2.1 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #45 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
1,586 acres · of 14.6 sq mi of land
Trails
35 mi
2.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,049 ac
53 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
90%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.8 mi
7.1 mi paths
Highest peak
341 ft
Camp Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Whitemarsh Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Whitemarsh Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Whitemarsh Township is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #45 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Whitemarsh Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (35 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land53 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,049 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home90% 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 96%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 96%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Whitemarsh Township’s 17% is ahead of 75% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 95% 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 Fort Washington State Park, with 7.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Willow Lake Farm
Managed by Wissahickon Trails
104 acres3.8 mi of trail
Pasture TrailsOld Farm LoopSparrow LoopWillow Lake-Prophecy Creek Connector
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailhead
The Highlands Mansion and Gardens
Park
58 acres2.1 mi of trail
Highlands Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Miles Park
Managed by Whitemarsh Township
26 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Wells Street Open Space - Trail
Managed by Whitemarsh Township Parks & Recreation
21 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Dixon Meadow Preserve
Nature preserve
13 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 17 parks & preserves
Fort Washington State Park464 acres · 7.5 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
DirectionsWillow Lake Farm104 acres · 3.8 mi of trail · Wissahickon Trails
DirectionsThe Highlands Mansion and Gardens58 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMiles Park26 acres · 1 mi of trail · Whitemarsh Township
DirectionsWells Street Open Space - Trail21 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Whitemarsh Township Parks & Recreation
DirectionsDixon Meadow Preserve13 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCedar Grove Park17 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Whitemarsh Township
DirectionsSchuykill Center for Environmental Education12 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Four Mills Nature Reserve6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Wissahickon Trails
DirectionsKline Park62 acres
DirectionsMcCarthy Park18 acres
DirectionsSpring Mill Park11 acres
DirectionsValley Green Park8 acres · Whitemarsh Township
DirectionsKoontz Park4 acres
DirectionsLeeland Park4 acres
DirectionsMorris Arboretum Horticulture Center1 acres · Univerisity of Pennsylvania
Gateway Open Space Park at Cold Point1 acres · Whitemarsh Township
DirectionsWho protects it
1,586 conserved acres
17% of Whitemarsh Township’s land. Who manages Whitemarsh Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,377 ac
State parks954 ac
Joint337 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government202 ac
Other state land114 ac
Town or city106 ac
Not recorded594 ac
State Park · 954 acAgricultural Easement · 939 acConservation Easement · 557 acForest Stewardship Easement · 545 acPrivate Conservation · 500 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 304 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 81 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Washington State Park State Park | State parks | 954 | Open |
| Dixon Meadow Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 276 | Open |
| Willow Lake Farm Private Conservation | Not recorded | 207 | Open |
| Municipal Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 116 | Open |
| The Highlands Mansion and Gardens State Historic or Cultural Area | Other state land | 85 | Open |
| Highlands Mansion and Gardens Private Historic or Cultural | Land trusts & nonprofits | 85 | Unknown |
| Hope Lodge State Historic or Cultural Area | Other state land | 72 | Open |
| Wissahickon Valley Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 55 | Open |
| Cedar Grove Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 37 | Open |
| Spring Mill Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 35 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in Whitemarsh Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Whitemarsh Township
19 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Whitemarsh Township
Camp Hill341 ft elevation
DirectionsMilitia Hill341 ft elevation · In Fort Washington State Park
DirectionsFort Hill289 ft elevation
DirectionsLafayette Hill236 ft elevation
DirectionsDisc golf in Whitemarsh Township
Fort Washington Disc Golf CourseIn Fort Washington State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
14 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.3 miHorses · 6.7 miUnpaved · 16.1 mi
Militia Hill Day Use Area Loop Trail2.1 mi
Highlands Loop1.6 mi
Green Ribbon Trail1.6 mi
Pasture Trails1.5 mi
Old Farm Loop1.2 mi
Nature Trail0.8 mi
Sparrow Loop0.6 mi
Blue Loop0.6 mi
Orange Loop0.5 mi
White Loop0.4 mi
4 more trails
Yellow Loop
0.3 miLDA West Loop
0.2 miWillow Lake-Prophecy Creek Connector
0.2 miFW-GRT Connector
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.1 mi
off-road bike paths
0.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
63Golf
24Tennis
14Baseball
14Soccer
9Softball
8Basketball
3Field hockey
2Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →12 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Hovenden House, Barn and Abolition HallBuilding · listed 1971
About itPlymouth Meeting Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1971
About itMount JoyBuilding · listed 1971
About itHope LodgeBuilding · listed 1972
About itFarmar MillBuilding · listed 1972
About itAlan W. Corson HomesteadBuilding · listed 1973
About itHighlands, TheBuilding · listed 1976
About itUnion SchoolBuilding · listed 1980
About itCold Point Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1983
About itLee Tire and Rubber CompanyBuilding · listed 1984
About itCounty Bridge No. 54Structure · listed 1988
About itMiller's House at Spring MillBuilding · listed 1990
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Whitemarsh 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 52 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Whitemarsh Township →
Next door
Whitemarsh Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Philadelphia234 miLower Merion Township42 miWhitemarsh Township35 miUpper Dublin Township16 miSpringfield Township9.7 miPlymouth Township7.4 miConshohocken1.3 miFort Washington0.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitemarsh Township | 17% | 2.4 | 53 | 90% | A+ |
| Springfield Township | 9% | 1.4 | 8 | 95% | A− |
| Plymouth Township | 5% | 0.9 | 10 | 93% | B+ |
| Conshohocken | 7% | 1.3 | 5 | 99%+ | A− |
| Upper Dublin Township | 8% | 1.2 | 30 | 99% | A |
| Lower Merion Township | 6% | 1.8 | 11 | 96% | A− |
| Philadelphia | 15% | 1.7 | 7 | 99%+ | A |
| Fort Washington | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Whitemarsh Township
Where can I hike in Whitemarsh Township?
The longest trail networks: Fort Washington State Park, 7.5 miles; Willow Lake Farm, 3.8 miles; The Highlands Mansion and Gardens, 2.1 miles; Miles Park, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Whitemarsh Township is conserved land?
17% 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 Whitemarsh Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Willow Lake Farm (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Whitemarsh Township?
7.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.1 of off-road paths and 0.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Whitemarsh Township?
30,594 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Whitemarsh Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,344 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Whitemarsh Township have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #45 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 Whitemarsh 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 →