Van Buren State Park
Managed by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
303 acres12 mi of trail
Pink TrailYellow TrailRed TrailWhite Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Allen Township
Allen Township has 376 acres of parks, 135 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Van Buren State Park (12 mi), Allen Township Sports Plex (0.7 mi). 13 miles of mapped trail cross Allen Township, 0.6 per square mile of land. 28% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns · #394 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
375 acres · of 23.0 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
376 ac
135 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
28%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
6 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Allen Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Allen Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Allen Township is ahead of 60% of U.S. towns, #394 of 993 in Ohio. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Allen Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land135 acres of park per 1,000 residents (376 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home28% of residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 60%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 60%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Van Buren State Park, with 12 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Allen Township Sports Plex
Park
21 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hancock County Wetland
Managed by Ohio Departmetn of Natural Resources
141 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
375 conserved acres
3% of Allen Township’s land. Who manages Allen Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources353 ac
Town or city20 ac
Private owners2 ac
State Conservation Area · 353 acLocal Recreation Area · 20 acPrivate Park · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren State Park State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 297 | Open |
| Wildlife Production Area 9 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 56 | Open |
| Allen Township Sportsplex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Hillcrest Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 2 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in Allen Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Allen Township
6 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Allen Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Allen Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Allen Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Allen Township
Shady Lake Campground
DirectionsVan Buren State Park Equestrian CampgroundIn Van Buren State Park · OH State Parks
DirectionsVan Buren State Park Group CampgroundIn Van Buren State Park
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 7.7 mi
Pink Trail1.9 mi
Yellow Trail1.8 mi
Red Trail1.4 mi
White Trail1.1 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
10Soccer
6Baseball
3Football
2Basketball
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Allen Township
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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Allen Township →
Next door
Allen Township and its neighbors
Allen Township has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen Township | 3% | 0.6 | 135 | 28% | B |
| Findlay | 4% | 0.5 | 13 | 72% | B |
| Liberty Township | 2% | 0.5 | 64 | 9% | B− |
| Henry Township | 2% | 0.1 | 68 | 73% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Allen Township
Where can I hike in Allen Township?
The longest trail networks: Van Buren State Park, 12 miles; Allen Township Sports Plex, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Allen Township is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 3% for an Ohio town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Allen Township’s trails?
Van Buren State Park and Allen Township Sports Plex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Allen Township?
4,756 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Allen Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 376 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Allen Township have?
Ahead of 60% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #394 of 993 in Ohio. 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 Allen 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 →