Waterworks Park
Park
10 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in Waterville
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Waterville
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 0.4 miles of mapped trail cross Waterville, 0.1 per square mile of land. 103 acres are parks and preserves, 17 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns · #457 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
61 acres · of 5.2 sq mi of land
Trails
0.4 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
103 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.7 mi
6.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Waterville?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Waterville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Waterville is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns, #457 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 Waterville’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4CPark land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (103 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13BParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 55%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 54%
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 Waterworks Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 8 parks & preserves
Waterworks Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Farnsworth Metropark21 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTowpath Trail16 acres
DirectionsBaer Park8 acres
DirectionsConrad Park6 acres
DirectionsParker Square3 acres
Stitt Park3 acres
Pray Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
61 conserved acres
2% of Waterville’s land. Who manages Waterville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city61 ac
Local Park · 40 acLocal Recreation Area · 21 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence, Bend View, Farnsworth Metroparks Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Conrad Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Baer Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Waterworks Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Stitt Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Pray Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
15 places to go in Waterville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Waterville
Fallen Timbers Family Recreation Club
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Waterville
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Waterville
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Fishing spots in Waterville
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Waterville
Bird Viewing at Indianola OverlookIn Farnsworth Metropark
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Waterville
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Waterville
Farnsworth Group CampsiteFee · In Towpath Trail · Farnsworth Metropark
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
9Tennis
5Baseball
3Basketball
3Pickleball
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 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Columbian HouseBuilding · listed 1969
About itInterurban BridgeStructure · listed 1972
About itMorehouse-Downes HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itPray-Starkweather HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itLiberty Whitcomb Haskins HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itGillett-Shoemaker-Welsh HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itWaterville Commercial DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itJohn Isham HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itJohn Isham FarmsteadDistrict · listed 1992
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Waterville
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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 37 | 47 | 61 | 72 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 3.8 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Waterville →
Next door
Waterville 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterville | 2% | 0.1 | 17 | 99%+ | B |
| Waterville Township | 7% | 0.1 | 41 | 68% | B |
| Middleton Township | 1% | 0.1 | 4 | 60% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Waterville
Where can I hike in Waterville?
The longest trail networks: Waterworks Park, 0.3 miles; Farnsworth Metropark, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Waterville is conserved land?
2% 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 Waterville’s trails?
Waterworks Park and Farnsworth Metropark don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Waterville?
6.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Waterville?
12,361 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Waterville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 103 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Waterville have?
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #457 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 Waterville 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 →