West Branch State Park
Park
2,395 acres23 mi of trail
Buckeye TrailBlackberry HavenBear HollowLottie's Run+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto Horse trailer parkingWebsite ↗
Photo: Roseohioresident · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Charlestown Township
Charlestown Township has 1,947 acres of parks, 991 for every 1,000 residents
28 miles of mapped trail cross Charlestown Township, 1.4 per square mile of land. 17% of Charlestown Township’s land is conserved, about 2,211 acres. The biggest trail networks: West Branch State Park (23 mi).
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
2,211 acres · of 20.6 sq mi of land
Trails
28 mi
1.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,947 ac
991 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
76%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
4
3 beaches · 5 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Charlestown Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Charlestown Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Charlestown Township is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns. 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 Charlestown Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (28 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land991 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,947 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home76% 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 95%
LessMore
Water is 11% of Charlestown Township’s area (3 of 23 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 15%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 West Branch State Park, with 23 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
2,211 conserved acres
17% of Charlestown Township’s land. Water is left out: Charlestown Township has 20.6 square miles of land and 2.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Charlestown Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land2,205 ac
Town or city6 ac
State Park · 2,205 acLocal Park · 6 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Branch State Park State Park | Other state land | 2,205 | Open |
| Charlestown Twp. Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
Things to do
14 places to go in Charlestown Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Charlestown Township
Dog BeachIn West Branch State Park
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Charlestown Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Dog parks in Charlestown Township
Large Dog ParkIn West Branch State Park
DirectionsSmall Dog ParkIn West Branch State Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Charlestown Township
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Charlestown Township
3 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Trails & water
16 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 14.3 miUnpaved · 1.2 mi
Buckeye Trail9.8 mi
Rock Spring Trail3.3 mi
Blackberry Haven2.7 mi
Bear Hollow1.7 mi
Lottie's Run1.7 mi
Picket Point1.1 mi
Bear Ridge0.9 mi
Black Cherry Trail0.9 mi
Club Moss Trail0.8 mi
Lakeside Trail0.7 mi
6 more trails
Deer Run Trail
0.6 miPeek A Boo
0.5 miBuckeye Trail Connector
0.5 miJay Lake Trail
0.4 miPicket Point Connector
0.3 miBeaver Lodge Trail
0.3 miLakes & 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
1Beach volleyball
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Charlestown Township: April, May, August 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 46 | 60 | 70 | 78 | 82 | 81 | 74 | 62 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Charlestown Township →
Next door
Charlestown Township and its neighbors
Charlestown Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Charlestown Township28 miEdinburg Township24 miParis Township5.4 miRavenna Township4.6 miRootstown Township0.5 miFreedom Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlestown Township | 17% | 1.4 | 991 | 76% | A+ |
| Edinburg Township | 17% | 1.0 | 1,043 | 14% | A− |
| Freedom Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 5 | 12% | D |
| Paris Township | 7% | 0.2 | 488 | 37% | B+ |
| Ravenna Township | 8% | 0.2 | 93 | 66% | B+ |
| Rootstown Township | 5% | under 0.1 | 52 | 38% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Charlestown Township
Where can I hike in Charlestown Township?
The longest trail networks: West Branch State Park, 23 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Charlestown Township is conserved land?
17% 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 Charlestown Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at West Branch State Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Charlestown Township?
16,669 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Charlestown Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,947 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Charlestown Township have?
Ahead of 95% 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 Charlestown 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 →