Waterworth Memorial Park
Park
32 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: TomahawkBRAWL · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Salem
Salem has 71 acres of parks, 6.0 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Waterworth Memorial Park (0.8 mi). 81% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of Salem’s land is conserved, about 64 acres.
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns · #643 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
64 acres · of 6.6 sq mi of land
Trails
1.1 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
71 ac
6.0 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Salem?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Salem have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Salem is ahead of 38% of U.S. towns, #643 of 993 in Ohio. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Salem’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land6.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (71 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13CParks close to home81% 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 38%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 35%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to C+. 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 Waterworth Memorial Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
64 conserved acres
1% of Salem’s land. Who manages Salem’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city64 ac
Local Park · 64 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterworth Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Centenial Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Kelley Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Salem
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Salem
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
10Baseball
6Tennis
4Basketball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
John Street HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itSouth Lincoln Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1993
About itSalem Methodist Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1995
About itSalem Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1995
About itBurchfield HomesteadBuilding · listed 1999
About itDaniel Howell Hise HouseBuilding · listed 1999
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Salem: April, May, August and 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 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 38 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 79 | 82 | 81 | 75 | 62 | 50 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 2.8 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Salem →
Next door
Salem and its neighbors
Salem has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem | 1% | 0.2 | 6 | 81% | C+ |
| Green Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 7 | 2% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Salem
Where can I hike in Salem?
The longest trail networks: Waterworth Memorial Park, 0.8 miles; Centennial Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Salem 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 Salem’s trails?
Waterworth Memorial Park and Centennial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Salem?
4,911 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Salem or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 71 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Salem have?
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #643 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 Salem 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 →