Nehls Memorial Nature Preserve
Managed by The Black Swamp Conservancy
20 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Catawba Island Township
13% of Catawba Island Township’s land is conserved: 452 acres
181 acres are parks and preserves, 49 per 1,000 residents. 4.4 miles of mapped trail cross Catawba Island Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. 44% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #170 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
452 acres · of 5.6 sq mi of land
Trails
4.4 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
181 ac
49 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
44%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
571 ft
Sugar Rock
Lakes & rivers
1
4 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Catawba Island Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Catawba Island Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Catawba Island Township is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #170 of 993 in Ohio. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Catawba Island Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land49 acres of park per 1,000 residents (181 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home44% 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 79%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 83%
Water is more than half of Catawba Island Township’s area (12 of 18 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 4%.
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 Nehls Memorial Nature Preserve, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Islander Woods
Managed by Park District of Ottawa County
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Islander Woods Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
West Harbor Preserve
Managed by Park District of Ottawa County
22 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Quinstock Woods
Managed by The Black Swamp Conservancy
20 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Nehls Memorial Nature Preserve20 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · The Black Swamp Conservancy
DirectionsIslander Woods7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Park District of Ottawa County
DirectionsWest Harbor Preserve22 acres · Park District of Ottawa County
Quinstock Woods20 acres · The Black Swamp Conservancy
Catawba Island Nature Preserve16 acres
Catawba Island State Park12 acres
DirectionsHeigel Park9 acres
DirectionsEast Harbor State Park6 acres
Who protects it
452 conserved acres
13% of Catawba Island Township’s land. Water is left out: Catawba Island Township has 5.6 square miles of land and 12.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Catawba Island Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners140 ac
State natural resources128 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits70 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)58 ac
State fish & wildlife44 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service24 ac
Private Park · 140 acState Park · 128 acPrivate Conservation · 70 acConservation Easement · 58 acState Conservation Area · 44 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 58 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 10 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Harbor State Park State Park | State natural resources | 115 | Open |
| Catawba Willow Golf and Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 85 | Open |
| Catawba Island Club Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 55 | Open |
| West Harbor Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 44 | Open |
| Nehls Memorial Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 39 | Closed |
| Southwestern Lake Erie Marshes And Islands Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 31 | Unknown |
| Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 24 | Restricted |
| Catawba Island Sp State Park | State natural resources | 12 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Catawba Island Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Catawba Island Township
Gem Beach
DirectionsPlus 3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Catawba Island Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Catawba Island Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Catawba Island Township
Sugar Rock571 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Islander Woods Trail0.3 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
8Tennis
4Pickleball
2Soccer
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Catawba Island Township: July and 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 45 | 57 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 62 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 3.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Catawba Island Township →
Next door
Catawba Island Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catawba Island Township | 13% | 0.8 | 49 | 44% | A− |
| Danbury Township | 16% | 0.8 | 354 | 57% | A |
| Portage Township | 6% | 0.1 | 147 | 44% | B |
| Put-in-Bay 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 Catawba Island Township
Where can I hike in Catawba Island Township?
The longest trail networks: Nehls Memorial Nature Preserve, 0.4 miles; Islander Woods, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Catawba Island Township is conserved land?
13% 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 Catawba Island Township’s trails?
Nehls Memorial Nature Preserve and Islander Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Catawba Island Township?
8,577 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Catawba Island Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 181 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Catawba Island Township have?
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #170 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 Catawba Island 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 →