Highlands Nature Sanctuary
Managed by Arc of Appalachia
2,173 acres11.9 mi of trail
Barrier RidgeKamelands TrailBarret's Rim TrailCedar Run Trail+1
No dogs
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Aesopposea · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Paint Township
Paint Township has 3,172 acres of parks, 653 for every 1,000 residents
22% of Paint Township’s land is conserved, about 7,827 acres. The biggest trail networks: Highlands Nature Sanctuary (11.9 mi), Miller Sanctuary State Nature Preserve (1.2 mi). 51% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #124 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
22%
7,827 acres · of 55.8 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,172 ac
653 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
51%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,253 ft
Barrett Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
2 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Paint Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Paint Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Paint Township is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #124 of 993 in Ohio. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Paint Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land22% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land653 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,172 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home51% 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 83%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 88%
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 Highlands Nature Sanctuary, with 11.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Miller Sanctuary State Nature Preserve
Managed by Division of Natural Areas & Preserves, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
87 acres1.2 mi of trail
Falls Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
7,827 conserved acres
22% of Paint Township’s land. Who manages Paint Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources5,941 ac
Army Corps of Engineers3,945 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,847 ac
Recreation Management Area · 3,945 acState Conservation Area · 3,074 acState Recreation Area · 2,886 acState Park · 1,620 acPrivate Conservation · 208 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paint Creek Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 3,945 | Open |
| Paint Creek State Park State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 2,886 | Open |
| Highlands Nature Sanctuary State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,639 | Open |
| Rocky Fork State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,620 | Open |
| Paint Creek Lake Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1,435 | Restricted |
| Arc Of Appalachia Biodiversity Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 99 | Open |
| Spruce Hill-Rocky Fork-Hope Springs-Rock Run-Kamama Prairie Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 75 | Open |
| Plum Run Prairie/Morgan's Fork Woods/Rocky Fork Creek Acquisitions Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 34 | Open |
Things to do
17 places to go in Paint Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Paint Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Paint Township
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Paint Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Paint Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Paint Township
3 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Peaks in Paint Township
Barrett Hill1,253 ft elevation · In Highlands Nature Sanctuary
DirectionsMcNary Hill1,220 ft elevation
DirectionsRoundtop1,217 ft elevation · In Highlands Nature Sanctuary
DirectionsCampgrounds in Paint Township
Country Home Campgrounds
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 12.5 mi
Barrier Ridge2.5 mi
Kamelands Trail2.1 mi
Barret's Rim Trail1.7 mi
Cedar Run Trail1.7 mi
Roundtop Trail1.2 mi
Falls Trail1.0 mi
Ridgeview Farm0.8 mi
Etawah Woods0.7 mi
Ashy Sunflower Trail0.3 mi
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
1Tennis
1Baseball
1Basketball
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).
Barretts MillsDistrict · listed 1972
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Paint 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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 42 | 52 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 84 | 84 | 78 | 66 | 53 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Paint Township →
Next door
Paint Township and its neighbors
Paint Township has the second most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Paxton Township38 miPaint Township22 miBrushcreek Township20 miFairfield Township11 miMarshall Township3.4 miLiberty Township1.8 miMadison Township0.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paint Township | 22% | 0.4 | 653 | 51% | A− |
| Marshall Township | 8% | 0.2 | 1,072 | 41% | B+ |
| Madison Township | 14% | under 0.1 | 7 | 63% | C+ |
| Brushcreek Township | 7% | 0.5 | 1,597 | 21% | B+ |
| Fairfield Township | 2% | 0.3 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Liberty Township | 4% | under 0.1 | 124 | 34% | B− |
| Paxton Township | 2% | 1.2 | 211 | 46% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Paint Township
Where can I hike in Paint Township?
The longest trail networks: Highlands Nature Sanctuary, 11.9 miles; Miller Sanctuary State Nature Preserve, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Paint Township is conserved land?
22% 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 Paint Township’s trails?
Highlands Nature Sanctuary and Miller Sanctuary State Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Paint Township?
26,315 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Paint Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,369 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Paint Township have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #124 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 Paint 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 →