Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary
Managed by Natural Lands
200 acres4.1 mi of trail
Main TrailSouth Fox TrailNorth Fox TrailTurnpike Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Hunter Kahn · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Williams Township
15% of Williams Township’s land is conserved: 1,764 acres
496 acres are parks and preserves, 75 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary (4.1 mi), Melchor Tract Park (1.3 mi). 12 miles of mapped trail cross Williams Township, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #173 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
1,764 acres · of 18.2 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
496 ac
75 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
76%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.5 mi
6.5 mi paths
Highest peak
1,010 ft
Gaffney Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Williams Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Williams Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Williams Township is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #173 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Williams Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land75 acres of park per 1,000 residents (496 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home76% 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 88%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 83%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Williams Township’s 15% is ahead of 71% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 65% 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 Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary, with 4.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Melchor Tract Park
Managed by Williams Township
35 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Delaware Canal State Park
Managed by Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
152 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto D&L Trail ParkingWebsite ↗
Hexenkopf Ridge Preserve
Managed by Northampton County
74 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary200 acres · 4.1 mi of trail · Natural Lands
DirectionsMelchor Tract Park35 acres · 1.3 mi of trail · Williams Township
DirectionsDelaware Canal State Park152 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
DirectionsTheodore Roosevelt Recreation Area5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHexenkopf Ridge Preserve74 acres · Northampton County
River Islands Natural Area56 acres · Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks
DirectionsWy-Hit-Tuk Park22 acres · Northampton County
DirectionsFry's Run Park5 acres · Northampton County
DirectionsWho protects it
1,764 conserved acres
15% of Williams Township’s land. Who manages Williams Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County2,234 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,051 ac
Town or city555 ac
Other state land197 ac
Joint180 ac
State parks137 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government85 ac
Agricultural Easement · 2,463 acForest Stewardship Easement · 1,410 acConservation Easement · 679 acUnknown Easement · 319 acLocal Recreation Area · 207 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,072 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 109 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horth Local Recreation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 207 | Open |
| Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary Private Conservation | Not recorded | 200 | Open |
| Delaware Canal State Park State Park | State parks | 137 | Open |
| Municipal Park Local Park | Not recorded | 47 | Open |
| Melchor Tract Local Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 40 | Open |
| Wy-Hit-Tuk Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 24 | Open |
| Chrinergy Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 12 | Open |
| Williams Township Municipal Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Wyatt Tuk Park Local Park | Not recorded | 6 | Unknown |
| Fry's Run County Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 5 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
18 places to go in Williams Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Williams Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Williams Township
Wy-Hit-Tuk RampIn Delaware Canal State Park
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Williams Township
Gaffney Hill1,010 ft elevation
DirectionsChristines Hill741 ft elevation
DirectionsMorgan Hill669 ft elevation
DirectionsHexenkopf Hill643 ft elevation
DirectionsSteelys Hill643 ft elevation
DirectionsBougher Hill617 ft elevation
DirectionsPektor Hill604 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 2 peaks without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Williams Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Williams Township
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Main Trail0.8 mi
South Fox Trail0.6 mi
North Fox Trail0.5 mi
Turnpike Trail0.4 mi
River Lookout Trail0.3 mi
The Squeeze Trail0.3 mi
Chinmey Rock Trail0.2 mi
Pine Circle0.2 mi
Woods Trail0.2 mi
Spruce Trail0.2 mi
2 more trails
Kit Trail
0.1 miXmas Fern Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Baseball
3Tennis
2Soccer
2Basketball
1Football
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Williams Township: April to June
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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 41 | 50 | 62 | 72 | 80 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.1 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Williams Township →
Next door
Williams Township and its neighbors
Williams Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Lower Saucon Township16 miWilliams Township12 miEaston5.7 miPhillipsburg2.8 miPohatcong Township0.5 miDurham Township0.5 miRaubsville0.2 miGlendon0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Township | 15% | 0.7 | 75 | 76% | A |
| Easton | 19% | 1.3 | 18 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Glendon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Raubsville | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Durham Township | 39% | 0.1 | 55 | 45% | B |
| Lower Saucon Township | 10% | 0.7 | 68 | 65% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Williams Township
Where can I hike in Williams Township?
The longest trail networks: Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary, 4.1 miles; Melchor Tract Park, 1.3 miles; Delaware Canal State Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Williams Township is conserved land?
15% 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 Williams Township’s trails?
Mariton Wildlife Sanctuary and Melchor Tract Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Williams Township?
6.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Williams Township?
29,316 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Williams Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 496 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Williams Township have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #173 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 Williams 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 →