Whitlam Woods
Nature preserve
142 acres1 mi of trail
Sugarbush TrailOverlook TrailBridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Hambden Township
Hambden Township has 1,453 acres of parks, 310 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Hambden Township’s land is conserved, about 1,606 acres. The biggest trail networks: Whitlam Woods (1 mi). 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #370 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
1,606 acres · of 22.3 sq mi of land
Trails
1.0 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,453 ac
310 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.6 mi
1.6 mi paths
Highest peak
1,237 ft
Ballards Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Hambden Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hambden Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hambden Township is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #370 of 993 in Ohio. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hambden Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land310 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,453 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home46% 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 62%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 63%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Whitlam Woods, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hambden Orchard Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
1,262 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
1,606 conserved acres
11% of Hambden Township’s land. Who manages Hambden Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources834 ac
Private owners494 ac
County173 ac
Regional agency131 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,007 acPrivate Park · 309 acLocal Park · 170 acLocal Conservation Area · 122 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 12 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hambden Orchard Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 834 | Open |
| Northern Ohio Rifle Club Private Park | Private owners | 181 | Open |
| Weslaco Sportsman Club State Conservation Area | Private owners | 177 | Closed |
| Whitlam Woods Local Park | County | 138 | Open |
| Pinnacle Woods Sportsman Club Private Park | Private owners | 128 | Open |
| Aquilla Lake Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 53 | Open |
| Oakton Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 45 | Open |
| Mountain Run Station Local Park | Regional agency | 32 | Open |
| Geauga Park District Recreation Area Local Conservation Area | County | 24 | Open |
| Maple Highlands Bike Trail Local Recreation Area | County | 12 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
17 places to go in Hambden Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hambden Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Hambden Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Hambden Township
Ballards Hill1,237 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Hambden Township
Whitlam WoodsIn Whitlam Woods
DirectionsPlus 10 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.0 mi
Sugarbush Trail0.7 mi
Overlook Trail0.1 mi
Bridge Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hambden Township: May, June, 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 | 10.5 | 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 | 58 | 69 | 77 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 61 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Hambden Township →
Next door
Hambden Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Concord Township28 miChardon Township8.6 miLeroy Township8.1 miMontville Township3.3 miClaridon Township3.2 miHambden Township1.0 miChardon0.6 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hambden Township | 11% | under 0.1 | 310 | 46% | B |
| Chardon | 7% | 0.1 | 16 | 92% | B |
| Claridon Township | 12% | 0.1 | 373 | 77% | A− |
| Montville Township | 11% | 0.1 | 650 | 30% | B |
| Leroy Township | 12% | 0.3 | 563 | 35% | B+ |
| Chardon Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Concord Township | 15% | 1.2 | 61 | 55% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hambden Township
Where can I hike in Hambden Township?
The longest trail networks: Whitlam Woods, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hambden Township is conserved land?
11% 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 Hambden Township’s trails?
Whitlam Woods and Hambden Orchard Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hambden Township?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hambden Township?
22,049 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hambden Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,453 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hambden Township have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #370 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 Hambden 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 →