Ironton Parks and Recreation

Pickleball under the lights, a splash park downtown, a dog park by the bridge, and a path along the Ohio River. Every city park is free to visit.

Park Hours and Reservations

Park Hours

Memorial Day to Labor Day: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Labor Day to Memorial Day: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Splash Park Season

The water runs daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in summer, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

Now: closed for the season.

Shelter Reservations

Reserve a picnic shelter with a $50 deposit through the Finance Office: 740-532-0439.

Questions

Call the Mayor’s Office at 740-532-3833, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Find a Park

Downtown and the Riverfront

Three pickleball courts at Etna Street Park, with a Pickleball and Basketball banner on the fence behind them
Overhead view of the six pickleball courts at Etna Street ParkThe red, white, and blue playground at Etna Street ParkSlides and climbing towers on the Etna Street Park playground, with benches around itPicnic shelter and curving paths at Etna Street Park, under a large shade tree

Etna Street Park and Ironton Skate Park

216 Etna Street, at 4th Street · Directions to Etna Street Park

Etna Street Park has six pickleball courts, built in 2021 where the tennis courts used to be. New lights and court signs went up in 2026. A full basketball court sits beside them, and a playground, a picnic gazebo, and looping paths fill the rest of the park.

The Ironton Skate Park shares the site. It was dedicated in 2014, built with grants from the Tony Hawk Foundation and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and $30,000 in community donations. Upgrades to the skate park are on the way.

The city has also planted a grove of nut trees here, which will shade the park as they grow.

  • 6 lighted pickleball courts
  • Full basketball court
  • Ironton Skate Park
  • Playground
  • Picnic gazebo, tables, and benches
  • Paved walking paths
  • New nut tree shade grove

Each Memorial Day weekend, the city hosts a doubles pickleball tournament on these courts.

The Friends Park arch at the entrance to the splash pad, with spray features and green-roofed pavilions beyond

Friends Park Splash Park

South 2nd and Vernon Streets · Directions to Friends Park

The Friends of Ironton built this splash park, opened it in September 2010, and gave it to the city the next year. Kids run through ground jets and spray arches on a flat, zero-depth plaza while parents watch from benches and two shaded pavilions.

The Farmers Market and a caboose sit next door. On summer Tuesday evenings, Ironton aLive’s concert series plays in the Farmers Market lot.

  • Spray pad with ground jets and spray arches
  • Two covered pavilions
  • Benches around the plaza

Water hours: daily, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., from Memorial Day weekend through the summer. Closed for the season now.

Paved trail along the top of the Ohio River levee, with the river on one side, homes on the other, and the Ironton-Russell Bridge in the distance

River View Park and the Riverfront

River side of the floodwall, from Storms Creek to the Center Street landing · Directions to the Center Street landing

River View Park runs along the Ohio River on the river side of the floodwall. At the Center Street landing, boaters can use the ramp and a floating dock with room for 30 visiting boats, and amphitheater-style seating steps down toward the water. A paved trail follows the river to Storms Creek.

A new playground and volleyball court, built with an Ohio Department of Natural Resources NatureWorks grant, were finished in spring 2026. Crews are now completing a new seawall, a dock for large riverboats, an accessible path to the upper parking lot, stairs, and historic-style lights.

  • Boat ramp and transient dock
  • Amphitheater-style riverfront seating
  • Riverfront walking and biking trail
  • Playground and volleyball court

Memorial Day and Fourth of July fireworks launch from the landing.

During construction: some areas stay fenced until work is complete. Please follow posted signs.

Welcome sign at the fenced Susan Dooley Memorial Dog Park, beside a paved path
Aerial view of the fenced dog park between the floodwall and the railroad, with tires and beams for dogs to climb

Susan Dooley Memorial Dog Park

Campbell Avenue and Monroe Street, near the base of the Ironton-Russell Bridge · Directions to the dog park

Ironton’s dog park opened in October 2025. It is named for Susan Dooley, a city inspector who had talked with the Mayor for years about building one. Dogs run off leash inside a fenced yard with tires and beams to climb. ODOT, Newman’s Fencing, Nolan Electric, State Electric, and Glockner’s helped the city build it.

Parking: use the Glockner lot under the bridge.

Dog Park Rules

  • Watch your dog at all times. No aggressive dogs or people.
  • Dogs must be licensed and have current vaccines.
  • No sick dogs or females in heat.
  • Keep your dog leashed until you are inside the fence.
  • Pick up after your dog right away.
  • Keep food, treats, and glass outside the fence.
  • Children under 16 must be with an adult.

Storms Creek Park and Trail

Storms Creek and South 2nd Street · Directions to Storms Creek Park

A paved trail, opened in 2019, follows the river from the Center Street landing to Storms Creek Park for walking and biking.

At Storms Creek and 2nd Street, the Ironton Rotary, Ohio University Southern, and the Southern Wayne Advocacy Council planted a native pollinator garden in 2025, with teaching signs and a buddy bench. Rotary members keep it up.

Opening in spring 2027: the Storms Creek Disc Golf Course. An 18-hole course is going in between Storms Creek Park and the riverfront, paid for with a $10,000 grant from the Foundation for the Tri-State Community. Plans include a shade structure, a grill, and a picnic table.

Neighborhood Parks

The Edna Kopacz Memorial Park sign in front of a blue and yellow playground
Aerial view of the Edna Kopacz Memorial Park playground and swings, with the basketball court behind

Edna Kopacz Memorial Park

2621 South 8th Street, at McGovney Avenue · Directions to Edna Kopacz Memorial Park

Big shade trees cover this corner park on the south end. The city rebuilt it in 2023 with a new blue and yellow playground, swings, and safety surfacing, and kept the basketball court.

  • Playground with slides
  • Swings
  • Basketball court
A wooden gazebo and fenced playground at Shane Jones Memorial Park
Overhead view of Shane Jones Memorial Park: the gazebo, picnic tables, and fenced playground

Shane Jones Memorial Park

South 8th and Pleasant Streets, behind the county ambulance garage · Directions to Shane Jones Memorial Park

This pocket park honors Shane Jones, who died of cancer at 14. The Ironton Port Authority dedicated it and supplied the gazebo and playground, and city crews put them together. A wrought-iron gate opens onto the gazebo, and the sign out front reads “Never Give Up.”

  • Gazebo
  • Fenced playground with slide and swings
  • Picnic tables
Moulten’s Field from above, with soccer goals and a picnic shelter at the near edge
Moulten’s Field following the curve of the floodwall, with Lawrence Street and homes alongside

Moulten’s Field

Lawrence Street · Directions to Moulten’s Field

Moulten’s Field is Ironton’s big open lawn, set inside a bend of the floodwall just north of downtown. Soccer goals stand at both ends, and a picnic shelter sits at the edge of the field. An accessible fishing pier on Storms Creek is a short walk away.

  • Open field with soccer goals
  • Picnic shelter
  • Accessible fishing pier nearby

Each May, horse units line up here before the Memorial Day parade.

Recreation Programs

The city’s recreation program runs a kindergarten through 6th grade basketball league each winter and youth football in the fall. Each Memorial Day weekend it hosts a doubles pickleball tournament at Etna Street Park.

Park Rules

  • Children under 10 must be with an adult.
  • Clean up your picnic area and put trash in the cans.
  • Pick up after your dog or cat.
  • No alcohol, drugs, firearms, or fireworks.
  • No motor vehicles in the parks or on the levees.
  • Selling, soliciting, and posting signs require the Mayor’s permission.
  • The Recreation Director may close a facility or ask anyone who breaks the rules to leave.

The full rules are in Section 1062.02 of the Ironton Codified Ordinances.

Report a Problem or Ask a Question

See a broken swing, a light out, or a court that needs attention? Call the Mayor’s Office at 740-532-3833, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or email mayorassist@ironton-ohio.com. City Center is at 301 South 3rd Street.

Park information updated October 2026.