Sharon Woods Metro Park
Park
748 acres3 mi of trail
Spring Creek TrailConnector TrailEdward S Thomas TrailSledding Hill Return+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Sharon Township
Sharon Township has 14 miles of mapped trails, 1.6 for every square mile of land
19% of Sharon Township’s land is conserved, about 1,047 acres. 1,255 acres are parks and preserves, 74 per 1,000 residents. 94% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #7 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
19%
1,047 acres · of 8.5 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
1.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,255 ac
74 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
17 mi
0.9 mi lanes · 15 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Sharon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Sharon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Sharon Township is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #7 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Sharon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land19% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4APark land74 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,255 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home94% of residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 97%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)#7 of 993
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Sharon Woods Metro Park, with 3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rush Run Parkland
Nature preserve
36 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Olentangy River Parklands
Park
212 acres1.6 mi of trail
Olentangy Trail Footpath
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Edward S. Thomas Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
368 acres1.1 mi of trail
Edward S Thomas TrailOak Openings Trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lot
Island View Park
Nature preserve
13 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 30 parks & preserves
Sharon Woods Metro Park748 acres · 3 mi of trail
DirectionsRush Run Parkland36 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsOlentangy River Parklands212 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsEdward S. Thomas Nature Preserve368 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLinworth Park13 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsPerry Park19 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsEast Granville Park10 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsIsland View Park13 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Snouffer Road Park22 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPark Boulevard Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsIndianola Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPingree Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHighbanks Metro Park94 acres
DirectionsNorthern Olentangy Parkland Extension22 acres
McCord Park17 acres
DirectionsDelawanda Park12 acres
DirectionsApple Ridge Picnc Area9 acres
DirectionsOlentangy Nature Preserve8 acres
Huntley Bowl Park7 acres
DirectionsOlentangy River State Wildlife Access Area3 acres
DirectionsHartford Park3 acres
DirectionsWilson Hill Park3 acres
DirectionsWorthington Village Green3 acres
DirectionsWorthington Hills Park3 acres
DirectionsSelby Park2 acres
DirectionsAntrim Park1 acres
Shaker Square Park1 acres
Heischman Park1 acres
Makris Parkland1 acres
DirectionsRiverlea Ravine1 acres
Who protects it
1,047 conserved acres
19% of Sharon Township’s land. Who manages Sharon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency736 ac
Town or city306 ac
State natural resources6 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2 ac
Local Park · 1,042 acUnknown Easement · 4 acState Conservation Area · 2 acLocal Historic or Cultural Area · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 29 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon Woods Metropark Local Park | Regional agency | 747 | Open |
| Olentangy River Parklands Local Park | Town or city | 67 | Open |
| Perry Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Rush Run Parkland Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Antrim Park North Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Walnut Grove Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Mccord Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Linworth Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Island View Parkland Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Olentangy Trail Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
44 places to go in Sharon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Sharon Township
Evening Street Playground
DirectionsHighgate PlaygroundIn Olentangy River Parklands
DirectionsWhitney PlaygroundIn Olentangy River Parklands
Directions34 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Scenic views in Sharon Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Sharon Township
8 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Sharon Township
Camp Mary-Orton
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.5 miUnpaved · 9.3 mi
Spring Creek Trail1.4 mi
Cardinal Cross-Country Course1.2 mi
Edward S Thomas Trail1.1 mi
Olentangy Trail Footpath0.9 mi
Connector Trail0.3 mi
Cardinal Cross-Country Course: John Galipault Loop0.3 mi
Oak Openings Trail0.2 mi
Abolition Alley0.2 mi
Fox Lane Floodplain Dog Path0.2 mi
Sledding Hill Return0.1 mi
1 more trails
Walnut Grove-Selby Connector
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
17 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
15 mi
off-road bike paths
1.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
22Tennis
21Baseball
15Soccer
14Basketball
7Football
7Pickleball
2Beach volleyball
1Lacrosse
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Sharon 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 40 | 50 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 65 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Sharon Township →
Next door
Sharon Township and its neighbors
Sharon Township has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Columbus138 miSharon Township14 miWorthington9.0 miPerry Township8.3 miWesterville7.8 miRiverlea0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon Township | 19% | 1.6 | 74 | 94% | A+ |
| Worthington | 8% | 1.6 | 22 | 93% | A |
| Columbus | 9% | 0.6 | 13 | 94% | A− |
| Perry Township | 31% | 4.0 | 3 | 60% | A− |
| Riverlea | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Westerville | 7% | 0.6 | 17 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Sharon Township
Where can I hike in Sharon Township?
The longest trail networks: Sharon Woods Metro Park, 3 miles; Rush Run Parkland, 1.7 miles; Olentangy River Parklands, 1.6 miles; Edward S. Thomas Nature Preserve, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Sharon Township is conserved land?
19% 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 Sharon Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Sharon Woods Metro Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Sharon Township?
17 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.9 of painted or protected lanes, 15 of off-road paths and 1.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Sharon Township?
25,301 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Sharon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,255 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Sharon Township have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #7 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 Sharon 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 →