Irwin Prairie State Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
148 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Spencer Township
Spencer Township has 183 acres of parks, 147 for every 1,000 residents
16% of Spencer Township’s land is conserved, about 1,238 acres. The biggest trail networks: Irwin Prairie State Nature Preserve (0.8 mi). 50% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
1,238 acres · of 12.1 sq mi of land
Trails
3.9 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
183 ac
147 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
50%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.6 mi
1.6 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Spencer Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Spencer Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Spencer Township is ahead of 77% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Spencer Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land147 acres of park per 1,000 residents (183 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home50% 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 77%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Irwin Prairie State Nature Preserve, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
1,238 conserved acres
16% of Spencer Township’s land. Who manages Spencer Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits709 ac
State natural resources245 ac
Town or city162 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)121 ac
Private Conservation · 709 acState Conservation Area · 245 acLocal Conservation Area · 162 acAgricultural Easement · 121 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 121 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 36 of 40 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kitty Todd Preserve Site Fee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 490 | Unknown |
| Irwin Prairie Dedicated Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 223 | Closed |
| Oak Openings Fee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 180 | Unknown |
| Oak Openings Corridor Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 162 | Open |
| Oak Openings Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 38 | Unknown |
| Meilke Road Savanna Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 22 | Open |
| Kitty Todd Preserve Site Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Unknown |
Things to do
4 places to go in Spencer Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Fishing spots in Spencer Township
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Spencer Township
3 campgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Biking & sports
1.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Spencer Township: 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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 47 | 60 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Spencer Township →
Next door
Spencer 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Township | 16% | 0.3 | 147 | 50% | A− |
| Springfield Township | 4% | 0.9 | 13 | 57% | B |
| Richfield Township | 3% | 0.4 | 340 | 16% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Spencer Township
Where can I hike in Spencer Township?
The longest trail networks: Irwin Prairie State Nature Preserve, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Spencer Township is conserved land?
16% 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 Spencer Township’s trails?
Irwin Prairie State Nature Preserve doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Spencer Township?
1.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Spencer Township?
14,697 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Spencer Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 183 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Spencer Township have?
Ahead of 77% 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 Spencer 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 →