Mohican Memorial State Forest
Managed by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
6,173 acres74.7 mi of trail
Mohican Mountain Bike TrailBlue TrailSnowmobile/horse/bike TrailHemlock Gorge Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Drrosenrosen · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Hanover Township
Hanover Township has 5,699 acres of parks, 2,312 for every 1,000 residents
94 miles of mapped trail cross Hanover Township, 2.9 per square mile of land. 28% of Hanover Township’s land is conserved, about 5,760 acres. The biggest trail networks: Mohican Memorial State Forest (74.7 mi), Pleasant Hill Lake Park (13.4 mi).
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
28%
5,760 acres · of 32.5 sq mi of land
Trails
94 mi
2.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,699 ac
2,312 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
73%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.2 mi
3.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Hanover Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam2,312 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town2.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 97% of U.S. towns.Land that stays wild28% of the land is conserved; a typical Ohio town, 3%.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hanover Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hanover Township is ahead of 98% 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 Hanover Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land28% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (94 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land2,312 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,699 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home73% 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 98%
LessMore
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 Mohican Memorial State Forest, with 74.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pleasant Hill Lake Park
Nature preserve
512 acres13.4 mi of trail
Orange Lodge Bridle TrailOsprey TrailBuzzard TrailHawk Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Central Park
Park
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
5,760 conserved acres
28% of Hanover Township’s land. Who manages Hanover Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources5,693 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits69 ac
State Conservation Area · 4,647 acState Park · 1,045 acPrivate Conservation · 69 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohican-Memorial State Forest State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 4,621 | Open |
| Mohican State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,045 | Open |
| Pleasant Hill Lake Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 69 | Closed |
| Clear Fork Gorge Dedicated Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 26 | Closed |
Things to do
19 places to go in Hanover Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hanover Township
Riverside Park
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Hanover Township
Big Lyons FallsIn Mohican Memorial State Forest
DirectionsLittle Lyons FallsIn Mohican Memorial State Forest
DirectionsPlus 1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Hanover Township
Gorge OverlookIn Mohican Memorial State Forest
DirectionsVista PointIn Mohican Memorial State Forest
DirectionsPicnic areas in Hanover Township
Covered Bridge Recreation AreaIn Mohican Memorial State Forest
DirectionsGorge Overlook Picnic AreaIn Mohican Memorial State Forest
DirectionsVista PointIn Mohican Memorial State Forest
DirectionsPlus 3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Hanover Township
Camp NuhopIn Pleasant Hill Lake Park
DirectionsGroup Camp AreaIn Mohican Memorial State Forest · Mohican State Park
DirectionsHemlock Grove Class B Camping AreaIn Mohican Memorial State Forest · Mohican State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 35.8 miHorses · 25.5 miUnpaved · 48.6 mi
Mohican Mountain Bike Trail22.9 mi
Blue Trail7.3 mi
Orange Lodge Bridle Trail5.2 mi
Snowmobile/horse/bike Trail3.9 mi
Osprey Trail2.9 mi
Hemlock Gorge Trail2.3 mi
Red Trail2.3 mi
Red/Blue Trail2.1 mi
Hog Hollow Trail2.0 mi
Green Trail1.8 mi
15 more trails
Lyons Falls Trail
1.7 miYellow Trail
1.6 mi30-06 Trail
1.3 miShelter House Trail
1.1 miNorth Rim Trail
1.0 miBuzzard Trail
0.8 miPleasant Hill Trail
0.7 miGreen Bridle
0.6 miHawk Trail
0.6 miClear Fork Gorge Trail
0.5 miClear Fork Gorge NP Trail
0.4 miBridle Blue
0.3 miHilltop Trail
0.3 miMohican Mountain Bike Trail (Shortcut)
0.3 miTownship Highway 3264
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
5Baseball
2Basketball
2Soccer
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Hanover 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 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 64 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Hanover Township →
Next door
Hanover Township and its neighbors
Hanover Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Hanover Township94 miWorthington Township7.6 miGreen Township3.6 miLoudonville1.9 miKnox Township1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover Township | 28% | 2.9 | 2,312 | 73% | A+ |
| Green Township | 2% | 0.1 | 7 | 16% | C− |
| Worthington Township | 2% | 0.2 | 1 | 35% | C− |
| Knox Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
| Loudonville | under 1% | 0.7 | 2 | 65% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hanover Township
Where can I hike in Hanover Township?
The longest trail networks: Mohican Memorial State Forest, 74.7 miles; Pleasant Hill Lake Park, 13.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hanover Township is conserved land?
28% 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 Hanover Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Mohican Memorial State Forest (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hanover Township?
3.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hanover Township?
7,327 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hanover Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,699 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hanover Township have?
Ahead of 98% 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 Hanover 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 →