Walnut Street Park
Managed by City of Columbus
164 acres2.3 mi of trail
North TrailBig LoopReservoir TrailWest Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Sixflashphoto · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Blendon Township
Blendon Township has 1,064 acres of parks, 107 for every 1,000 residents
16% of Blendon Township’s land is conserved, about 546 acres. 5.7 miles of mapped trail cross Blendon Township, 1.1 per square mile of land. 92% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #19 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
546 acres · of 5.4 sq mi of land
Trails
5.7 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,064 ac
107 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.1 mi
1.9 mi lanes · 2.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Blendon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Blendon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Blendon Township is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #19 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Blendon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land107 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,064 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home92% of residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 98%
Water is 14% of Blendon Township’s area (1 of 6 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 14%.
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 Walnut Street Park, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hoover Dam Park
Nature preserve
670 acres1.5 mi of trail
Hoover Dam Park Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Blendon Ravines Metro Park
Managed by Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks
153 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail sign
All 5 parks & preserves
Walnut Street Park164 acres · 2.3 mi of trail · City of Columbus
DirectionsHoover Dam Park670 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsBlendon Ravines Metro Park153 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks
DirectionsRidgewood Park39 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWalnut Bluffs42 acres · City of Columbus
Who protects it
546 conserved acres
16% of Blendon Township’s land. Water is left out: Blendon Township has 5.4 square miles of land and 0.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Blendon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city295 ac
Regional agency149 ac
Private owners101 ac
Local Park · 404 acPrivate Park · 101 acLocal Conservation Area · 40 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walnut Bluffs Parkland Local Park | Town or city | 222 | Open |
| Big Walnut Creek Parkland Local Park | Regional agency | 149 | Open |
| Minerva Lake Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 100 | Open |
| Hoover Prairie Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Ridgewood Park Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Sunbury Commons Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Little Turtle Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 1 | Open |
| Hoover Reservoir Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
18 places to go in Blendon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Blendon Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Blendon Township
Minerva Park Municipal PoolHours: Mon–Sun 12 pm – 8 pm
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Blendon Township
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Blendon Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Blendon Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Blendon Township
Brent Hambrick Memorial Disc Golf CourseIn Hoover Dam Park
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.2 mi
Hoover Dam Park Loop0.7 mi
Big Loop0.5 mi
North Trail0.5 mi
Reservoir Trail0.3 mi
West Trail0.3 mi
East Trail0.2 mi
Main Loop0.2 mi
West Trail0.2 mi
Dam Path0.1 mi
Main Loop0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Baseball
3Basketball
2Beach volleyball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Charles S. Osborn HouseBuilding · listed 1977
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Blendon 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 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 40 | 50 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Blendon Township →
Next door
Blendon Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Columbus138 miPlain Township27 miGenoa Township16 miWesterville7.8 miBlendon Township5.7 miHuber Ridge0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blendon Township | 16% | 1.1 | 107 | 92% | A+ |
| Columbus | 9% | 0.6 | 13 | 94% | A− |
| Westerville | 7% | 0.6 | 17 | 99%+ | A− |
| Huber Ridge | 4% | 0.4 | 12 | 87% | B |
| Plain Township | 20% | 1.3 | 151 | 95% | A+ |
| Genoa Township | 30% | 0.9 | 43 | 85% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Blendon Township
Where can I hike in Blendon Township?
The longest trail networks: Walnut Street Park, 2.3 miles; Hoover Dam Park, 1.5 miles; Blendon Ravines Metro Park, 0.9 miles; Ridgewood Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Blendon Township is conserved land?
16% 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 Blendon Township’s trails?
Walnut Street Park and Hoover Dam Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Blendon Township?
4.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.9 of painted or protected lanes and 2.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Blendon Township?
21,437 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Blendon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,064 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Blendon Township have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #19 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 Blendon 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 →