Memorial Park
Park
33 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Ottawa
Ottawa has 98 acres of parks, 22 for every 1,000 residents
0.4 miles of mapped trail cross Ottawa, 0.1 per square mile of land. 2% of Ottawa’s land is conserved, about 46 acres. 75% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns · #567 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
46 acres · of 4.5 sq mi of land
Trails
0.4 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
98 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
75%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Ottawa?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ottawa have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ottawa is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns, #567 of 993 in Ohio. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ottawa’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4CPark land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (98 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home75% 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 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 Memorial Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
46 conserved acres
2% of Ottawa’s land. Who manages Ottawa’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city46 ac
Local Recreation Area · 29 acLocal Park · 17 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Arrowhead Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Waterworks Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| West End Water Tower Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Ottawa
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Ottawa
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Ottawa
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Ottawa
Croy's Landing
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
6Tennis
5Baseball
3Basketball
2Tracks
1Soccer
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Ottawa
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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 37 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Ottawa →
Next door
Ottawa and its neighbors
Ottawa has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | 2% | 0.1 | 22 | 75% | B− |
| Glandorf | — 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 Ottawa
Where can I hike in Ottawa?
The longest trail networks: Memorial Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ottawa is conserved land?
2% 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 Ottawa’s trails?
Memorial Park and Putnam County Fairgrounds don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ottawa?
518 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ottawa or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 98 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Ottawa have?
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #567 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 Ottawa 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 →