Madison Lake State Park
Managed by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
178 acres0.4 mi of trail
Sugar Maple Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainC+Outdoors
Outdoors in Union Township
Union Township has 275 acres of parks, 49 for every 1,000 residents
14% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.6 miles of mapped trail cross Union Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 6% of Union Township’s land is conserved, about 1,403 acres.
Ahead of 43% of U.S. towns · #595 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,403 acres · of 38.7 sq mi of land
Trails
2.6 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
275 ac
49 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
14%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.6 mi
6.6 mi paths
Highest peak
1,204 ft
Brighton Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Union Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Union Township is ahead of 43% of U.S. towns, #595 of 993 in Ohio. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Union Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4CPark land49 acres of park per 1,000 residents (275 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home14% 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 43%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 40%
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 Madison Lake State Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Merri-Mac Park
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
1,403 conserved acres
6% of Union Township’s land. Who manages Union Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)792 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government701 ac
State natural resources311 ac
Other state land279 ac
County52 ac
Not recorded16 ac
Agricultural Easement · 1,503 acUnknown Easement · 279 acState Park · 177 acState Conservation Area · 79 acState Other or Unknown · 55 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,075 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Lake State Park State Park | State natural resources | 177 | Open |
| Wildlife Production Area 36 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 79 | Open |
| London Fish Hatchery State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 55 | Open |
| Camp Chase Trail Local Park | Not recorded | 16 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Union Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Union Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Union Township
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Union Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Union Township
2 fishing spots without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Union Township
Brighton Hill1,204 ft elevation
DirectionsPitts Hill1,178 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Union Township
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Sugar Maple Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.6 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Basketball
4Baseball
1Football
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 Union 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 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 39 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 83 | 82 | 77 | 65 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.6 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Union Township →
Next door
Union Township and its neighbors
Union Township has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Union Township2.6 miLondon1.0 miHarmony Township1.0 miFairfield Township0.5 miDeer Creek Township0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | 6% | 0.1 | 49 | 14% | C+ |
| London | 3% | 0.1 | 14 | 91% | B− |
| Deer Creek Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fairfield Township | 3% | under 0.1 | 81 | 24% | C+ |
| Harmony Township | 11% | under 0.1 | 10 | 16% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Union Township
Where can I hike in Union Township?
The longest trail networks: Madison Lake State Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Union Township is conserved land?
6% 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 Union Township’s trails?
Madison Lake State Park and Merri-Mac Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Union Township?
6.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Union Township?
8,985 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Union Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 331 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Union Township have?
Ahead of 43% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #595 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 Union 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 →