Miami Whitewater Forest
Managed by Great Parks of Hamilton County
2,914 acres5.6 mi of trail
Badlands TrailTimberlakes TrailOakleaf Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Jose M Kozan · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Crosby Township
33% of Crosby Township’s land is conserved: 4,174 acres
2,900 acres are parks and preserves, 475 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Miami Whitewater Forest (5.6 mi), Fernald Preserve (5.3 mi). 12 miles of mapped trail cross Crosby Township, 0.6 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #33 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
33%
4,174 acres · of 19.8 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,900 ac
475 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.7 mi
9.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Crosby Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Crosby Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Crosby Township is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #33 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Crosby Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land33% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land475 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,900 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home74% 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 93%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 97%
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 Miami Whitewater Forest, with 5.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fernald Preserve
Managed by United States Department of Energy
832 acres5.3 mi of trail
Shingle Oak Trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
4,174 conserved acres
33% of Crosby Township’s land. Who manages Crosby Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County2,716 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land828 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)484 ac
Private owners103 ac
Town or city43 ac
Local Park · 2,759 acNational Public Lands · 828 acAgricultural Easement · 484 acLocal Recreation Area · 78 acPrivate Park · 25 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 483 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Whitewater Forest Local Park | County | 2,716 | Open |
| Fernald Preserve National Public Lands | Other or Unknown Federal Land | 828 | Open |
| Fairfield Sportsmen'S Association Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 78 | Open |
| Crosby Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Crosby Twp. Civic Assoc. Park Private Park | Private owners | 25 | Open |
| Crosby Twp. Senior Center-Undeveloped Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Pottenger Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
39 places to go in Crosby Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Crosby Township
27 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Crosby Township
Bird Watching ShelterIn Miami Whitewater Forest
DirectionsPlus 5 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Crosby Township
Dry Fork MeadowIn Miami Whitewater Forest
DirectionsPlus 5 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.9 mi
Badlands Trail1.5 mi
Timberlakes Trail1.5 mi
Oakleaf Trail0.6 mi
Shingle Oak Trail0.5 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
14Baseball
11Basketball
2Beach volleyball
1Volleyball
1Tennis
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Whitewater Shaker SettlementDistrict · listed 1974
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Crosby Township
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) | 39 | 43 | 53 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 86 | 79 | 67 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Crosby Township →
Next door
Crosby Township and its neighbors
Crosby Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Colerain Township15 miCrosby Township12 miRoss Township7.7 miTaylor Creek6.3 miDunlap2.5 miWhitewater Township2.3 miBlue Jay0.9 miDry Ridge0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crosby Township | 33% | 0.6 | 475 | 74% | A |
| Colerain Township | 4% | 0.3 | 18 | 65% | B |
| Dunlap | 4% | 0.4 | 149 | 37% | B |
| Taylor Creek | 1% | 0.7 | 5 | 1% | C |
| Whitewater Township | 15% | 0.1 | 381 | 47% | B+ |
| Dry Ridge | 13% | under 0.1 | 112 | 73% | B |
| Ross Township | 4% | 0.3 | 30 | 44% | B− |
| Blue Jay | 20% | 0.2 | 308 | 89% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Crosby Township
Where can I hike in Crosby Township?
The longest trail networks: Miami Whitewater Forest, 5.6 miles; Fernald Preserve, 5.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Crosby Township is conserved land?
33% 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 Crosby Township’s trails?
Miami Whitewater Forest and Fernald Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Crosby Township?
9.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Crosby Township?
18,178 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Crosby Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,727 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Crosby Township have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #33 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 Crosby 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 →