Griffy Lake Nature Preserve
Managed by Bloomington Parks & Recreation
1,199 acres13 mi of trail
South Shore TrailHiking TrailGriffy Creek TrailNorth Shore Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Yahala · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Bloomington Township
Bloomington Township has 1,873 acres of parks, 44 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Griffy Lake Nature Preserve (13 mi), Lower Cascades Park (0.8 mi). 8% of Bloomington Township’s land is conserved, about 1,890 acres. 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns · #27 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,890 acres · of 36.6 sq mi of land
Trails
23 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,873 ac
44 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
57 mi
13 mi lanes · 22 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Bloomington Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Bloomington Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bloomington Township is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns, #27 of 593 in Indiana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Bloomington Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (23 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land44 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,873 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home88% of residents within a half mile of a park · IN 51% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 85%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 96%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Bloomington Township’s 8% is ahead of 90% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 86% of them.
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
The longest trail network is Griffy Lake Nature Preserve, with 13 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lower Cascades Park
Managed by Bloomington Parks & Recreation
82 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Upper Cascades Park
Managed by Bloomington Parks & Recreation
42 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Beanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve
Managed by Sycamore Land Trust
20 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 9 parks & preserves
Griffy Lake Nature Preserve1,199 acres · 13 mi of trail · Bloomington Parks & Recreation
DirectionsLower Cascades Park82 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Bloomington Parks & Recreation
DirectionsUpper Cascades Park42 acres · Bloomington Parks & Recreation
DirectionsBeanblossom Bottoms Nature Preserve20 acres · Sycamore Land Trust
Crestmont Park15 acres · Bloomington Parks & Recreation
DirectionsRev. Ernest D. Butler Park10 acres · Bloomington Parks & Recreation
DirectionsMiller-Showers Park9 acres · Bloomington Parks & Recreation
DirectionsPark Ridge East Park6 acres · Bloomington Parks & Recreation
Park Ridge Park1 acres · Bloomington Parks & Recreation
DirectionsWho protects it
1,890 conserved acres
8% of Bloomington Township’s land. Who manages Bloomington Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,620 ac
Other state land238 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits35 ac
Joint20 ac
Private owners19 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,211 acState Recreation Area · 231 acLocal Recreation Area · 215 acLocal Park · 175 acConservation Easement · 29 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 9 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 25 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Griffy Lake Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Town or city | 938 | Restricted |
| Griffy Woods Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Town or city | 238 | Restricted |
| Cascades Golf Course State Recreation Area | Town or city | 212 | Open |
| The Pfau Course at Indiana University Local Recreation Area | Other state land | 184 | Open |
| Cascades Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 127 | Open |
| Rose Hill Cemetery Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Beanblossom Bottoms State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 20 | Open |
| Lower Cascades Ball Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Bloomington Par Three Private Park | Private owners | 19 | Open |
| Ferguson Property State Recreation Area | Town or city | 19 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
22 places to go in Bloomington Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Bloomington Township
Mills Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Bloomington Township
Lower Cascades Park PlaygroundIn Lower Cascades Park
DirectionsUniversity School Playground
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Bloomington Township
Ferguson Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Bloomington Township
Boat DockIn Griffy Lake Nature Preserve
DirectionsWaterfalls in Bloomington Township
Cascades FallsIn Lower Cascades Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Bloomington Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Disc golf in Bloomington Township
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Bloomington Township
Butler Park Community GardenIn Rev. Ernest D. Butler Park · City of Bloomington, Indiana
DirectionsTrails & water
13 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.0 mi
South Shore Trail4.4 mi
Hiking Trail1.7 mi
Griffy Creek Trail1.6 mi
North Shore Trail1.0 mi
North Shore Loop Trail0.9 mi
Huckleberry Ridge0.7 mi
Blue Ridge Trail0.7 mi
Lanam Trail0.6 mi
Meadowood Connectors0.4 mi
Nature Trail0.3 mi
3 more trails
Wetlands Trail
0.2 miSouth Shore/North Shore Trail Connection
0.2 miSycamore Land Trust Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
57 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
13 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
22 mi
off-road bike paths
22 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
55Tennis
21Basketball
9Pickleball
8Soccer
6Football
6Beach volleyball
5Baseball
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →25 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Daniel Stout HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itMaple Grove Road Rural Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1998
About itDr. Robert L. and Ellen Milisen HouseBuilding · listed 2021
About it13 more on the History page.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Bloomington 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 | 84 | 79 | 67 | 53 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Bloomington Township →
Next door
Bloomington Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Benton Township39 miBloomington34 miBloomington Township23 miPerry Township17 miWashington Township12 miRichland Township11 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington Township | 8% | 0.6 | 44 | 88% | A |
| Washington Township | 23% | 0.3 | 71 | 1% | B |
| Benton Township | 38% | 0.7 | 258 | 22% | A− |
| Richland Township | 2% | 0.3 | 31 | 34% | B− |
| Perry Township | 4% | 0.5 | 11 | 73% | B |
| Bloomington | 13% | 1.4 | 25 | 92% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Bloomington Township
Where can I hike in Bloomington Township?
The longest trail networks: Griffy Lake Nature Preserve, 13 miles; Lower Cascades Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Bloomington Township is conserved land?
8% 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 Bloomington Township’s trails?
Griffy Lake Nature Preserve and Lower Cascades Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Bloomington Township?
57 miles of bike routes are on the map: 13 of painted or protected lanes, 22 of off-road paths and 22 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Bloomington Township?
67,143 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bloomington Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,892 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bloomington Township have?
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #27 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 Bloomington 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 →