Canyon Forest Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
66 acres1.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainCOutdoors
Outdoors in Beech Creek Township
Beech Creek Township has 224 acres of parks, 101 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Canyon Forest Nature Preserve (1.7 mi). 5% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.3 miles of mapped trail cross Beech Creek Township.
Ahead of 29% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
272 acres · of 47.4 sq mi of land
Trails
2.3 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
224 ac
101 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
5%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is Beech Creek Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Beech Creek Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Beech Creek Township is ahead of 29% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Beech Creek Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land101 acres of park per 1,000 residents (224 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13AParks close to home5% of residents within a half mile of a park · IN 51% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 29%
LessMore
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Beech Creek Township’s 1% is ahead of 39% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 32% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. 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 Canyon Forest Nature Preserve, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
272 conserved acres
1% of Beech Creek Township’s land. Who manages Beech Creek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources227 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits45 ac
State Conservation Area · 272 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owen-Putnam State Forest State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 227 | Open |
| Culver State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 45 | Restricted |
Things to do
3 places to go in Beech Creek Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Waterfalls in Beech Creek Township
2 waterfalls without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Beech Creek Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Beech Creek 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 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 42 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Beech Creek Township →
Next door
Beech Creek Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beech Creek Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 101 | 5% | C |
| Highland Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Van Buren Township | 2% | 0.2 | 17 | 42% | C+ |
| Clay Township | 6% | 0.1 | 436 | 14% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Beech Creek Township
Where can I hike in Beech Creek Township?
The longest trail networks: Canyon Forest Nature Preserve, 1.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Beech Creek Township is conserved land?
1% of its land, against a typical 2% for an Indiana town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Beech Creek Township’s trails?
Canyon Forest Nature Preserve doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Beech Creek Township?
7,001 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Beech Creek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 224 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Beech Creek Township have?
Ahead of 29% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Beech Creek 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 →