Lake Hope State Park
Managed by Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
2,608 acres12.3 mi of trail
Furnace TrailPeninsula TrailLittle Sandy TrailM-N Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Grouse Point
Photo: Jaknouse · CC BY-SA 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Brown Township
More than half of Brown Township’s land is conserved: 71%
71% of Brown Township’s land is conserved, about 16,593 acres. The biggest trail networks: Lake Hope State Park (12.3 mi). 13,692 acres are parks and preserves, 30,699 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
71%
16,593 acres · of 36.7 sq mi of land
Trails
56 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
13,692 ac
30,699 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
39%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
23 mi
23 mi paths
Highest peak
1,070 ft
Irish Ridge
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
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 Lake Hope State Park, with 12.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Waterloo State Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
5 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
16,593 conserved acres
71% of Brown Township’s land. Who manages Brown Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources16,593 ac
State Conservation Area · 13,986 acState Park · 2,607 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zaleski State Forest State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 13,607 | Open |
| Lake Hope State Park State Park | State natural resources | 2,607 | Closed |
| Turkey Ridge Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 374 | Restricted |
| Waterloo Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 5 | Open |
Things to do
11 places to go in Brown Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Brown Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Brown Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Brown Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Brown Township
Irish Ridge1,070 ft elevation
DirectionsLong Ridge1,066 ft elevation
DirectionsStarrett Ridge1,060 ft elevation
DirectionsFurnace Ridge1,050 ft elevation · In Lake Hope State Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Brown Township
Trails & water
25 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 11.9 miHorses · 9.1 miUnpaved · 45.0 mi
Dark Blue Trail6.3 mi
Furnace Trail3.2 mi
Zaleski Logging Track3.0 mi
B-C Trail2.8 mi
Peninsula Trail2.6 mi
I-M Trail2.6 mi
F-G Trail2.1 mi
Little Sandy Trail2.1 mi
M-N Trail2.0 mi
Moonville Rail Trail2.0 mi
15 more trails
L-Camp 3 Trail
1.6 miA-B Trail
1.6 miI-J Trail
1.4 miE-F Trail
1.4 miH-I Trail
1.3 miG-H Trail
1.2 miTulip Trail
1.1 miC-D Trail
1.0 miD-E Trail
0.9 miO-G Trail
0.6 miN-O Trail
0.6 miO-B Trail
0.5 miRed Oak Trail
0.5 miArchery Trail
0.5 miDark Blue Bypass
0.5 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
23 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
23 mi
off-road bike paths
Moonville Rail TrailBike route
2.2 miCourts & fields
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 43 | 53 | 66 | 74 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 66 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Brown Township →
Next door
Brown Township and its neighbors
Brown Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Swan Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Starr Township | 27% | under 0.1 | 17 | 11% | C+ |
| Waterloo Township | 26% | 0.4 | 3,767 | 40% | A− |
| Knox Township | — 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 Brown Township
Where can I hike in Brown Township?
The longest trail networks: Lake Hope State Park, 12.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Brown Township’s trails?
Lake Hope State Park and Waterloo State Wildlife Management Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brown Township?
23 miles of bike routes are on the map: 23 of off-road paths. Named routes: Moonville Rail Trail.
Is there public land near Brown Township?
90,131 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brown Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 13,692 of them inside the town line.
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 →