Little Portage River Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
436 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Bay Township
50% of Bay Township’s land is conserved: 5,118 acres
1,557 acres are parks and preserves, 1,399 per 1,000 residents. 56% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4.2 miles of mapped trail cross Bay Township, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
50%
5,118 acres · of 16.1 sq mi of land
Trails
4.2 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,557 ac
1,399 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
56%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Bay Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bay Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bay Township is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bay Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land50% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land1,399 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,557 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home56% of residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 84%
LessMore
Water is 26% of Bay Township’s area (6 of 22 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 37%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
5,118 conserved acres
50% of Bay Township’s land. Water is left out: Bay Township has 16.1 square miles of land and 5.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Bay Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits2,539 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)1,678 ac
Private owners1,500 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1,339 ac
State natural resources347 ac
State fish & wildlife63 ac
Town or city1 ac
Private Recreation or Education · 3,109 acConservation Easement · 1,878 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 1,339 acPrivate Park · 606 acState Conservation Area · 410 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 108 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winous Point Shooting Club Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 2,340 | Closed |
| Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 1,339 | Restricted |
| Little Portage Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 347 | Restricted |
| J Nehls Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 254 | Open |
| Hunters Point Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 246 | Open |
| North Bay Shooting Club Inc Private Park | Private owners | 222 | Open |
| Westlake Sportsmans Club Private Park | Private owners | 170 | Open |
| Sweeney and Krause Marsh Private Conservation | Private owners | 124 | Open |
| Oaklane Hunt Club Private Park | Private owners | 121 | Open |
| Mud Creek Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 105 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
2 places to go in Bay Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bay Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Bay Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Bay 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 45 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Bay Township →
Next door
Bay Township and its neighbors
Bay Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Township | 50% | 0.3 | 1,399 | 56% | A− |
| Port Clinton | 4% | 0.6 | 7 | 88% | B |
| Erie Township | 23% | 0.2 | 810 | 34% | A− |
| Salem Township | 4% | 0.2 | 35 | 56% | B |
| Portage Township | 6% | 0.1 | 147 | 44% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bay Township
How much of Bay Township is conserved land?
50% 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 Bay Township’s trails?
Little Portage River Wildlife Area doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bay Township?
10,507 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bay Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,557 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bay Township have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Bay 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 →