Mill Hollow Bacon Woods Park
Park
329 acres3.7 mi of trail
Coopers TrailBacon Woods TrailBluebird TrailHillside Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Brownhelm Township
Brownhelm Township has 1,405 acres of parks, 175 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Brownhelm Township’s land is conserved, about 1,460 acres. The biggest trail networks: Mill Hollow Bacon Woods Park (3.7 mi), Vermilion River Reservation (0.9 mi), Showse Park (0.7 mi). 9.6 miles of mapped trail cross Brownhelm Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #122 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
1,460 acres · of 20.3 sq mi of land
Trails
9.6 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,405 ac
175 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
68%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Brownhelm Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brownhelm Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brownhelm Township is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #122 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 Brownhelm Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land175 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,405 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home68% 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 83%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 88%
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 Mill Hollow Bacon Woods Park, with 3.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Vermilion River Reservation
Park
93 acres0.9 mi of trail
Riverside Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
1,460 conserved acres
11% of Brownhelm Township’s land. Who manages Brownhelm Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,425 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits51 ac
Private owners43 ac
Town or city16 ac
Local Park · 1,344 acLocal Recreation Area · 97 acAgricultural Easement · 51 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 43 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 51 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Hollow - Bacon Woods Park Local Park | County | 1,340 | Open |
| Vermilion River Reservation Local Recreation Area | County | 85 | Open |
| Swift Resort Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 43 | Closed |
| Showse Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Edison Village Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Brownhelm Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Brownhelm Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Brownhelm Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Brownhelm Township
Riverview RV Park and Marina
DirectionsTimber Ridge Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.9 mi
Coopers Trail1.1 mi
Sassafras Trail1.0 mi
Bacon Woods Trail0.9 mi
Bluebird Trail0.6 mi
Riverside Trail0.6 mi
Sunnyside Loop0.4 mi
Highbridge Connector Trail0.2 mi
Hillside Trail0.1 mi
Sycamore Trail0.1 mi
Parkside Connector Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Coopers TrailBike route
1.2 miBacon Woods TratilBike route
0.9 miBluebird TrailBike route
0.6 miCourts & fields
7Tennis
4Baseball
3Basketball
2Soccer
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).
Mill Hollow House, TheBuilding · listed 1976
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Brownhelm Township: May and July to September
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) | 34 | 36 | 45 | 57 | 69 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 63 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Brownhelm Township →
Next door
Brownhelm Township and its neighbors
Brownhelm Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Brownhelm Township9.6 miVermilion7.4 miLorain6.2 miVermilion Township2.4 miAmherst Township1.2 miAmherst0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownhelm Township | 11% | 0.5 | 175 | 68% | A− |
| Vermilion | 6% | 0.7 | 39 | 82% | A− |
| Amherst Township | 2% | 0.1 | 11 | 44% | C |
| Lorain | 7% | 0.3 | 15 | 91% | B+ |
| Vermilion Township | 2% | 0.1 | 13 | 15% | C |
| Amherst | 4% | 0.1 | 8 | 45% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brownhelm Township
Where can I hike in Brownhelm Township?
The longest trail networks: Mill Hollow Bacon Woods Park, 3.7 miles; Vermilion River Reservation, 0.9 miles; Showse Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brownhelm Township is conserved land?
11% 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 Brownhelm Township’s trails?
Mill Hollow Bacon Woods Park and Vermilion River Reservation don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Brownhelm Township?
4,927 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brownhelm Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,405 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brownhelm Township have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #122 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 Brownhelm 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 →