Ariel-Foundation Park
Managed by Foundation Park Conservancy
167 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Pennsylvania Depot · Photo: Wdzinc · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon has 297 acres of parks, 17 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Ariel-Foundation Park (2.2 mi). 84% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4% of Mount Vernon’s land is conserved, about 231 acres.
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns · #369 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
231 acres · of 9.9 sq mi of land
Trails
2.9 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
297 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
84%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.7 mi
2.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Mount Vernon?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Mount Vernon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Mount Vernon is ahead of 62% of U.S. towns, #369 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Mount Vernon’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (297 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home84% 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 62%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 63%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Ariel-Foundation Park, with 2.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mount Vernon Nazarene University Softball Park
Park
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Ariel-Foundation Park167 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Foundation Park Conservancy
DirectionsMemorial Park37 acres
DirectionsHiawatha Park15 acres
DirectionsMount Vernon Nazarene University Softball Park11 acres
DirectionsDan Emmett Park6 acres
Phillips Park5 acres
DirectionsArch Avenue Park5 acres
Wolf Run Regional Park3 acres · Knox County Park District
DirectionsMount Vernon City Square Park1 acres
DirectionsOrchard Park Field1 acres
Who protects it
231 conserved acres
4% of Mount Vernon’s land. Who manages Mount Vernon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city114 ac
Private owners112 ac
County4 ac
Local Park · 117 acPrivate Park · 112 acLocal Recreation Area · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 84 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Ariel Foundation Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Hiawatha Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 28 | Open |
| Hiawatha Community Center Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Arch Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Phillips Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Wolf Run Regional Park Acquisition Local Park | County | 3 | Open |
| Heart of Ohio Trail Local Recreation Area | County | 1 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Mount Vernon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Mount Vernon
Riverside Park
Directionsorchard park playgroundIn Orchard Park Field
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Mount Vernon
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
20Baseball
16Tennis
12Soccer
8Pickleball
4Basketball
3Volleyball
3Football
2Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 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.
Pennsylvania DepotBuilding · listed 1972
About itKnox County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itWoodward Opera HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itEast Gambier Street DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itRound HillBuilding · listed 1976
About itEast High Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itNorth Main-North Gay Streets Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About itDowntown Mount Vernon Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2012
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Mount Vernon
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 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 39 | 49 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Mount Vernon →
Next door
Mount Vernon and its neighbors
Mount Vernon has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vernon | 4% | 0.3 | 17 | 84% | B |
| Clinton Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 6 | 59% | C− |
| South Mount Vernon | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Monroe Township | 2% | 0.3 | 171 | 24% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Mount Vernon
Where can I hike in Mount Vernon?
The longest trail networks: Ariel-Foundation Park, 2.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Mount Vernon is conserved land?
4% 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 Mount Vernon’s trails?
Ariel-Foundation Park and Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Mount Vernon?
2.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Mount Vernon?
1,314 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mount Vernon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 297 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Mount Vernon have?
Ahead of 62% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #369 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 Mount Vernon 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 →