River Preserve County Park
Managed by Elkhart County Parks
48 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 4.0C−Outdoors
Outdoors in Benton Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Benton Township
The biggest trail networks: River Preserve County Park (1.2 mi). 10% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.6 miles of mapped trail cross Benton Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 20% of U.S. towns · #412 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
171 acres · of 35.8 sq mi of land
Trails
2.6 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
48 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
10%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.4 mi
Highest peak
896 ft
Sugar Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Benton Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Benton Township is ahead of 20% of U.S. towns, #412 of 593 in Indiana. 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 Benton Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (3 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4CPark land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (48 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13BParks close to home10% 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 20%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 31%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Benton Township’s 1% is ahead of 34% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 37% of them.
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Benton Township. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on 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 River Preserve County Park, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
171 conserved acres
1% of Benton Township’s land. Who manages Benton Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners146 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits23 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)2 ac
Private Park · 146 acPrivate Conservation · 23 acOther Easement · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timber Ridge Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 146 | Open |
| Elkhart River Floodplain Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 23 | Closed |
Things to do
2 places to go in Benton Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Benton Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Benton Township
Sugar Hill896 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
14Tennis
2Baseball
1Football
1Softball
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). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Log Cabin Inn Tourist CampBuilding · listed 2019
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Benton Township: April and September
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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 76 | 63 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Benton Township →
Next door
Benton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton Township | 1% | 0.1 | 15 | 10% | C− |
| Jackson Township | 1% | 0.2 | 31 | 34% | C+ |
| Clinton Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 7 | 16% | D |
| Turkey Creek Township | 10% | 0.1 | 27 | 67% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Benton Township
Where can I hike in Benton Township?
The longest trail networks: River Preserve County Park, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Benton 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 Benton Township’s trails?
River Preserve County Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Benton Township?
6.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Benton Township?
1,350 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Benton Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 48 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Benton Township have?
Ahead of 20% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #412 of 593 in Indiana. 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 Benton 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 →