Glen Helen Nature Preserve
Managed by Glen Helen Association
494 acres9.8 mi of trail
Upper Birch Creek TrailInman TrailLower Birch Creek TrailSchool Forest Trail+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Jamie Holly · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Yellow Springs
Yellow Springs has 11 miles of mapped trails, 4.0 for every square mile of land
98% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Glen Helen Nature Preserve (9.8 mi). 5% of Yellow Springs’ land is conserved, about 80 acres.
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #83 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
80 acres · of 2.8 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
4.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
47 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.9 mi
3.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Yellow Springs?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Yellow Springs have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Yellow Springs is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #83 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Yellow Springs’ overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%BTrails4.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (47 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · OH 60% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 92%
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 Glen Helen Nature Preserve, with 9.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
80 conserved acres
5% of Yellow Springs’ land. Who manages Yellow Springs’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
USDA easements (NRCS)53 ac
Town or city20 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits8 ac
Agricultural Easement · 53 acLocal Park · 20 acState Conservation Area · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Glen Helen Natural Area State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 8 | Closed |
| John Bryan Community Center Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Bill Duncan Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Beatty Hughes Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
8 places to go in Yellow Springs
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Yellow Springs
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Yellow Springs
Yellow Springs Dog ParkHours: sunrise-sunset
DirectionsWaterfalls in Yellow Springs
The CascadesIn Glen Helen Nature Preserve
DirectionsThe GrottoIn Glen Helen Nature Preserve
DirectionsDisc golf in Yellow Springs
1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
10 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 0.7 miUnpaved · 1.8 mi
Upper Birch Creek Trail1.3 mi
Inman Trail0.8 mi
Lower Birch Creek Trail0.5 mi
School Forest Trail0.3 mi
Oak Triangle Trail0.3 mi
Sassafras Grove Trail0.3 mi
Baldwin Pond Trail0.2 mi
Very Steep Trail0.2 mi
Stepping Stones Trail0.1 mi
River Trail-Glen Helen Connector0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Tennis
3Baseball
1Equestrian
1Football
1Skate park
1Basketball
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 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Yellow Springs
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) | 36 | 40 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Yellow Springs →
Questions about parks and trails in Yellow Springs
Where can I hike in Yellow Springs?
The longest trail networks: Glen Helen Nature Preserve, 9.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Yellow Springs is conserved land?
5% 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 Yellow Springs’ trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Glen Helen Nature Preserve (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Yellow Springs?
3.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Yellow Springs?
9,723 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Yellow Springs or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 47 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Yellow Springs have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #83 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 Yellow Springs 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 →