Williamstown Ohio River Access Site
Managed by West Virginia Department of Natural Resources
7 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant) · CC BY-SA 2.5BOutdoors
Outdoors in Williamstown
Williamstown has 29 acres of parks, 9.8 for every 1,000 residents
79% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 0.6 miles of mapped trail cross Williamstown, 0.4 per square mile of land. 3% of Williamstown’s land is conserved, about 29 acres.
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns · #25 of 61 in West Virginia. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
29 acres · of 1.5 sq mi of land
Trails
0.6 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
29 ac
9.8 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
3 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Williamstown have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Williamstown is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns, #25 of 61 in West Virginia. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Williamstown’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical WV town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · WV 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land9.8 acres of park per 1,000 residents (29 acres) · WV 10 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home79% of residents within a half mile of a park · WV 71% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 55%
LessMore
West Virginia towns of 2,500+ (61)Ahead of 60%
Few West Virginia towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Williamstown’s 3% is ahead of 62% of West Virginia towns, while its trails per square mile lead 57% of them.
Water is 18% of Williamstown’s area (0 of 2 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
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 Williamstown Ohio River Access Site, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
29 conserved acres
3% of Williamstown’s land. Water is left out: Williamstown has 1.5 square miles of land and 0.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Williamstown’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city15 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service13 ac
Private owners6 ac
Not recorded9 ac
Local Park · 17 acNational Wildlife Refuge · 13 acLocal Recreation Area · 13 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 13 | Restricted |
| Tomlinson Park Local Park | Not recorded | 12 | Open |
| Ball Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| American Legion Park Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 6 | Open |
| Fenton Park Local Park | Not recorded | 5 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Williamstown
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Williamstown
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Williamstown
Ohio River Public Access Site
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Williamstown
Catch and Release Fishing
DirectionsPicnic areas in Williamstown
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Williamstown Wetland Trail0.4 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.
Courts & fields
7Baseball
5Tennis
2Football
2Soccer
1Basketball
1Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Tomlinson MansionBuilding · listed 1974
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Williamstown: April and August
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) | 40 | 44 | 54 | 67 | 76 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.5 |
November is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.6 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Williamstown →
Next door
Williamstown and its neighbors
Williamstown has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williamstown | 3% | 0.4 | 10 | 79% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Williamstown
Where can I hike in Williamstown?
The longest trail networks: Williamstown Ohio River Access Site, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Williamstown is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 2% for a West Virginia town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Williamstown’s trails?
Williamstown Ohio River Access Site and Tomlinson Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Williamstown?
7,134 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Williamstown or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 29 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Williamstown have?
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #25 of 61 in West Virginia. 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 Williamstown 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 →