Rocky Fork Metro Park
Park
242 acres3.1 mi of trail
Rocky Fork bridle trailNorth Meadow TrailRocky Fork dog trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Rocky Fork Metro Park dog park picnic area
Photo: Sixflashphoto · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Plain Township
Plain Township has 1,950 acres of parks, 151 for every 1,000 residents
20% of Plain Township’s land is conserved, about 2,509 acres. 27 miles of mapped trail cross Plain Township, 1.3 per square mile of land. 95% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #4 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
2,509 acres · of 19.8 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,950 ac
151 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
34 mi
0.5 mi lanes · 32 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Plain Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Plain Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Plain Township is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #4 of 993 in Ohio. 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 Plain Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land151 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,950 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home95% of residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)#4 of 993
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Rocky Fork Metro Park, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bevelhymer Park - Yellow Zone
Park
34 acres1.2 mi of trail
Bevelheimer Park path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
New Albany wetland and nature preserve
Park
23 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bevelhymer Park - Green Zone
Park
23 acres0.6 mi of trail
Bevelheimer Park path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bevelhymer Park - Orange Zone
Park
34 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 19 parks & preserves
Rocky Fork Metro Park242 acres · 3.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTaylor Farm Park95 acres · 3 mi of trail
DirectionsBevelhymer Park - Yellow Zone34 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNew Albany wetland and nature preserve23 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSwickard Woods16 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsWexner Community Park32 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsBevelhymer Park - Green Zone23 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsBevelhymer Park - Orange Zone34 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Bevelhymer Park - Red Zone17 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Bevelhymer Park - Blue Zone6 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsBevelhymer Park296 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · New Albany Parks & Recreation
DirectionsBevelhymer Park - Purple Zone14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
New Albany School Fields10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRose Run Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsJames River Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRose Run Streamside7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPlanters Grove Park15 acres
Lambton Park9 acres
Market Street Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,509 conserved acres
20% of Plain Township’s land. Who manages Plain Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency993 ac
Private owners908 ac
Town or city609 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)32 ac
Local Park · 1,290 acPrivate Park · 908 acLocal Recreation Area · 281 acConservation Easement · 32 acLocal Conservation Area · 31 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Fork Local Park | Regional agency | 993 | Open |
| Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 395 | Open |
| New Albany Links Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 281 | Open |
| New Albany Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 277 | Open |
| Winding Hollow Coutnry Club Private Park | Private owners | 177 | Open |
| Bevelhymer Park-Yellow And Orange Zone Local Park | Town or city | 69 | Open |
| New Labany Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 60 | Open |
| Swickard Woods Park Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| New Albany Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 31 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
36 places to go in Plain Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Plain Township
28 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Plain Township
Rocky Fork Metro Park Dog ParkIn Rocky Fork Metro Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Plain Township
Equestrian Day UseIn Rocky Fork Metro Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Plain Township
5 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miHorses · 1.5 miUnpaved · 3.0 mi
Rocky Fork bridle trail1.5 mi
North Meadow Trail1.2 mi
Rocky Fork dog trail0.3 mi
Bevelheimer Park path0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
34 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
32 mi
off-road bike paths
1.9 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
35Tennis
32Soccer
27Pickleball
16Baseball
9Basketball
7Football
4Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Plain 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 40 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Plain Township →
Next door
Plain Township and its neighbors
Plain Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Columbus138 miPlain Township27 miNew Albany21 miBlendon Township5.7 miJersey Township3.6 miHarlem Township2.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain Township | 20% | 1.3 | 151 | 95% | A+ |
| Columbus | 9% | 0.6 | 13 | 94% | A− |
| New Albany | 8% | 1.0 | 86 | 99% | A |
| Blendon Township | 16% | 1.1 | 107 | 92% | A+ |
| Harlem Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 3 | 32% | D |
| Jersey Township | 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Plain Township
Where can I hike in Plain Township?
The longest trail networks: Rocky Fork Metro Park, 3.1 miles; Taylor Farm Park, 3 miles; Bevelhymer Park - Yellow Zone, 1.2 miles; New Albany wetland and nature preserve, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Plain Township is conserved land?
20% 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 Plain Township’s trails?
Rocky Fork Metro Park and Taylor Farm Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Plain Township?
34 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of painted or protected lanes, 32 of off-road paths and 1.9 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Plain Township?
18,508 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Plain Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,950 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Plain Township have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #4 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 Plain 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 →