Alum Creek State Park
Nature preserve
264 acres6.3 mi of trail
Alum Creek Phase 1Alum Creek Beginner Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Sixflashphoto · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Genoa Township
30% of Genoa Township’s land is conserved: 3,363 acres
16 miles of mapped trail cross Genoa Township, 0.9 per square mile of land. 1,130 acres are parks and preserves, 43 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Alum Creek State Park (6.3 mi), Char Mar Ridge Preserve (1.5 mi), McNamara Park (1.2 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #31 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
30%
3,363 acres · of 17.7 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,130 ac
43 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
85%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
14 mi
14 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Genoa Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Genoa Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Genoa Township is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #31 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 Genoa Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land30% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land43 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,130 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home85% 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%
Water is 17% of Genoa Township’s area (4 of 21 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 25%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Alum Creek State Park, with 6.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Char Mar Ridge Preserve
Park
153 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Mud Hen Marsh Nature Preserve
Park
53 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Alum Creek State Park264 acres · 6.3 mi of trail
DirectionsChar Mar Ridge Preserve153 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMcNamara Park27 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMud Hen Marsh Nature Preserve53 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCenter Green Park36 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHilmar Park13 acres
DirectionsCommunity Park6 acres
Towship Hall Park3 acres
Twin Bridge Recreation Area2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,363 conserved acres
30% of Genoa Township’s land. Water is left out: Genoa Township has 17.7 square miles of land and 3.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Genoa Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city3,038 ac
Army Corps of Engineers259 ac
State natural resources245 ac
County73 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government45 ac
Local Park · 2,985 acRecreation Management Area · 259 acState Park · 245 acState Conservation Area · 73 acLocal Conservation Area · 54 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 44 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hoover Reservoir Park Local Park | Town or city | 2,960 | Open |
| Alum Creek Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 259 | Open |
| Alum Creek State Park State Park | State natural resources | 245 | Open |
| Char-Mar Preserve State Conservation Area | County | 73 | Open |
| Mud Hen Marsh Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| McNamara Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Genoa Township Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
Things to do
15 places to go in Genoa Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Genoa Township
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Genoa Township
Twin Bridge Boat RampIn Twin Bridge Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.2 miUnpaved · 11.2 mi
Alum Creek Phase 14.5 mi
Alum Creek Beginner Loop1.4 mi
Hoover Meadows Trail1.3 mi
Lawrence Woods Loop0.4 mi
Lawrence Woods Overlook0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
14 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
14 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
12Tennis
8Basketball
6Football
5Baseball
3Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Genoa 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 40 | 50 | 63 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Genoa Township →
Next door
Genoa Township and its neighbors
Genoa Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Orange Township35 miGenoa Township16 miBerkshire Township14 miWesterville7.8 miBlendon Township5.7 miHarlem Township2.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genoa Township | 30% | 0.9 | 43 | 85% | A |
| Westerville | 7% | 0.6 | 17 | 99%+ | A− |
| Orange Township | 28% | 1.7 | 32 | 78% | A |
| Harlem Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 3 | 32% | D |
| Berkshire Township | 6% | 0.7 | 42 | 25% | B |
| Blendon Township | 16% | 1.1 | 107 | 92% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Genoa Township
Where can I hike in Genoa Township?
The longest trail networks: Alum Creek State Park, 6.3 miles; Char Mar Ridge Preserve, 1.5 miles; McNamara Park, 1.2 miles; Mud Hen Marsh Nature Preserve, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Genoa Township is conserved land?
30% 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 Genoa Township’s trails?
Alum Creek State Park and Char Mar Ridge Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Genoa Township?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 14 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Genoa Township?
20,430 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Genoa Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,436 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Genoa Township have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #31 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 Genoa 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 →