Bluffton Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
84 acres2.1 mi of trail
Boehr Meadow TrailEast Woods LoopSouth Woods LoopLake/Flood Plain Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Major optics · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Bluffton
Bluffton has 124 acres of parks, 32 for every 1,000 residents
3.3 miles of mapped trail cross Bluffton, 0.9 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Bluffton Nature Preserve (2.1 mi), Bluffton Village Park (0.5 mi). 87% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #164 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
79 acres · of 3.7 sq mi of land
Trails
3.3 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
124 ac
32 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
87%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.5 mi
3.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Bluffton?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bluffton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bluffton is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #164 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, conserved land lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bluffton’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land32 acres of park per 1,000 residents (124 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home87% 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 79%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 84%
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
The longest trail network is Bluffton Nature Preserve, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bluffton Village Park
Park
51 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Village Arboretum
Managed by Village of Bluffton
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
79 conserved acres
3% of Bluffton’s land. Who manages Bluffton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city78 ac
Regional agency1 ac
Local Park · 79 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluffton Village Park Local Park | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Buckeye Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Harmon Field Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Little Riley Creek Park Local Park | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Bluffton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bluffton
Buckeye ParkIn Buckeye Park
DirectionsVillage Park PlaygroundIn Bluffton Village Park
DirectionsPlus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Bluffton
Bluffton Community Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Bluffton
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Bluffton
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Bluffton
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Boehr Meadow Trail0.6 mi
East Woods Loop0.4 mi
South Woods Loop0.4 mi
Lake/Flood Plain Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Tennis
7Soccer
6Baseball
5Football
5Basketball
2Tracks
1Beach volleyball
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 Bluffton
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 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 77 | 64 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Bluffton →
Questions about parks and trails in Bluffton
Where can I hike in Bluffton?
The longest trail networks: Bluffton Nature Preserve, 2.1 miles; Bluffton Village Park, 0.5 miles; Buckeye Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bluffton 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 Bluffton’s trails?
Bluffton Nature Preserve and Bluffton Village Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bluffton?
3.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bluffton?
521 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bluffton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 124 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bluffton have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #164 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 Bluffton 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 →