Hogback Ridge Park
Managed by Lake Metroparks
627 acres3.6 mi of trail
Grand River TrailMeadow Rim TrailBluebell Valley PathHemlock Ridge Loop trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: LeeG7144 · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Madison Township
Madison Township has 1,212 acres of parks, 66 for every 1,000 residents
12% of Madison Township’s land is conserved, about 3,399 acres. The biggest trail networks: Hogback Ridge Park (3.6 mi), Hidden Valley Park (1 mi), River Road Park (0.7 mi). 45% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns · #266 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
3,399 acres · of 43.4 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,212 ac
66 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
45%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.7 mi
1.7 mi paths
Highest peak
758 ft
Hogback Point
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Madison Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Madison Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Madison Township is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns, #266 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 Madison Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land66 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,212 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home45% 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 69%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 73%
Water is more than half of Madison Township’s area (141 of 185 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
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 Hogback Ridge Park, with 3.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hidden Valley Park
Managed by Lake Metroparks
290 acres1 mi of trail
River Breeze TrailCrooked Tree Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
River Road Park
Managed by Lake Metroparks
452 acres0.7 mi of trail
Indian Grass Loop TrailOrchard Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Riverview Park
Managed by Lake Metroparks
68 acres0.6 mi of trail
Big Oak Loop TrailHillside Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Hogback Ridge Park627 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · Lake Metroparks
DirectionsHidden Valley Park290 acres · 1 mi of trail · Lake Metroparks
DirectionsRiver Road Park452 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Lake Metroparks
DirectionsRiverview Park68 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Lake Metroparks
DirectionsArcola Creek Park61 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Lake Metroparks
DirectionsMadison Township Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMadison Village Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bill Stanton Community Park31 acres
DirectionsNorth Townline Park22 acres
DirectionsTuttle Park7 acres
DirectionsDana's Park3 acres
Unionville Park2 acres · Madison Township, Lake County
DirectionsWho protects it
3,399 conserved acres
12% of Madison Township’s land. Water is left out: Madison Township has 43.4 square miles of land and 141.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Madison Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners1,939 ac
County909 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)473 ac
Other state land265 ac
Regional agency141 ac
Town or city32 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,047 acPrivate Park · 889 acLocal Park · 613 acConservation Easement · 591 acUnknown Easement · 224 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 455 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 46 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Road Park Local Park | County | 523 | Open |
| Camp Stigwandish State Conservation Area | Private owners | 380 | Closed |
| Stony Glen Camp State Conservation Area | Private owners | 302 | Closed |
| Lake County Rod and Gun Club Private Park | Private owners | 275 | Open |
| Urbandale Gun Club State Conservation Area | Private owners | 200 | Closed |
| Powderhorn Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 188 | Open |
| Erie Shores Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 187 | Open |
| Reserve at Thunder Hill Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 163 | Open |
| Madison Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 148 | Open |
| Metropark Interpretive Center Local Historic or Cultural Area | County | 142 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Madison Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Madison Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Madison Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Madison Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Madison Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Madison Township
Hogback Point758 ft elevation · In Hogback Ridge Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Madison Township
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Madison Township
2 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
12 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.2 miUnpaved · 3.4 mi
Grand River Trail0.8 mi
Meadow Rim Trail0.7 mi
Bluebell Valley Path0.6 mi
Hemlock Ridge Loop trail0.5 mi
River Breeze Trail0.5 mi
Indian Grass Loop Trail0.4 mi
Crooked Tree Loop Trail0.4 mi
Big Oak Loop Trail0.4 mi
Old Emerson Road Trail0.2 mi
Wickert Trail0.2 mi
2 more trails
Hillside Trail
0.1 miOrchard Loop Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Baseball
8Tennis
5Soccer
3Multi-sport
3Basketball
2Football
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →38 places on the National Register
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.
Unionville TavernBuilding · listed 1973
About itConnecticut Land Company OfficeBuilding · listed 1973
About itLadd's TavernBuilding · listed 1978
About itUnionville District SchoolBuilding · listed 1978
About itMadison Seminary And HomeBuilding · listed 1979
About itMr. and Mrs. Karl A. Staley HouseBuilding · listed 2014
About it26 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Madison Township: May to 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 36 | 44 | 56 | 67 | 76 | 80 | 79 | 73 | 62 | 50 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Madison Township →
Next door
Madison Township and its neighbors
Madison Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Perry Township24 miMadison Township11 miGeneva Township6.0 miHarpersfield Township5.2 miThompson Township0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Township | 12% | 0.3 | 66 | 45% | B+ |
| Perry Township | 5% | 1.0 | 32 | 45% | B+ |
| Thompson Township | 4% | under 0.1 | 118 | 12% | C+ |
| Geneva Township | 6% | 0.2 | 72 | 56% | B |
| Harpersfield Township | 2% | 0.2 | 34 | 11% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Madison Township
Where can I hike in Madison Township?
The longest trail networks: Hogback Ridge Park, 3.6 miles; Hidden Valley Park, 1 miles; River Road Park, 0.7 miles; Riverview Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Madison Township is conserved land?
12% 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 Madison Township’s trails?
Hogback Ridge Park and Hidden Valley Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Madison Township?
1.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Madison Township?
9,419 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Madison Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,212 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Madison Township have?
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #266 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 Madison 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 →