Blue Heron Reserve
Nature preserve
163 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
BOutdoors
Outdoors in Riley Township
Riley Township has 1,130 acres of parks, 963 for every 1,000 residents
27% of Riley Township’s land is conserved, about 6,531 acres. The biggest trail networks: Blue Heron Reserve (0.5 mi). 14% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
27%
6,531 acres · of 38.5 sq mi of land
Trails
3.2 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,130 ac
963 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Riley Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Riley Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Riley Township is ahead of 63% 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 Riley Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land27% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4CPark land963 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,130 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home14% 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 63%
LessMore
Water is 10% of Riley Township’s area (4 of 43 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 24%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Blue Heron Reserve, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
136 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Paul Murray Wildlife Area
Nature preserve
37 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
6,531 conserved acres
27% of Riley Township’s land. Water is left out: Riley Township has 38.5 square miles of land and 4.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Riley Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources2,151 ac
Private owners2,048 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1,995 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)642 ac
County224 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,151 acPrivate Park · 2,010 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 1,968 acConservation Easement · 708 acLocal Park · 155 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 248 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 2,111 | Restricted |
| Ottawa Shooting Club Private Park | Private owners | 2,010 | Open |
| Winous Point Shooting Club Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1,929 | Closed |
| Blue Heron Reserve Local Park | County | 155 | Open |
| Decoy Marsh Acquisition Local Conservation Area | County | 68 | Open |
| Wildlife Production Area 63 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 39 | Open |
| E. Moxley Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 38 | Open |
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Riley 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 | 46 | 58 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 3.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Riley Township →
Next door
Riley Township and its neighbors
Riley Township has the second most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riley Township | 27% | 0.1 | 963 | 14% | B |
| Townsend Township | 6% | under 0.1 | 50 | 6% | C+ |
| Green Creek Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 23 | 16% | C− |
| Ballville Township | 2% | 0.1 | 55 | 52% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Riley Township
Where can I hike in Riley Township?
The longest trail networks: Blue Heron Reserve, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Riley Township is conserved land?
27% 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 Riley Township’s trails?
Blue Heron Reserve and Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Riley Township?
8,654 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Riley Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,130 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Riley Township have?
Ahead of 63% 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 Riley 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 →