Prairie Oaks Metro Park
Park
674 acres5.2 mi of trail
Sycamore Plains TrailTall Grass TrailRiver Rock TrailLake View Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in Brown Township
Brown Township has 876 acres of parks, 230 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Prairie Oaks Metro Park (5.2 mi), Heritage Trail Park (0.7 mi). 26% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6% of Brown Township’s land is conserved, about 770 acres.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #350 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
770 acres · of 21.2 sq mi of land
Trails
7.5 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
876 ac
230 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
26%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
16 mi
1.2 mi lanes · 9.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach
What kind of outdoors town is Brown Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brown Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brown Township is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #350 of 993 in Ohio. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brown Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land230 acres of park per 1,000 residents (876 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home26% 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 63%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 65%
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 Prairie Oaks Metro Park, with 5.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
770 conserved acres
6% of Brown Township’s land. Who manages Brown Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency478 ac
Town or city261 ac
Private owners31 ac
Local Park · 654 acLocal Conservation Area · 86 acPrivate Park · 31 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Oaks Metropark Local Park | Regional agency | 572 | Open |
| Columbus Quarry Acquisition Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 67 | Open |
| Heritage Park Metropark Local Park | Regional agency | 49 | Open |
| Columbus Metropark Land Local Park | Regional agency | 33 | Open |
| Thorn Apple Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 31 | Open |
| Bradley Lake Acquisition Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 19 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Brown Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Brown Township
Prairie Oaks Dog BeachIn Prairie Oaks Metro Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Brown Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Dog parks in Brown Township
1 dog park without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Brown Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Brown Township
Camp Ken-Jockety & Elam Environmental Center
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 0.9 miUnpaved · 2.8 mi
Sycamore Plains Trail1.1 mi
Tall Grass Trail0.7 mi
River Rock Trail0.6 mi
Lake View Trail0.6 mi
Alder Trail0.6 mi
Mound Trail0.4 mi
Osage Opening Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
16 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
9.2 mi
off-road bike paths
5.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
10Tennis
4Baseball
2Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Brown 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 40 | 50 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Brown Township →
Next door
Brown Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Columbus138 miNorwich Township13 miPrairie Township10 miBrown Township7.5 miJefferson Township6.0 miLake Darby2.1 miCanaan Township1.3 miWest Jefferson0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown Township | 6% | 0.4 | 230 | 26% | B |
| Jefferson Township | 6% | 0.1 | 142 | 74% | B+ |
| Canaan Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 12 | 10% | D |
| Lake Darby | 14% | 0.6 | 68 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Prairie Township | 8% | 0.6 | 32 | 93% | A− |
| Columbus | 9% | 0.6 | 13 | 94% | A− |
| West Jefferson | 2% | under 0.1 | 16 | 94% | B− |
| Norwich Township | 6% | 1.0 | 16 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brown Township
Where can I hike in Brown Township?
The longest trail networks: Prairie Oaks Metro Park, 5.2 miles; Heritage Trail Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brown Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Brown Township’s trails?
Prairie Oaks Metro Park and Heritage Trail Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brown Township?
16 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of painted or protected lanes, 9.2 of off-road paths and 5.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Brown Township?
16,236 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brown Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 876 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brown Township have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #350 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 Brown 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 →