Shawnee State Park
Managed by Division of Parks & Watercraft, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
986 acres11.4 mi of trail
Knighton Nature TrailShawnee Bike TrailLake TrailRiver Trail+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Analogue Kid · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Nile Township
More than half of Nile Township’s land is conserved: 77%
77% of Nile Township’s land is conserved, about 42,287 acres. 41,509 acres are parks and preserves, 20,775 per 1,000 residents. 101 miles of mapped trail cross Nile Township, 1.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
77%
42,287 acres · of 85.8 sq mi of land
Trails
101 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
41,509 ac
20,775 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.6 mi
5.6 mi paths
Highest peak
1,224 ft
Pyramid Mountain
Lakes & rivers
6
2 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Nile Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Nile Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Nile Township is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Nile Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land77% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (101 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land20,775 acres of park per 1,000 residents (41,509 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home81% 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 98%
LessMore
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 Shawnee State Park, with 11.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Shawnee State Forest Wilderness Area
Managed by Division of Forestry, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
3,800 acres5.5 mi of trail
Buckhorn RidgeBackpack Wilderness Side Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Nile Township Community Park
Park
6 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
42,287 conserved acres
77% of Nile Township’s land. Who manages Nile Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources41,285 ac
Other state land980 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits23 ac
State Conservation Area · 40,011 acState Park · 1,274 acUnknown Easement · 980 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 23 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 980 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee State Forest State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 40,011 | Open |
| Shawnee State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,274 | Open |
| Camp Oyo Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 23 | Open |
Things to do
25 places to go in Nile Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Nile Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Nile Township
2 swimming spots without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Nile Township
6 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Nile Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Nile Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Nile Township
Pyramid Mountain1,224 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic Point1,089 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Nile Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Nile Township
Camp 1Shawnee State Park
DirectionsCamp 2Shawnee State Park
DirectionsCamp 3Shawnee State Park
DirectionsCamp 4Shawnee State Park
DirectionsCamp 5Shawnee State Park
DirectionsCamp 6Shawnee State Park
DirectionsCamp 7Shawnee State Park
DirectionsCamp OyoSimon Kenton Council, Boy Scouts of America
Directions1 more campground
Shawnee State Park Turkey Creek CampgroundFee · In Shawnee State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.9 miHorses · 37.2 miUnpaved · 41.7 mi
Backpack Main Trail South Loop19.4 mi
Backpack Main Trail North Loop9.9 mi
Silver Arrow Bridle Trail8.3 mi
Backpack Wilderness Side Trail6.4 mi
Day Hike Trail East Loop4.6 mi
Buckhorn Ridge4.1 mi
Mackletree Bridle Trail4.0 mi
Grass Lick Bridle Trail2.8 mi
Pond Lick Bridle Trail2.6 mi
Knighton Nature Trail2.3 mi
15 more trails
Backpack Side Trail
2.1 miDay Hike Trail West Loop
1.9 miRock Lick Bridle Trail
1.9 miMoore's Run Bridle Trail 1
1.8 miShawnee Bike Trail
1.8 miHobey Hollow Bridle Trail
1.7 miBridle Trail 8
1.7 miBridge Timber Bridle Trail
1.7 miEast Fork Creek
1.6 miDay Hike Trail
1.6 miMcAtee Bridle Trail
1.5 miLookout Trail
1.5 miBridle Trail 12
0.9 miHobey Hollow Bridle Trail Connector
0.8 miLake Trail
0.8 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Basketball
3Tennis
2Beach volleyball
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
100 Mile HouseBuilding · listed 2021
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Nile 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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 45 | 55 | 67 | 75 | 83 | 85 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 3.6 |
November is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Nile Township →
Next door
Nile Township and its neighbors
Nile Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Nile Township101 miGreen Township21 miUnion Township19 miWashington Township5.4 miJefferson Township4.5 miBrush Creek Township3.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nile Township | 77% | 1.2 | 20,775 | 81% | A+ |
| Washington Township | 11% | 0.2 | 319 | 49% | B+ |
| Union Township | 28% | 0.4 | 3,472 | 24% | A− |
| Brush Creek Township | 12% | 0.1 | 2,721 | 24% | B |
| Green Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Jefferson Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Nile Township
Where can I hike in Nile Township?
The longest trail networks: Shawnee State Park, 11.4 miles; Shawnee State Forest Wilderness Area, 5.5 miles; Nile Township Community Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Nile Township is conserved land?
77% 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 Nile Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Shawnee State Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Nile Township?
5.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Nile Township?
56,067 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Nile Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 41,509 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Nile Township have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Nile 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 →