Scioto Grove Metro Park
Park
631 acres7.4 mi of trail
Mingo TrailREI River Trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Sixflashphoto · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Jackson Township
7% of Jackson Township’s land is conserved, and 95% of residents live within a half mile of a park
The biggest trail networks: Scioto Grove Metro Park (7.4 mi), Henceroth Park (0.6 mi). 1,475 acres are parks and preserves, 31 per 1,000 residents. 7% of Jackson Township’s land is conserved, about 1,598 acres.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #123 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
1,598 acres · of 35.5 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,475 ac
31 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
59 mi
2.0 mi lanes · 53 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Jackson Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jackson Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jackson Township is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #123 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.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jackson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land31 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,475 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home95% of residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 83%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 88%
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 Scioto Grove Metro Park, with 7.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 16 parks & preserves
Scioto Grove Metro Park631 acres · 7.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHenceroth Park21 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsFryer Park86 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsWestgrove Park6 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMurfin Fields50 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWindsor Park36 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsIndian Trails Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSawgrass Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Seaside Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Utzinger Bog Preserve89 acres · Appalachia Ohio Alliance
Gantz Park28 acres
DirectionsCreekside Park5 acres
Grove City Skate Park3 acres
DirectionsCarnoustie Park2 acres
Swearingen Park2 acres
DirectionsBlodwen Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,598 conserved acres
7% of Jackson Township’s land. Who manages Jackson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,131 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits283 ac
Private owners183 ac
County1 ac
Local Park · 947 acPrivate Conservation · 283 acPrivate Park · 182 acLocal Conservation Area · 181 acLocal Recreation Area · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County Metro Parks Local Park | Town or city | 616 | Open |
| Southeast Conservation Club Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 283 | Open |
| Phoenix Golf Links Private Park | Private owners | 182 | Open |
| Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 181 | Open |
| Fryer Park Local Park | Town or city | 111 | Open |
| Murfin Field Local Park | Town or city | 50 | Open |
| Windsor Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Gantz Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Breck Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Henceroth Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
40 places to go in Jackson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Jackson Township
34 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Jackson Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Jackson Township
3 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Disc golf in Jackson Township
Grove City Community Disc Golf Course
DirectionsPlus 1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.4 miUnpaved · 4.7 mi
Mingo Trail2.5 mi
REI River Trail1.0 mi
Saint John's Prayer Path0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
59 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
53 mi
off-road bike paths
4.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
35Baseball
26Tennis
13Pickleball
8Football
8Soccer
6Basketball
1Skate park
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 Jackson 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 41 | 51 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 66 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Jackson Township →
Next door
Jackson Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Columbus138 miPleasant Township29 miJackson Township18 miGrove City17 miPrairie Township10 miScioto Township5.0 miHamilton Township4.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Township | 7% | 0.5 | 31 | 95% | A− |
| Columbus | 9% | 0.6 | 13 | 94% | A− |
| Grove City | 9% | 0.9 | 28 | 98% | A |
| Hamilton Township | 3% | 0.4 | 31 | 79% | B |
| Scioto Township | 2% | 0.1 | 2 | 51% | C− |
| Pleasant Township | 16% | 0.7 | 637 | 44% | A− |
| Prairie Township | 8% | 0.6 | 32 | 93% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jackson Township
Where can I hike in Jackson Township?
The longest trail networks: Scioto Grove Metro Park, 7.4 miles; Henceroth Park, 0.6 miles; Fryer Park, 0.4 miles; Westgrove Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jackson Township is conserved land?
7% 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 Jackson Township’s trails?
Scioto Grove Metro Park and Henceroth Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jackson Township?
59 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of painted or protected lanes, 53 of off-road paths and 4.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Jackson Township?
19,405 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jackson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,475 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jackson Township have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #123 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 Jackson 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 →