Prophecy Creek Park
Managed by Whitpain Township
82 acres3 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Whitpain Township
Whitpain Township has 21 miles of mapped trails, 1.6 for every square mile of land
10% of Whitpain Township’s land is conserved, about 841 acres. 92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Prophecy Creek Park (3 mi), Camp Woods (2.1 mi), Briar Hill Preserve (1 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #95 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
841 acres · of 12.8 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
669 ac
33 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
5.8 mi lanes · 4.9 mi paths
Highest peak
331 ft
Sandy Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Whitpain Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Whitpain Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Whitpain Township is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #95 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Whitpain Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land33 acres of park per 1,000 residents (669 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home92% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 92%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 91%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Whitpain Township’s 10% is ahead of 57% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 89% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Prophecy Creek Park, with 3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Camp Woods
Managed by Wissahickon Trails
48 acres2.1 mi of trail
Mayapple LoopHoneysuckle LoopSwitchgrass LoopHoneysuckle Shortcut+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Briar Hill Preserve
Managed by Wissahickon Trails
37 acres1 mi of trail
Box Turtle LoopBox Turtle Shortcut
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailhead
Penllyn Natural Area
Managed by Wissahickon Trails
22 acres0.9 mi of trail
Salamander LoopGreen Ribbon TrailDragonfly Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Hughes Family Preserve
Managed by Wissahickon Trails
53 acres0.7 mi of trail
Keystone LoopBriar Hill-Hughes Connector
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yet
Crossways Preserve
Managed by Wissahickon Trails
58 acres0.6 mi of trail
Woodland LoopMeadow Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Armentrout Preserve
Managed by Wissahickon Trails
20 acres0.6 mi of trail
Milkweed Loop
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Wentz Run Park
Park
40 acres0.4 mi of trail
Wentz Run Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Prophecy Creek Park82 acres · 3 mi of trail · Whitpain Township
DirectionsCamp Woods48 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · Wissahickon Trails
DirectionsBriar Hill Preserve37 acres · 1 mi of trail · Wissahickon Trails
DirectionsPenllyn Natural Area22 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Wissahickon Trails
DirectionsHughes Family Preserve53 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Wissahickon Trails
Crossways Preserve58 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Wissahickon Trails
DirectionsArmentrout Preserve20 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Wissahickon Trails
DirectionsWentz Run Park40 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Cheston Family Preserve at Briar Hill9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Wissahickon Trails
Centre Square Park64 acres
DirectionsStony Creek Sports Park9 acres
Wissahickon Waterfowl Preserve3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
841 conserved acres
10% of Whitpain Township’s land. Who manages Whitpain Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits1,528 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government336 ac
County171 ac
Joint154 ac
Not recorded344 ac
Conservation Easement · 1,256 acPrivate Conservation · 521 acLocal Park · 272 acAgricultural Easement · 184 acLocal Other or Unknown · 78 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 148 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 6 of 87 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crossways Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 172 | Open |
| Briar Hill Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 130 | Open |
| Centre Square Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 96 | Open |
| Armentrout Preserve Local Conservation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 85 | Open |
| Prophecy Creek Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 84 | Open |
| Camp Woods Preserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 74 | Open |
| Municipal Land Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 58 | Open |
| Wentz Run Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 53 | Open |
| Hughes Preserve at Briar Hill Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 52 | Unknown |
| Penllyn Natural Area Private Conservation | Not recorded | 44 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in Whitpain Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Whitpain Township
Bluestone Country Club Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Whitpain Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Whitpain Township
Whitpain Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Whitpain Township
Sandy Hill331 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Whitpain Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
22 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 5.5 miUnpaved · 13.4 mi
Green Ribbon Trail1.3 mi
Box Turtle Loop0.7 mi
Mayapple Loop0.6 mi
Milkweed Loop0.6 mi
Honeysuckle Loop0.5 mi
Keystone Loop0.5 mi
Switchgrass Loop0.5 mi
Salamander Loop0.4 mi
Willow Lake-Prophecy Creek Connector0.3 mi
Woodland Loop0.3 mi
12 more trails
Meadow Trail
0.3 miWentz Run Trail
0.2 miDragonfly Trail
0.2 miBriar Hill-Hughes Connector
0.2 miArmentrout-Camp Woods Connector
0.2 miHummingbird Jaunt
0.2 miWentz Run Park Walking Path
0.2 miCamp Woods-Hughes Connector
0.1 miHoneysuckle Shortcut
0.1 miBox Turtle Shortcut
0.1 miMayapple-Mason Drive Connector
0.1 miBarth Loop Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
35Tennis
9Basketball
9Baseball
9Golf
8Soccer
1Football
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Whitpain 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 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 43 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 66 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 4.4 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Whitpain Township →
Next door
Whitpain Township and its neighbors
Whitpain Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Whitpain Township21 miLower Gwynedd Township17 miUpper Dublin Township16 miPlymouth Township7.4 miEast Norriton Township6.5 miWorcester Township4.0 miAmbler1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitpain Township | 10% | 1.6 | 33 | 92% | A |
| Upper Dublin Township | 8% | 1.2 | 30 | 99% | A |
| Lower Gwynedd Township | 11% | 1.8 | 37 | 97% | A+ |
| Worcester Township | 13% | 0.2 | 49 | 87% | A− |
| East Norriton Township | 13% | 1.1 | 36 | 94% | A |
| Ambler | 5% | 1.4 | 4 | 99%+ | A− |
| Plymouth Township | 5% | 0.9 | 10 | 93% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Whitpain Township
Where can I hike in Whitpain Township?
The longest trail networks: Prophecy Creek Park, 3 miles; Camp Woods, 2.1 miles; Briar Hill Preserve, 1 miles; Penllyn Natural Area, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Whitpain Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Whitpain Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Prophecy Creek Park (on leash), Camp Woods (on leash), Briar Hill Preserve (on leash) and Penllyn Natural Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Whitpain Township?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.8 of painted or protected lanes and 4.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Whitpain Township?
28,265 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Whitpain Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 669 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Whitpain Township have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #95 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 Whitpain 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 →