Photo: JonRidinger · CC BY-SA 4.07% of Kent’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
9.5 miles of mapped trail cross Kent, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Al Lease Park (1.5 mi), Forest Lake Wildlife Preserve (0.9 mi), Kame-Esker Bog Park (0.8 mi). 7% of Kent’s land is conserved, about 437 acres.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #71 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Kent?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Kent have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kent is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #71 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Al Lease Park, with 1.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Forest Lake Wildlife Preserve
Kame-Esker Bog Park
Jessie Smith Wildlife Preserve
Tom S Cooperrider-Kent Bog State Nature Preserve
All 25 parks & preserves
437 conserved acres
7% of Kent’s land. Who manages Kent’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Knolls Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 114 | Open |
| Fred Fuller Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 55 | Open |
| Forest Lake Wildlife Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Al Lease Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 41 | Open |
| Kent Bog State Conservation Area | Other state land | 39 | Open |
| Fish Creek Wetlands Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 35 | Open |
| Jessie Smith Wildlife Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Plum Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Fairchild Athletic Fields Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| River Bend Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
47 places to go in Kent
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
32 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
4 named trails
14 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
14 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 23 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
2 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Kent: April, May, 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 38 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Kent →
Kent and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent | 7% | 1.0 | 16 | 99% | A |
| Franklin Township | 34% | 0.9 | 212 | 63% | A |
| Brimfield Township | 6% | 0.6 | 43 | 63% | B+ |
| Stow | 5% | 0.9 | 11 | 78% | B+ |
| Tallmadge | 2% | 0.3 | 19 | 68% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Kent
Where can I hike in Kent?
The longest trail networks: Al Lease Park, 1.5 miles; Forest Lake Wildlife Preserve, 0.9 miles; Kame-Esker Bog Park, 0.8 miles; Jessie Smith Wildlife Preserve, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kent 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 Kent’s trails?
Al Lease Park and Forest Lake Wildlife Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Kent?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.0 of painted or protected lanes, 5.8 of off-road paths and 0.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Kent?
29,453 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kent or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 445 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Kent have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #71 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 Kent neighbors.
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 →