Black Hand Gorge State Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
1,077 acres3.6 mi of trail
Marie Hickey TrailCanal and Lock Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Hanover Township
Hanover Township has 503 acres of parks, 162 for every 1,000 residents
18% of Hanover Township’s land is conserved, about 2,777 acres. The biggest trail networks: Black Hand Gorge State Nature Preserve (3.6 mi). 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns · #182 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
18%
2,777 acres · of 24.8 sq mi of land
Trails
8.6 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
503 ac
162 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.3 mi
8.3 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Hanover Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
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 77% of U.S. towns, #182 of 993 in Ohio. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hanover Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land18% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land162 acres of park per 1,000 residents (503 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 77%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 82%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Black Hand Gorge State Nature Preserve, with 3.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
2,777 conserved acres
18% of Hanover Township’s land. Who manages Hanover Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Army Corps of Engineers1,955 ac
State natural resources1,321 ac
Private owners114 ac
Recreation Management Area · 1,955 acState Conservation Area · 1,321 acPrivate Park · 114 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dillon Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 1,955 | Open |
| Blackhand Gorge Dedicated Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 838 | Closed |
| Dillon Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 483 | Restricted |
| Longaberger Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 114 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Hanover Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Hanover Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.7 mi
Marie Hickey Trail2.0 mi
Canal and Lock Trail0.7 mi
Biking & sports
8.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
7Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hanover Township: April and August
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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 41 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.5 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 Township8.6 miHopewell Township6.7 miPerry Township5.9 miLicking Township5.0 miMadison Township2.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanover Township | 18% | 0.3 | 162 | 46% | A− |
| Madison Township | 15% | 0.1 | 26 | 36% | B |
| Licking Township | 44% | 0.2 | 74 | 23% | B+ |
| Hopewell Township | under 1% | 0.3 | 123 | 3% | C |
| Perry Township | 2% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
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: Black Hand Gorge State Nature Preserve, 3.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hanover Township is conserved land?
18% 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?
Black Hand Gorge State Nature Preserve doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hanover Township?
8.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hanover Township?
14,409 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hanover Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,843 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Hanover Township have?
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #182 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 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 →