Foundation Lake
Managed by Marion County Park District
253 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
COutdoors
Outdoors in Big Island Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Big Island Township
The biggest trail networks: Foundation Lake (0.7 mi). 16% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.0 miles of mapped trail cross Big Island Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 27% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
445 acres · of 35.2 sq mi of land
Trails
2.0 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
15 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
16%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.1 mi
6.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Big Island Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Big Island Township is ahead of 27% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Big Island Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (15 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home16% 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 27%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. 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 Foundation Lake, with 0.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Big Island Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
3,881 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
445 conserved acres
2% of Big Island Township’s land. Who manages Big Island Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)445 ac
Conservation Easement · 445 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 445 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
Things to do
2 places to go in Big Island Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Fishing spots in Big Island Township
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Big Island Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.1 mi
off-road bike paths
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Big Island 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 38 | 48 | 62 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Big Island Township →
Next door
Big Island Township and its neighbors
Big Island Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Marion Township3.4 miBig Island Township2.0 miBowling Green Township1.3 miMontgomery Township0.0 miSalt Rock Township0.0 miNew Bloomington0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Island Township | 2% | 0.1 | 17 | 16% | C |
| Bowling Green Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Montgomery Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 7 | 15% | C− |
| Marion Township | 2% | 0.1 | 10 | 62% | C |
| Salt Rock Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| New Bloomington | — 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 Big Island Township
Where can I hike in Big Island Township?
The longest trail networks: Foundation Lake, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Big Island Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Big Island Township’s trails?
Foundation Lake and Big Island Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Big Island Township?
6.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Big Island Township?
1,518 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Big Island Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 15 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Big Island Township have?
Ahead of 27% 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 Big Island 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 →