Melvin Miller Park
Managed by City of Urbana
108 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Logan Rickert · CC BY 2.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Urbana
Urbana has 181 acres of parks, 16 for every 1,000 residents
86% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 0.4 miles of mapped trail cross Urbana. 3% of Urbana’s land is conserved, about 177 acres.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns · #521 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
177 acres · of 8.3 sq mi of land
Trails
0.4 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
181 ac
16 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
86%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.7 mi
0.3 mi lanes · 7.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Urbana?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Urbana have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Urbana is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns, #521 of 993 in Ohio. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Urbana’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land16 acres of park per 1,000 residents (181 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to home86% 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 49%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 48%
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Urbana. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
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 Melvin Miller Park, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
177 conserved acres
3% of Urbana’s land. Who manages Urbana’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city125 ac
County52 ac
Local Park · 123 acLocal Recreation Area · 54 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melvin Miller Park Local Park | Town or city | 122 | Open |
| Champaign County Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 52 | Open |
| Gwynne Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Barbara Howell Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Urbana
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Urbana
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Urbana
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
7.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Baseball
17Soccer
7Tennis
5Football
4Basketball
1Multi-sport
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
John Q. A. Ward HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itNutwood PlaceBuilding · listed 1976
About itUrbana College Historic BuildingsBuilding · listed 1980
About itDr. Adam Mosgrove HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itScioto Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itUrbana Monument Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itRichards-Sewall HouseBuilding · listed 1995
About itNorth Ward District SchoolBuilding · listed 2019
About itSouth Ward District SchoolBuilding · listed 2019
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Urbana
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 | 14.8 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 39 | 49 | 62 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Urbana →
Next door
Urbana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urbana | 3% | under 0.1 | 16 | 86% | B− |
| Urbana Township | 1% | 0.1 | 22 | 70% | C+ |
| Mad River Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Urbana
Where can I hike in Urbana?
The longest trail networks: Melvin Miller Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Urbana is conserved land?
3% 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 Urbana’s trails?
Melvin Miller Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Urbana?
7.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of painted or protected lanes and 7.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Urbana?
3,908 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Urbana or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 181 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Urbana have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #521 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 Urbana 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 →