Poston Plant Lands
Managed by Ohio Department of Natural Resources
501 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in York Township
42% of York Township’s land is conserved: 9,864 acres
2,198 acres are parks and preserves, 324 per 1,000 residents. 13 miles of mapped trail cross York Township, 0.4 per square mile of land. 64% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #73 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Conserved land
42%
9,864 acres · of 36.9 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,198 ac
324 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
64%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
5.6 mi paths
Highest peak
948 ft
Buchtel Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is York Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does York Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, York Township is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #73 of 993 in Ohio. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of York Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land42% of the land · typical OH town 3% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · OH 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land324 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,198 acres) · OH 15 · U.S. 13AParks close to home64% 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 87%
LessMore
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 93%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bluebell Preserve
Managed by Athens Convervancy
115 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Poston Nature Preserve - North Tract
Managed by Athens Conservancy
21 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Poston Nature Preserve - South Tract
Managed by Athens Conservancy
20 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Hockhocking Adena Bikeway - Glen Ebon TrailheadWebsite ↗
All 7 parks & preserves
Doanville Baileys Trailhead1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPoston Plant Lands501 acres · Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Bluebell Preserve115 acres · Athens Convervancy
Poston Nature Preserve - North Tract21 acres · Athens Conservancy
Poston Nature Preserve - South Tract20 acres · Athens Conservancy
DirectionsPoston Nature Preserve6 acres · Athens Conservancy
DirectionsBrick Kiln Park2 acres
Who protects it
9,864 conserved acres
42% of York Township’s land. Who manages York Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service7,670 ac
State natural resources2,151 ac
Private owners27 ac
Town or city24 ac
National Forest · 7,670 acState Conservation Area · 2,151 acPrivate Park · 27 acLocal Park · 24 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 7,670 | Open |
| Zaleski State Forest State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1,134 | Open |
| Poston Plant Lands Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1,017 | Open |
| Challenge Golf Private Park | Private owners | 27 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Unknown Ball Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Nelson Commons Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in York Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in York Township
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in York Township
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in York Township
Buchtel Hill948 ft elevation
DirectionsRound Hill948 ft elevation
DirectionsHeadquarters Hill928 ft elevation
DirectionsMaple Hill919 ft elevation
DirectionsHighway Hill892 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in York Township
Blue Dog Bike CampFee
DirectionsTrails & water
8 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.3 miUnpaved · 7.4 mi
Holler Collar Trail2.7 mi
Star Brick Trail1.8 mi
Buchtel Spring Trail0.9 mi
Doanville School Trail0.8 mi
K-L Trail0.7 mi
Soggy Bottom Trail0.3 mi
Tipple Top Trail0.1 mi
Ridge Top Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.6 mi
off-road bike paths
6.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Baileys Trail SystemBike route
5.4 miCourts & fields
5Basketball
3Baseball
2Tennis
2Football
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 York 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) | 39 | 43 | 53 | 66 | 74 | 81 | 84 | 84 | 77 | 66 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in York Township →
Next door
York Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Dover Township82 miWard Township33 miWaterloo Township15 miYork Township13 miNelsonville1.1 miStarr Township0.8 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| York Township | 42% | 0.4 | 324 | 64% | A |
| Waterloo Township | 26% | 0.4 | 3,767 | 40% | A− |
| Ward Township | 83% | 0.9 | 4,671 | 39% | A |
| Dover Township | 32% | 2.3 | 131 | 50% | A |
| Nelsonville | 21% | 0.2 | 7 | 72% | B |
| Starr Township | 27% | under 0.1 | 17 | 11% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in York Township
How much of York Township is conserved land?
42% 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 York Township’s trails?
Poston Plant Lands and Bluebell Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in York Township?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.6 of off-road paths and 6.5 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Baileys Trail System.
Is there public land near York Township?
102,428 acres of parks and open public land lie inside York Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9,894 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does York Township have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #73 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 York 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 →