West Branch State Park
Park
1,471 acres5.4 mi of trail
Buckeye TrailBeaver Lodge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto West Branch MarinaWebsite ↗
Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from USA · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Paris Township
Paris Township has 704 acres of parks, 488 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: West Branch State Park (5.4 mi). 7% of Paris Township’s land is conserved, about 955 acres. 37% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
955 acres · of 22.5 sq mi of land
Trails
5.4 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
704 ac
488 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
37%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Paris Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Paris Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Paris Township is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Paris Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land488 acres of park per 1,000 residents (704 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home37% 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 66%
LessMore
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 West Branch State Park, with 5.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
955 conserved acres
7% of Paris Township’s land. Who manages Paris Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land731 ac
Private owners138 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits56 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)29 ac
State Park · 731 acState Conservation Area · 100 acUnknown Easement · 55 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 38 acConservation Easement · 29 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 86 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Branch State Park State Park | Other state land | 731 | Open |
| Thousand Adventures Inc - Leisure Lake State Conservation Area | Private owners | 100 | Closed |
| Country Acres Campground Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 38 | Open |
Things to do
11 places to go in Paris Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Paris Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Paris Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Paris Township
6 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Paris Township
Country Acres Campground & Fun Park
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 1.0 miUnpaved · 2.8 mi
Buckeye Trail1.5 mi
Beaver Lodge Trail0.7 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
3Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Paris Township: April, May, August and September
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 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 38 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 79 | 83 | 82 | 75 | 63 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 2.9 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Paris Township →
Next door
Paris Township and its neighbors
Paris Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Charlestown Township28 miParis Township5.4 miNewton Township0.6 miPalmyra Township0.0 miWindham Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris Township | 7% | 0.2 | 488 | 37% | B+ |
| Newton Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 7 | 69% | C |
| Charlestown Township | 17% | 1.4 | 991 | 76% | A+ |
| Palmyra Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 65 | 16% | C |
| Windham 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 Paris Township
Where can I hike in Paris Township?
The longest trail networks: West Branch State Park, 5.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Paris Township is conserved land?
7% 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 Paris Township’s trails?
West Branch State Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Paris Township?
13,370 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Paris Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 704 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Paris Township have?
Ahead of 66% 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 Paris 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 →