Marie J. Desonier State Nature Preserve
Managed by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
491 acres2.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Marie J. Desonier State Nature Preserve
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainC+Outdoors
Outdoors in Carthage Township
Carthage Township has 111 acres of parks, 61 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Marie J. Desonier State Nature Preserve (2.3 mi). 6% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4.5 miles of mapped trail cross Carthage Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
493 acres · of 38.6 sq mi of land
Trails
4.5 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
111 ac
61 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
6%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
896 ft
Jasper Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Carthage Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Carthage Township is ahead of 36% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Carthage Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4CPark land61 acres of park per 1,000 residents (111 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home6% of residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 36%
LessMore
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 Marie J. Desonier State Nature Preserve, with 2.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Deep Hollow-Dark Skies Preserve
Managed by Athens Conservancy
110 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Morris Reserve
Managed by Athens Conservancy
86 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
493 conserved acres
2% of Carthage Township’s land. Who manages Carthage Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources493 ac
State Conservation Area · 493 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desonier Dedicated Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 493 | Closed |
Things to do
3 places to go in Carthage Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Carthage Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Carthage Township
Jasper Hill896 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Carthage Township
Carthage Gap Camp
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.0 mi
Township Highway 5730.9 mi
Township Road 5310.7 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.
Courts & fields
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Carthage Township: 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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 44 | 54 | 67 | 75 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 67 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
November is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Carthage Township →
Next door
Carthage Township and its neighbors
Carthage Township has the most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carthage Township | 2% | 0.1 | 61 | 6% | C+ |
| Troy Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 24 | 6% | C− |
| Rome Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 50 | 26% | C |
| Orange Township | under 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Carthage Township
Where can I hike in Carthage Township?
The longest trail networks: Marie J. Desonier State Nature Preserve, 2.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Carthage Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Carthage Township’s trails?
Marie J. Desonier State Nature Preserve and Deep Hollow-Dark Skies Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Carthage Township?
5,326 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Carthage Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 111 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Carthage Township have?
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Carthage 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 →