Howard Collier State Nature Preserve
Managed by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
321 acres1.2 mi of trail
Loop TrailHeck's Bridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainC+Outdoors
Outdoors in Seneca Township
Seneca Township has 412 acres of parks, 323 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Howard Collier State Nature Preserve (1.2 mi). 23% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Seneca Township’s land is conserved, about 494 acres.
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
494 acres · of 35.6 sq mi of land
Trails
1.2 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
412 ac
323 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
23%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is Seneca Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Seneca Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Seneca Township is ahead of 40% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Seneca Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land323 acres of park per 1,000 residents (412 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home23% 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 40%
LessMore
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 Howard Collier State Nature Preserve, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hecks Bridge Scenic River Access
Park
24 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
494 conserved acres
2% of Seneca Township’s land. Who manages Seneca Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources366 ac
Private owners128 ac
State Recreation Area · 210 acState Conservation Area · 156 acPrivate Park · 128 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandusky - Heck Bridge SR State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 210 | Open |
| Seneca Hills Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 128 | Open |
| Collier Dedicated Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 117 | Open |
| Wildlife Production Area 61 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 40 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Seneca Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Seneca Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Loop Trail0.8 mi
Heck's Bridge Trail0.3 mi
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
2Baseball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Camp Pittenger Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2024
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Seneca 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 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 37 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Seneca Township →
Next door
Seneca 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 323 | 23% | C+ |
| Big Spring Township | 1% | 0.1 | 4 | 18% | D |
| Eden Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 49 | 17% | C |
| Hopewell Township | 2% | 0.1 | 86 | 32% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Seneca Township
Where can I hike in Seneca Township?
The longest trail networks: Howard Collier State Nature Preserve, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Seneca Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Seneca Township’s trails?
Howard Collier State Nature Preserve and Hecks Bridge Scenic River Access don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Seneca Township?
2,823 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Seneca Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 412 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Seneca Township have?
Ahead of 40% 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 Seneca 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 →