Blacklick Woods Metro Park
Managed by Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks
264 acres2 mi of trail
Maple LoopButtonbush TrailWalter A Tucker TrailBeech Trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Sixflashphoto · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Violet Township
Violet Township has 1,016 acres of parks, 21 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Blacklick Woods Metro Park (2 mi), Pickerington Ponds Metro Park (0.9 mi), Busey Road Park (0.6 mi). 4% of Violet Township’s land is conserved, about 1,066 acres. 69% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns · #411 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
1,066 acres · of 41.6 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,016 ac
21 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
69%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
19 mi
2.7 mi lanes · 16 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Violet Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Violet Township is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns, #411 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 Violet Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land21 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,016 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home69% 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 59%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 59%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Blacklick Woods Metro Park, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pickerington Ponds Metro Park
Nature preserve
457 acres0.9 mi of trail
Yellowlegs TrailKilldeer Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Harmon Road Park
Park
3 acres0.4 mi of trail
Harmon Road Park Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sycamore Creek Park Arboretum
Managed by City Of Pickerington Park And Recreation Department
7 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 18 parks & preserves
Blacklick Woods Metro Park264 acres · 2 mi of trail · Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks
DirectionsPickerington Ponds Metro Park457 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsBusey Road Park31 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsHarmon Road Park3 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsSycamore Creek Park Arboretum7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City Of Pickerington Park And Recreation Department
DirectionsWillow Pond Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City Of Pickerington Park And Recreation Department
Sycamore Creek Park44 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City Of Pickerington Parks and Recration Department
DirectionsVictory Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City Of Pickerington Parks and Recration Department
DirectionsPreston Trails Park34 acres · City Of Pickerington Park And Recreation Department
Simsbury Disc Golf Course32 acres
DirectionsZeller Soccer Park30 acres
DirectionsGlenshire Reserve5 acres
DirectionsSimsbury Park4 acres
DirectionsColony Park3 acres · City Of Pickerington Park And Recreation Department
Lockville Park2 acres
Ashley Creek Playground and Tennis Court2 acres
DirectionsShawnee Crossing Park2 acres
Nelson Park2 acres · Violet Township
Who protects it
1,066 conserved acres
4% of Violet Township’s land. Who manages Violet Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city513 ac
Regional agency405 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)101 ac
Not recorded124 ac
Local Park · 916 acLocal Recreation Area · 127 acConservation Easement · 101 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickerington Ponds Metropark Local Park | Regional agency | 405 | Open |
| Blacklick Woods Metro Park Local Park | Town or city | 226 | Open |
| Blacklick Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Not recorded | 124 | Open |
| Pickerington Youth Athletic Association Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Sycamore Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Preston Trails Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Simsbury Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Busey Road Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Zeller Soccer Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Diley Road Softball Fields Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
30 places to go in Violet Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Violet Township
Chevington Woods Kiddie Pool
DirectionsChevington Woods Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Violet Township
Ashley Creek PlaygroundIn Ashley Creek Playground and Tennis Court
DirectionsHuntington Hill Playground
DirectionsTrampoline Park
DirectionsPlus 22 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Violet Township
Violet Township Dog Park
DirectionsScenic views in Violet Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Violet Township
Pickerington Community GardensIn Shawnee Crossing Park · City Of Pickerington Park And Recreation Department
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.2 mi
Maple Loop0.8 mi
Yellowlegs Trail0.6 mi
Buttonbush Trail0.5 mi
Harmon Road Park Trail0.4 mi
Killdeer Trail0.3 mi
Walter A Tucker Trail0.1 mi
Beech Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
19 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
16 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
32Baseball
29Tennis
27Soccer
16Tracks
13Football
12Basketball
7Softball
5Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Lockville Canal LocksStructure · listed 1974
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Violet 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) | 37 | 41 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Violet Township →
Next door
Violet Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Columbus138 miMadison Township19 miBloom Township16 miViolet Township12 miReynoldsburg11 miTruro Township5.4 miPickerington3.0 miLiberty Township1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violet Township | 4% | 0.3 | 21 | 69% | B |
| Columbus | 9% | 0.6 | 13 | 94% | A− |
| Pickerington | 5% | 0.3 | 12 | 88% | B |
| Madison Township | 9% | 0.5 | 70 | 86% | A− |
| Bloom Township | 2% | 0.4 | 47 | 28% | B− |
| Truro Township | 12% | 0.7 | 18 | 87% | A− |
| Liberty Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 23 | 40% | C |
| Reynoldsburg | 12% | 1.0 | 22 | 66% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Violet Township
Where can I hike in Violet Township?
The longest trail networks: Blacklick Woods Metro Park, 2 miles; Pickerington Ponds Metro Park, 0.9 miles; Busey Road Park, 0.6 miles; Harmon Road Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Violet Township is conserved land?
4% 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 Violet Township’s trails?
Blacklick Woods Metro Park and Pickerington Ponds Metro Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Violet Township?
19 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.7 of painted or protected lanes and 16 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Violet Township?
13,392 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Violet Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,016 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Violet Township have?
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #411 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 Violet 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 →