Culberson Woods State Nature Preserve
Managed by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
337 acres
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Vernon Township
Vernon Township has 1,321 acres of parks, 438 for every 1,000 residents
13% of Vernon Township’s land is conserved, about 2,258 acres. 10% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.3 miles of mapped trail cross Vernon Township.
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns · #475 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
2,258 acres · of 26.8 sq mi of land
Trails
1.3 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,321 ac
438 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
10%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
3 beaches · 7 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Vernon Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Vernon Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Vernon Township is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns, #475 of 993 in Ohio. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Vernon Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land438 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,321 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home10% 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 54%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 52%
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
2,258 conserved acres
13% of Vernon Township’s land. Who manages Vernon Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources1,549 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits426 ac
Other state land171 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)170 ac
County117 ac
State Park · 1,310 acUnknown Easement · 714 acState Conservation Area · 239 acAgricultural Easement · 170 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 710 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 12 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cowan Lake State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,310 | Open |
| Culberson Woods Dedicated Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 239 | Closed |
Things to do
17 places to go in Vernon Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Vernon Township
Cowan Lake Public Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Swimming spots in Vernon Township
2 swimming spots without a name on the map.
Playgrounds in Vernon Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Vernon Township
7 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Vernon Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Vernon Township
1 campground 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
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Vernon 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) | 3.2 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Vernon Township →
Next door
Vernon Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Adams Township5.2 miWashington Township3.0 miWashington Township1.7 miVernon Township1.3 miMarion Township0.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Township | 13% | under 0.1 | 438 | 10% | B− |
| Adams Township | 2% | 0.2 | 25 | 11% | C+ |
| Washington Township | 3% | 0.1 | 293 | 20% | C+ |
| Marion Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 4 | 30% | D |
| Washington Township | 2% | 0.1 | 141 | 20% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Vernon Township
How much of Vernon Township is conserved land?
13% 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 Vernon Township’s trails?
Culberson Woods State Nature Preserve doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Vernon Township?
12,236 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Vernon Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,321 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Vernon Township have?
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #475 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 Vernon 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 →