Bluffton Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
151 acres3.2 mi of trail
Boehr Meadow TrailGreen TrailEast Woods LoopLake/Flood Plain Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainC+Outdoors
Outdoors in Richland Township
Richland Township has 178 acres of parks, 30 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Bluffton Nature Preserve (3.2 mi), Motter Metro Park (1.5 mi), Bluffton Village Park (0.6 mi). 1% of Richland Township’s land is conserved, about 306 acres. 7.4 miles of mapped trail cross Richland Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns · #578 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
306 acres · of 41.6 sq mi of land
Trails
7.4 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
178 ac
30 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.5 mi
2.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
2 boat launches
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 44% of U.S. towns, #578 of 993 in Ohio. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Richland Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land30 acres of park per 1,000 residents (178 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home58% 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 44%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 42%
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 Bluffton Nature Preserve, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Motter Metro Park
Managed by Johnny Appleseed Metro Park District
52 acres1.5 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bluffton Village Park
Park
53 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Bluffton Nature Preserve151 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMotter Metro Park52 acres · 1.5 mi of trail · Johnny Appleseed Metro Park District
DirectionsBluffton Village Park53 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
Buckeye Park17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVillage Arboretum2 acres · Village of Bluffton
Who protects it
306 conserved acres
1% of Richland Township’s land. Who manages Richland Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners132 ac
Town or city79 ac
Regional agency54 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits41 ac
Local Park · 133 acPrivate Park · 132 acAgricultural Easement · 41 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 41 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluffton Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 132 | Open |
| Little Riley Creek Park Local Park | Regional agency | 54 | Open |
| Bluffton Village Park Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Buckeye Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Harmon Field Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
Things to do
12 places to go in Richland Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Swimming spots in Richland Township
1 swimming spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Richland Township
Buckeye ParkIn Buckeye Park
DirectionsVillage Park PlaygroundIn Bluffton Village Park
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Richland Township
Bluffton Community Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Richland Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Richland Township
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Richland Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.8 mi
Boehr Meadow Trail0.6 mi
Green Trail0.4 mi
East Woods Loop0.4 mi
Lake/Flood Plain Trail0.4 mi
South Woods Loop0.4 mi
Swinging Bridge Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Soccer
9Tennis
6Basketball
6Baseball
5Football
2Tracks
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
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 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 77 | 64 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Richland Township →
Next door
Richland Township and its neighbors
Richland Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Jackson Township9.6 miRichland Township7.4 miPleasant Township1.9 miRiley Township1.6 miMonroe Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richland Township | 1% | 0.2 | 30 | 58% | C+ |
| Monroe Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 5 | 29% | D |
| Jackson Township | 2% | 0.3 | 65 | 19% | C+ |
| Riley Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 6 | 40% | D |
| Pleasant Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 15 | 50% | 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: Bluffton Nature Preserve, 3.2 miles; Motter Metro Park, 1.5 miles; Bluffton Village Park, 0.6 miles; Buckeye Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Richland Township is conserved land?
1% 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?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Motter Metro Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Richland Township?
2.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Richland Township?
1,528 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Richland Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 178 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Richland Township have?
Ahead of 44% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #578 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 →