Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
Managed by National Park Service
442 acres2.4 mi of trail
Interpretive Trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
McCafferty Run Farmstead · Photo: Aesopposea · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Union Township
Union Township has 2,120 acres of parks, 168 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (2.4 mi). 6% of Union Township’s land is conserved, about 2,392 acres. 16 miles of mapped trail cross Union Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #283 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
2,392 acres · of 66.4 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,120 ac
168 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
57%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.6 mi
6.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
6 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Union Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
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 68% of U.S. towns, #283 of 993 in Ohio. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Union Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land168 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,120 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home57% 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 68%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 72%
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 Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pleasant Valley State Wildlife Area
Managed by Division of Wildlife, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
1,460 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
2,392 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.
State natural resources1,468 ac
National Park Service438 ac
County189 ac
Private owners162 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)136 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,468 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 438 acPrivate Park · 162 acConservation Easement · 136 acLocal Park · 114 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 136 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Valley Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1,465 | Open |
| Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 438 | Restricted |
| Jaycee Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 162 | Open |
| North Fork Park Local Park | County | 114 | Open |
| Ross County Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 71 | Open |
| Tri-County Triangle Trail / Paint Creek Recreational Trail Local Recreation Area | County | 4 | Open |
| Kinnikinnick Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 3 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in Union Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Union Township
6 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Union Township
Jackson Fish Memorial Playground
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Union Township
Sun Valley CampgroundHours: Mon–Sun 8 am – 10 pm
DirectionsPlus 1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Interpretive Trail1.4 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
14Basketball
10Baseball
7Volleyball
2Equestrian
1Football
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Mound City Group National MonumentDistrict · listed 1966
About itLevi Anderson HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itHenry Mace HouseBuilding · listed 1998
About itMcCafferty Run FarmsteadBuilding · listed 2004
About itChillicothe Veterans Administration HospitalDistrict · listed 2012
About itAdministration Building-United States Industrial ReformatoryBuilding · listed 2021
About itWhen 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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 42 | 52 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 66 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.4 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Union Township →
Next door
Union Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Springfield Township45 miScioto Township41 miUnion Township16 miGreen Township11 miPickaway Township6.6 miTwin Township6.5 miConcord Township4.5 miDeerfield Township1.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | 6% | 0.2 | 168 | 57% | B+ |
| Twin Township | 1% | 0.1 | 7 | 21% | C− |
| Green Township | 3% | 0.2 | 150 | 36% | B |
| Concord Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 15 | 15% | C− |
| Pickaway Township | 1% | 0.1 | 68 | 16% | C |
| Deerfield Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 49 | 50% | C |
| Springfield Township | 14% | 1.5 | 685 | 54% | A |
| Scioto Township | 5% | 1.0 | 43 | 64% | A− |
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: Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, 2.4 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?
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park and Pleasant Valley State Wildlife Area 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?
11,737 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Union Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,120 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Union Township have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #283 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 →