Oak Openings Preserve Metropark
Nature preserve
3,673 acres55.7 mi of trail
Horse TrailOak Openings Hiking TrailWabash Cannonball Side TrailRidge Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Horse Trailer Parking
Photo: SalamanderEmergency · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Swanton Township
Swanton Township has 4,417 acres of parks, 1,559 for every 1,000 residents
72 miles of mapped trail cross Swanton Township, 3.3 per square mile of land. 32% of Swanton Township’s land is conserved, about 4,518 acres. The biggest trail networks: Oak Openings Preserve Metropark (55.7 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #9 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
32%
4,518 acres · of 22.0 sq mi of land
Trails
72 mi
3.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,417 ac
1,559 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.1 mi
8.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Swanton Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Swanton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Swanton Township is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #9 of 993 in Ohio. 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 Swanton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land32% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A+Trails3.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (72 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land1,559 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,417 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home59% 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 96%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)#9 of 993
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Oak Openings Preserve Metropark, with 55.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
4,518 conserved acres
32% of Swanton Township’s land. Who manages Swanton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city3,725 ac
State natural resources638 ac
Private owners127 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits34 ac
Local Park · 3,641 acState Conservation Area · 638 acPrivate Park · 127 acLocal Conservation Area · 84 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 34 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Openings Preserve Metropark Local Park | Town or city | 3,641 | Open |
| Maumee State Forest State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 638 | Open |
| Valley Wood Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 127 | Open |
| Oak Openings Corridor Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 84 | Open |
| Wabash-Cannonball Trail Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 34 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Swanton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Swanton Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Swanton Township
3 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Swanton Township
Springbrook CampgroundIn Oak Openings Preserve Metropark
DirectionsWhite Oak CampgroundIn Oak Openings Preserve Metropark
DirectionsWhite Oak Group CampsitesIn Oak Openings Preserve Metropark
DirectionsTrails & water
24 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.6 miHorses · 23.0 miUnpaved · 16.0 mi
Horse Trail17.5 mi
Oak Openings Hiking Trail13.2 mi
Wabash Cannonball Side Trail2.6 mi
Ridge Trail1.6 mi
Blue Racer Trail1.6 mi
Evergreen Trail1.5 mi
Hognose Trail1.4 mi
Ferns & Lake Trail1.4 mi
Sand Dunes Trail1.1 mi
Ferns & Lakes Trail0.8 mi
14 more trails
Oak Openings Hiking & Ridge Trail
0.8 miHorseshoe Lake Trail
0.8 miTrail
0.7 miSpringbrook Lake Trail
0.7 miEvergreen Lake Trail
0.7 miBlazing Star Trail
0.5 miWabash Cannonball Connector
0.5 miMallard Lake Loop
0.4 miOak Openings Hiking & Horse Trail
0.3 miFerns & Lakes / Sand Dunes Trail
0.3 mi???
0.2 miBeach Ridge Access Path
0.1 miWabash-Cannonball Connector & Oak Openings & Evergreen Lake Trail
0.1 miOaks Two-Way Connector Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Swanton 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 | 10.5 | 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) | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
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 Swanton Township →
Next door
Swanton Township and its neighbors
Swanton Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Swanton Township72 miSwan Creek Township15 miMonclova Township8.0 miWaterville Township2.6 miProvidence Township2.2 miWhitehouse1.5 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swanton Township | 32% | 3.3 | 1,559 | 59% | A+ |
| Waterville Township | 7% | 0.1 | 41 | 68% | B |
| Swan Creek Township | 6% | 0.4 | 186 | 38% | B+ |
| Monclova Township | 2% | 0.4 | 21 | 57% | B− |
| Whitehouse | 6% | 0.3 | 38 | 87% | A− |
| Providence Township | 4% | 0.1 | 175 | 62% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Swanton Township
Where can I hike in Swanton Township?
The longest trail networks: Oak Openings Preserve Metropark, 55.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Swanton Township is conserved land?
32% 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 Swanton Township’s trails?
Oak Openings Preserve Metropark doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Swanton Township?
8.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Swanton Township?
14,798 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Swanton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,417 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Swanton Township have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #9 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 Swanton 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 →