Independence Dam State Park
Managed by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
92 acres1.2 mi of trail
TowpathBuckeye Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: John A. Good · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in Richland Township
Richland Township has 470 acres of parks, 157 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Independence Dam State Park (1.2 mi). 40% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 8.3 miles of mapped trail cross Richland Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns · #455 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
590 acres · of 35.0 sq mi of land
Trails
8.3 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
470 ac
157 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
40%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Richland Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Richland Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Richland Township is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns, #455 of 993 in Ohio. 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 Richland Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land157 acres of park per 1,000 residents (470 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home40% 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 55%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 54%
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 Independence Dam State Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Island Park
Park
24 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
590 conserved acres
3% of Richland Township’s land. Who manages Richland Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits319 ac
Private owners143 ac
State natural resources126 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)2 ac
Private Recreation or Education · 319 acPrivate Park · 143 acState Park · 126 acConservation Easement · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Libbey Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 319 | Open |
| Kettenring Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 143 | Open |
| Independence Dam State Park State Park | State natural resources | 126 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Richland Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Richland Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Richland Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Richland Township
Independence Dam State Park CampgroundIn Independence Dam State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.1 mi
Towpath1.8 mi
Buckeye Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Richland 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 82 | 77 | 64 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Richland Township →
Next door
Richland Township and its neighbors
Richland Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Richland Township8.3 miFlatrock Township5.8 miDefiance Township4.8 miAdams Township3.8 miNoble Township0.9 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Township | 3% | 0.2 | 157 | 40% | B |
| Adams Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Flatrock Township | 1% | 0.2 | 84 | 37% | C+ |
| Defiance Township | 3% | 0.2 | 54 | 80% | B |
| Noble Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 10 | 66% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Richland Township
Where can I hike in Richland Township?
The longest trail networks: Independence Dam State Park, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Richland Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Richland Township’s trails?
Independence Dam State Park and Island Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Richland Township?
1,769 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Richland Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 470 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Richland Township have?
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #455 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 Richland 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 →