Riverside Chapel · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainDefiance has 233 acres of parks, 13 for every 1,000 residents
86% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Defiance’s land is conserved, about 343 acres. 3.9 miles of mapped trail cross Defiance, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #373 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Defiance?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Defiance have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Defiance is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #373 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Riverside Park
Bronson Park
All 12 parks & preserves
343 conserved acres
4% of Defiance’s land. Who manages Defiance’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kettenring Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 131 | Open |
| Diehl Park Local Park | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| UAW Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| VFW 3360 Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Bronson Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Kingsbury Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Independence Dam State Park State Park | State natural resources | 9 | Open |
| Tecumseh Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Pontiac Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
17 places to go in Defiance
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
15 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
3 lakes & rivers
0.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
September is the best month for walking in Defiance
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) | 33 | 36 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 82 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Defiance →
Questions about parks and trails in Defiance
How much of Defiance is conserved land?
4% 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 Defiance’s trails?
Diehl Park and Riverside Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Defiance?
0.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Defiance?
1,560 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Defiance or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 233 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Defiance have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #373 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 Defiance neighbors.
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 →