Richfield Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
377 acres8.5 mi of trail
Buckeye TrailRed Loop TrailYellow Loop TrailGreen Loop Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: SilentMatt Psychedelic · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Richfield Township
Richfield Township has 3,318 acres of parks, 517 for every 1,000 residents
20% of Richfield Township’s land is conserved, about 3,313 acres. 21 miles of mapped trail cross Richfield Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Richfield Nature Preserve (8.5 mi), Furnace Run Metro Park (3.4 mi), Cuyahoga Valley National Park (3.3 mi).
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #32 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
3,313 acres · of 25.5 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,318 ac
517 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
71%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.3 mi
1.2 mi lanes · 0.1 mi paths
Highest peak
1,325 ft
Summit County high point
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Richfield Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam517 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild20% of the land is conserved; a typical Ohio town, 3%.A trail town0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 76% of U.S. towns.History along the way4 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Richfield Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Richfield Township is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #32 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 Richfield Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land517 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,318 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home71% 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 93%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 97%
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 Richfield Nature Preserve, with 8.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Furnace Run Metro Park
Managed by Metro Parks, Serving Summit County
1,191 acres3.4 mi of trail
Rock Creek TrailOld Mill TrailDaffodil Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Managed by National Park Service
3,043 acres3.3 mi of trail
Riding Run TrailPerkins / Riding Run Trail
Dogs usually limited
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Hinckley Reservation
Managed by Cleveland Metroparks
136 acres0.6 mi of trail
Carriage & Bridle TrailBlue TrailRed Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Village Green
Park
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Richfield Nature Preserve377 acres · 8.5 mi of trail
DirectionsFurnace Run Metro Park1,191 acres · 3.4 mi of trail · Metro Parks, Serving Summit County
DirectionsCuyahoga Valley National Park3,043 acres · 3.3 mi of trail · National Park Service
Hinckley Reservation136 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Cleveland Metroparks
DirectionsVillage Green3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Rising Valley Park19 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBabb's Orchard Park12 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,313 conserved acres
20% of Richfield Township’s land. Who manages Richfield Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service1,671 ac
County494 ac
Regional agency438 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits427 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land188 ac
Town or city145 ac
Private owners98 ac
National Park · 1,482 acLocal Park · 970 acConservation Easement · 376 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 315 acUnknown Easement · 147 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 296 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga Valley National Park National Park | National Park Service | 1,482 | Open |
| Furnace-Run Metro Parks Local Park | Regional agency | 438 | Open |
| Riding Run Metropark Local Park | County | 393 | Open |
| Girl Scout Camp Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 315 | Open |
| Saint Bernard Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 73 | Open |
| Kniss Woods Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | County | 58 | Restricted |
| Rising Valley Park Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Medina Summit Land Conservancy State Recreation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 45 | Open |
| Hinckley Reservation Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Restricted |
| Land Local Park | County | 43 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
5 places to go in Richfield Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Richfield Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Richfield Township
Summit County high point1,325 ft elevation
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Richfield Township
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 6.8 miUnpaved · 18.9 mi
Riding Run Trail2.1 mi
Buckeye Trail2.0 mi
Red Loop Trail1.8 mi
Yellow Loop Trail1.3 mi
Rock Creek Trail1.2 mi
Old Mill Trail1.1 mi
Green Loop Trail0.9 mi
Storybook Trail0.9 mi
Connector Trail0.8 mi
Daffodil Trail0.6 mi
15 more trails
White Loop Trail
0.6 miMeadow Loop Trail
0.5 miCarriage & Bridle Trail
0.5 miVirginia's Trail
0.4 miRed Trail
0.4 miYellow Loop trail
0.4 miWoodland Loop Trail
0.4 miCenter Trail
0.4 miBlue Trail
0.4 miPerkins / Riding Run Trail
0.3 miDeer Path Trail
0.3 miPost Office Trail
0.2 miSpur Trail
0.2 miCarter Pedigo Trail
0.1 miBlue Loop Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
1.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Tennis
5Soccer
4Baseball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Richfield Township: April, May and July to 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) | 34 | 37 | 46 | 60 | 71 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.8 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Richfield Township →
Next door
Richfield Township and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richfield Township | 20% | 0.8 | 517 | 71% | A |
| Boston Township | 81% | 2.9 | 6,404 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Hinckley Township | 18% | 1.2 | 14 | 15% | B+ |
| Brecksville | 11% | 1.6 | 95 | 49% | A |
| Bath Township | 10% | 0.5 | 117 | 44% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Richfield Township
Where can I hike in Richfield Township?
The longest trail networks: Richfield Nature Preserve, 8.5 miles; Furnace Run Metro Park, 3.4 miles; Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 3.3 miles; Hinckley Reservation, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Richfield 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 Richfield Township’s trails?
Richfield Nature Preserve and Furnace Run Metro Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Richfield Township?
1.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of painted or protected lanes and 0.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Richfield Township?
37,928 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Richfield Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,318 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Richfield Township have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #32 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 Richfield 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 →