Mad River Gorge & Nature Preserve
Park
37 acres1.7 mi of trail
Mad River Recreation Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Mad River Township
Mad River Township has 821 acres of parks, 75 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Mad River Gorge & Nature Preserve (1.7 mi). 14% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.8 miles of mapped trail cross Mad River Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns · #568 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,127 acres · of 33.1 sq mi of land
Trails
2.8 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
821 ac
75 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.4 mi
2.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mad River Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mad River Township is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns, #568 of 993 in Ohio. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mad River Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4CPark land75 acres of park per 1,000 residents (821 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home14% 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 45%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 43%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. 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 Mad River Gorge & Nature Preserve, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Enon Park
Park
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
1,127 conserved acres
5% of Mad River Township’s land. Who manages Mad River Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city432 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)347 ac
Private owners345 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits24 ac
Local Park · 778 acAgricultural Easement · 371 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 349 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton Wellfield Local Park | Town or city | 422 | Open |
| Spring Run Trout Farm Local Park | Private owners | 284 | Open |
| Enon Beach Recreation Park Local Park | Private owners | 58 | Open |
| Enon Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Enon Park And Wellfield Local Park | Private owners | 1 | Open |
| Hosterman Lake Local Park | Private owners | 1 | Open |
| Springfield Canoe Livery Local Park | Private owners | 1 | Open |
Things to do
2 places to go in Mad River Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Mad River Township
Cowvin's Kiddie Corral
DirectionsTractor Play Area
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.8 mi
Mad River Recreation Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Baseball
1Beach volleyball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Old Enon Road Stone Arch CulvertStructure · listed 2009
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Mad River 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) | 36 | 40 | 50 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Mad River Township →
Next door
Mad River Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Miami Township42 miBath Township28 miSpringfield14 miSpringfield Township5.6 miBethel Township4.9 miGreen Township4.3 miMad River Township2.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mad River Township | 5% | 0.1 | 75 | 14% | B− |
| Bethel Township | 5% | 0.1 | 69 | 69% | B |
| Springfield Township | 5% | 0.2 | 32 | 35% | B− |
| Springfield | 8% | 0.5 | 18 | 72% | B+ |
| Bath Township | 9% | 0.7 | 52 | 92% | A |
| Green Township | 9% | 0.1 | under 1 | 2% | C− |
| Miami Township | 15% | 1.5 | 238 | 83% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mad River Township
Where can I hike in Mad River Township?
The longest trail networks: Mad River Gorge & Nature Preserve, 1.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mad River Township is conserved land?
5% 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 Mad River Township’s trails?
Mad River Gorge & Nature Preserve and Enon Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mad River Township?
2.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mad River Township?
17,407 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mad River Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 821 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Mad River Township have?
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #568 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 Mad River 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 →