Buckeye Lake State Park
Park
11 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Buckeye Lake
Buckeye Lake has 20 acres of parks, 7.7 for every 1,000 residents
82% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.1 miles of mapped trail cross Buckeye Lake, 0.6 per square mile of land. 1% of Buckeye Lake’s land is conserved, about 16 acres.
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns · #514 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
16 acres · of 2.0 sq mi of land
Trails
1.1 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
20 ac
7.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
Highest peak
899 ft
Observatory Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Buckeye Lake?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Buckeye Lake have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Buckeye Lake is ahead of 50% of U.S. towns, #514 of 993 in Ohio. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Buckeye Lake’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land7.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (20 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home82% 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 50%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 48%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. 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 Buckeye Lake State Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
16 conserved acres
1% of Buckeye Lake’s land. Who manages Buckeye Lake’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources11 ac
Town or city5 ac
State Park · 11 acLocal Park · 5 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buckeye Lake State Park State Park | State natural resources | 11 | Open |
| Ryan Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Buckeye Lake
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Buckeye Lake
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Buckeye Lake
Observatory Hill899 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Baseball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Buckeye Lake: April and August
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) | 37 | 41 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Buckeye Lake →
Next door
Buckeye Lake and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckeye Lake | 1% | 0.6 | 8 | 82% | B− |
| Harbor Hills | 5% | 5.4 | under 1 | 8% | C+ |
| Union Township | 3% | 0.3 | 47 | 50% | B |
| Licking Township | 5% | 1.4 | 210 | 13% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Buckeye Lake
Where can I hike in Buckeye Lake?
The longest trail networks: Buckeye Lake State Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Buckeye Lake is conserved land?
1% 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 Buckeye Lake’s trails?
Buckeye Lake State Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Buckeye Lake?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Buckeye Lake?
3,566 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Buckeye Lake or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 20 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Buckeye Lake have?
Ahead of 50% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #514 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 Buckeye Lake 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 →