Waterloo State Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
2,654 acres6.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Waterloo Township
Waterloo Township has 5,809 acres of parks, 3,767 for every 1,000 residents
26% of Waterloo Township’s land is conserved, about 6,335 acres. The biggest trail networks: Waterloo State Wildlife Management Area (6.1 mi). 40% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
6,335 acres · of 37.7 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,809 ac
3,767 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
40%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Waterloo Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Waterloo Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Waterloo Township is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Waterloo Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land3,767 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,809 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home40% 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 83%
LessMore
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 Waterloo State WMA, with 6.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Poston Plant Lands
Managed by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
304 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Woodcock Nature Preserve
Managed by Woodcock Nature Preserve non-profit corporation
2 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
6,335 conserved acres
26% of Waterloo Township’s land. Who manages Waterloo Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources6,204 ac
Private owners106 ac
County25 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2 ac
State Conservation Area · 6,204 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 106 acLocal Conservation Area · 25 acOther Easement · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 2,643 | Open |
| Zaleski State Forest State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 2,346 | Open |
| Poston Plant Lands Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 770 | Open |
| Fox Lake Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 444 | Restricted |
| American Electric Power - Poston Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 106 | Open |
| Moonville Open Space Acquisition Local Conservation Area | County | 25 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Waterloo Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Waterloo Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Waterloo Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Waterloo Township
Camp 2
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.5 miHorses · 1.9 miUnpaved · 7.6 mi
Moonville Rail Trail1.9 mi
J-K Trail1.8 mi
K-L Trail1.0 mi
I-J Trail0.7 mi
L-Camp 3 Trail0.3 mi
Camp 2 Trail0.3 mi
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.
Moonville Rail TrailBike route
1.9 miCourts & fields
1Basketball
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 Waterloo 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 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 43 | 53 | 66 | 74 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 66 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Waterloo Township →
Next door
Waterloo Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Brown Township56 miKnox Township21 miAthens Township20 miWaterloo Township15 miYork Township13 miLee Township5.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo Township | 26% | 0.4 | 3,767 | 40% | A− |
| Athens Township | 7% | 0.5 | 18 | 82% | B+ |
| York Township | 42% | 0.4 | 324 | 64% | A |
| Knox Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Brown Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lee Township | 1% | 0.2 | 1 | 13% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Waterloo Township
Where can I hike in Waterloo Township?
The longest trail networks: Waterloo State Wildlife Management Area, 6.1 miles; Woodcock Nature Preserve, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Waterloo Township is conserved land?
26% 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 Waterloo Township’s trails?
Waterloo State Wildlife Management Area and Poston Plant Lands don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Waterloo Township?
85,263 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Waterloo Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,809 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Waterloo Township have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Waterloo 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 →