Wintergarden Nature Preserve
Managed by City of Bowling Green
125 acres3.7 mi of trail
Twyman Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Tma169 · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Bowling Green
Bowling Green has 14 miles of mapped trails, 1.1 for every square mile of land
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Wintergarden Nature Preserve (3.7 mi), Simpson Garden Park (1 mi), City Park (0.9 mi). 7% of Bowling Green’s land is conserved, about 619 acres.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #91 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
619 acres · of 13.1 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
522 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.6 mi
1.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Bowling Green?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bowling Green have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bowling Green is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #91 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bowling Green’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (522 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home95% 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 86%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 91%
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 Wintergarden Nature Preserve, with 3.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Simpson Garden Park
Park
9 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Carter Park
Managed by City of Bowling Green
55 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 17 parks & preserves
Wintergarden Nature Preserve125 acres · 3.7 mi of trail · City of Bowling Green
DirectionsSimpson Garden Park9 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsCity Park76 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsCarter Park55 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · City of Bowling Green
DirectionsBlack Swamp Preserve81 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsButterfly Habitat Restoration Project5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Bowling Green State University
DirectionsEcology - Ethology Research Station14 acres · Bowling Green State University
Conneaut Haskins Park7 acres
DirectionsAlumni Mall5 acres
DirectionsBowen-Thompson Quadrangle4 acres · Bowling Green State University
DirectionsRidge Park4 acres · Wood County Park District
DirectionsUniversity Field3 acres · Bowling Green State University
DirectionsWooster Green2 acres
DirectionsRodgers Quadrangle2 acres
Union Oval1 acres
DirectionsRecreation Center Courtyard1 acres
DirectionsFounders Quadrangle1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
619 conserved acres
7% of Bowling Green’s land. Who manages Bowling Green’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city342 ac
Private owners151 ac
Joint64 ac
County57 ac
Regional agency4 ac
Local Park · 448 acPrivate Park · 151 acState Recreation Area · 12 acLocal Recreation Area · 7 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest Creason Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 149 | Open |
| Wintergarden/St. John'S Nature Preserve Local Park | Town or city | 102 | Open |
| City Park Local Park | Town or city | 76 | Open |
| Black Swamp Preserve Local Park | Joint | 64 | Open |
| Bowling Green Training And Community Center Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Carter Park Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Adam Phillips Pond Local Park | County | 55 | Open |
| West Poe Recreation Area State Recreation Area | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Dunbridge Road Soccer Fields Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Simpson Building & Garden Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
76 places to go in Bowling Green
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Bowling Green
City Park PlaygroundIn City Park
DirectionsFun Zone
DirectionsKiddie Court
DirectionsRallycap Sports Inclusive Playground at Carter ParkIn Carter Park
Directions42 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Bowling Green
2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Bowling Green
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Bowling Green
Service & Emotional Support Animal Area
DirectionsPlus 26 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Bowling Green
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.9 mi
Twyman Trail0.8 mi
Jogging Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
34Soccer
27Basketball
16Tennis
14Baseball
9Volleyball
6Football
5Softball
5Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 50 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Bowling Green
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) | 33 | 37 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 3.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Bowling Green →
Next door
Bowling Green and its neighbors
Bowling Green has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green | 7% | 1.1 | 17 | 95% | A |
| Center Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 68 | 14% | C |
| Plain Township | 1% | 0.1 | 106 | 7% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bowling Green
Where can I hike in Bowling Green?
The longest trail networks: Wintergarden Nature Preserve, 3.7 miles; Simpson Garden Park, 1 miles; City Park, 0.9 miles; Carter Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bowling Green is conserved land?
7% 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 Bowling Green’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Wintergarden Nature Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bowling Green?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Bowling Green?
3,373 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bowling Green or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 522 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Bowling Green have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #91 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 Bowling Green 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 →