Valley View Nature Preserve
Managed by Valley View Foundation
192 acres5.5 mi of trail
Buckeye TrailBarn TrailCentral TrailRiver Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Valley View Upper LotWebsite ↗
Pleasant Hill · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Milford
Milford has 14 miles of mapped trails, 3.9 for every square mile of land
17% of Milford’s land is conserved, about 409 acres. 301 acres are parks and preserves, 46 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Valley View Nature Preserve (5.5 mi), Jim Terrell Park (1.5 mi), Carriage Way Park (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #35 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
409 acres · of 3.7 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
3.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
301 ac
46 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.8 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 0.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Milford?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Milford have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Milford is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #35 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Milford’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails3.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land46 acres of park per 1,000 residents (301 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home65% 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 92%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 97%
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 Valley View Nature Preserve, with 5.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Jim Terrell Park
Managed by Milford Parks & Recreation Commission
24 acres1.5 mi of trail
Inner LoopTerrell River TrailBeach Blitz
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Carriage Way Park
Managed by City of Milford
8 acres0.5 mi of trail
Carriage Way Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Finley Ray Park
Park
80 acres0.2 mi of trail
Buckeye Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 11 parks & preserves
Valley View Nature Preserve192 acres · 5.5 mi of trail · Valley View Foundation
DirectionsJim Terrell Park24 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Milford Parks & Recreation Commission
DirectionsCarriage Way Park8 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · City of Milford
DirectionsFinley Ray Park80 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFive Points Landing Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Milford
DirectionsGarfield Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Milford
DirectionsLittle Miami State Park5 acres · Ohio Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSem Villa Park5 acres · City of Milford
Riverside Park4 acres
DirectionsVillage Park4 acres · City of Milford
DirectionsClertoma Park1 acres · City of Milford
Who protects it
409 conserved acres
17% of Milford’s land. Who manages Milford’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits151 ac
Private owners148 ac
Town or city108 ac
Joint2 ac
Local Conservation Area · 160 acPrivate Park · 148 acLocal Recreation Area · 73 acLocal Park · 25 acConservation Easement · 2 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley View Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 151 | Open |
| Terrace Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 148 | Open |
| Finley Ray Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 73 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Jim Terrell Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Cariage Way Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Garfield Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Camp Ross Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Critchell Park Conservation Easement | Joint | 1 | Open |
| Sem Villa Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in Milford
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Milford
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Milford
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Milford
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Milford
American Legion River Access
DirectionsJim Terrell River AccessIn Jim Terrell Park
DirectionsTrails & water
13 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.3 miUnpaved · 7.3 mi
Buckeye Trail1.2 mi
Carriage Way Trail0.7 mi
Inner Loop0.7 mi
Barn Trail0.5 mi
Central Trail0.5 mi
Terrell River Trail0.5 mi
River Trail0.4 mi
East Windbreak Loop0.4 mi
Middle Windbreak Loop0.4 mi
Farmhouse Trail0.3 mi
3 more trails
West Windbreak Loop
0.3 miRiver Access
0.2 miBeach Blitz
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Terrell Park Multi-Use TrailBike route
1.5 miCarriage Way TrailBike route
0.7 miCourts & fields
15Baseball
15Soccer
4Basketball
2Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The walking year in Milford
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 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 44 | 54 | 66 | 76 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 80 | 68 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.9 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Milford →
Next door
Milford and its neighbors
Milford has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Union Township21 miMilford14 miMiami Township11 miThe Village of Indian Hill9.8 miTerrace Park0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milford | 17% | 3.9 | 46 | 65% | A |
| Miami Township | 5% | 0.3 | 19 | 31% | B− |
| Union Township | 6% | 0.7 | 24 | 37% | B+ |
| The Village of Indian Hill | 10% | 0.5 | 130 | 80% | A |
| Terrace Park | 20% | 0.1 | 74 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Milford
Where can I hike in Milford?
The longest trail networks: Valley View Nature Preserve, 5.5 miles; Jim Terrell Park, 1.5 miles; Carriage Way Park, 0.5 miles; Finley Ray Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Milford is conserved land?
17% 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 Milford’s trails?
Valley View Nature Preserve and Jim Terrell Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Milford?
0.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes and 0.6 of off-road paths. Named routes: Terrell Park Multi-Use Trail and Carriage Way Trail.
Is there public land near Milford?
15,417 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Milford or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 301 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Milford have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #35 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 Milford 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 →