Hills & Dales MetroPark
Managed by Five Rivers MetroParks
83 acres2.9 mi of trail
Adirondack TrailInspiration Point TrailNature Play AreaWetlands Boardwalk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Coastermom · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Kettering
Kettering has 22 miles of mapped trails, 1.2 for every square mile of land
9% of Kettering’s land is conserved, about 1,125 acres. The biggest trail networks: Hills & Dales MetroPark (2.9 mi), Indian Riffle Park (1.4 mi), Lincoln Park (1.4 mi). 90% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #160 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
1,125 acres · of 18.7 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
510 ac
8.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
90%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.3 mi
2.4 mi lanes · 4.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Kettering?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Kettering have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kettering is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #160 of 993 in Ohio. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Kettering’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land8.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (510 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home90% 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 80%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 84%
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 Hills & Dales MetroPark, with 2.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lincoln Park
Managed by City of Kettering
15 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 25 parks & preserves
Hills & Dales MetroPark83 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · Five Rivers MetroParks
DirectionsIndian Riffle Park123 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsLincoln Park15 acres · 1.4 mi of trail · City of Kettering
DirectionsKennedy Park21 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsDelco Park68 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsIreland Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPondview Park12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsOak Creek Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsOak Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Kettering
Gentile Park18 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Kantner Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPasadena Green Space1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsState Farm Park33 acres
DirectionsErnst Park14 acres
DirectionsBlackhawk Park8 acres · City of Kettering
Van Buren Park7 acres · City of Kettering
Greenmont Park6 acres
Walther Park5 acres
DirectionsWenzler Park5 acres
DirectionsMiami Valley Park4 acres
Jane Newcom Park4 acres
Southern Hills Park2 acres · City of Kettering
Tait Park1 acres · City of Kettering
Berwin Park1 acres
DirectionsRob Drydek Skate Plaza1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,125 conserved acres
9% of Kettering’s land. Who manages Kettering’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners700 ac
Town or city430 ac
Private Park · 700 acLocal Park · 430 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 232 | Open |
| NCR Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 196 | Open |
| Moraine Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 165 | Open |
| Indian Riffle Park/ Rec Center Local Park | Town or city | 117 | Open |
| Dayton Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 93 | Open |
| Hills & Dales Park Local Park | Town or city | 73 | Open |
| Delco Park Local Park | Town or city | 68 | Open |
| Farm Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Ernst Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Irelan Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
61 places to go in Kettering
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Kettering
Playground for AllIn Indian Riffle Park
Directions53 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Scenic views in Kettering
4 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Kettering
Twin Oak ShelterIn Hills & Dales MetroPark
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Disc golf in Kettering
2 disc golf without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.6 mi
Adirondack Trail1.2 mi
Inspiration Point Trail0.2 mi
Nature Play Area0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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.
2.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.7 mi
off-road bike paths
1.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
48Tennis
39Baseball
22Soccer
21Basketball
12Pickleball
7Football
3Beach volleyball
3Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 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 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Kettering
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) | 9.7 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 41 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 65 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Kettering →
Next door
Kettering and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Dayton44 miWashington Township42 miSugarcreek Township29 miBeavercreek Township26 miKettering22 miCenterville20 miMoraine2.4 miOakwood1.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kettering | 9% | 1.2 | 9 | 90% | A− |
| Oakwood | 4% | 0.6 | 7 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Moraine | 3% | 0.3 | 46 | 94% | B+ |
| Dayton | 9% | 0.8 | 22 | 95% | A |
| Washington Township | 7% | 1.4 | 20 | 96% | A |
| Sugarcreek Township | 6% | 1.1 | 107 | 45% | A− |
| Beavercreek Township | 10% | 0.5 | 39 | 83% | A− |
| Centerville | 9% | 1.8 | 18 | 97% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Kettering
Where can I hike in Kettering?
The longest trail networks: Hills & Dales MetroPark, 2.9 miles; Indian Riffle Park, 1.4 miles; Lincoln Park, 1.4 miles; Kennedy Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kettering is conserved land?
9% 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 Kettering’s trails?
Hills & Dales MetroPark and Indian Riffle Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Kettering?
8.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.4 of painted or protected lanes, 4.7 of off-road paths and 1.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Kettering?
19,120 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kettering or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 510 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Kettering have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #160 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 Kettering 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 →