Irwin Park
Park
24 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Furnas Mill Bridge · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Blue River Township
16% of Blue River Township’s land is conserved: 2,554 acres
215 acres are parks and preserves, 45 per 1,000 residents. 4.3 miles of mapped trail cross Blue River Township, 0.2 per square mile of land. 61% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #75 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
2,554 acres · of 24.3 sq mi of land
Trails
4.3 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
215 ac
45 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
61%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Blue River Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Blue River Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Blue River Township is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #75 of 593 in Indiana. Conserved land holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Blue River Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land45 acres of park per 1,000 residents (215 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home61% 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 71%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 88%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Blue River Township’s 16% is ahead of 97% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 56% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Irwin Park, with 0.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
2,554 conserved acres
16% of Blue River Township’s land. Who manages Blue River Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife2,529 ac
Town or city25 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,529 acLocal Park · 25 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atterbury Fish And Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,341 | Restricted |
| Driftwood Public Fishing Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 188 | Open |
| Irwin Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Blue River Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Blue River Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Blue River Township
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Blue River Township
Driftwood Fishing Area
DirectionsTrails & water
5 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Tennis
2Basketball
1Baseball
1Softball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Furnas Mill BridgeStructure · listed 2001
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Blue River 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 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 42 | 52 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 79 | 66 | 53 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Blue River Township →
Next door
Blue River Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Needham Township12 miNineveh Township6.7 miJackson Township4.9 miBlue River Township4.3 miGerman Township2.5 miAmity1.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue River Township | 16% | 0.2 | 45 | 61% | B+ |
| Nineveh Township | 13% | 0.2 | 208 | 7% | B |
| Jackson Township | under 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Needham Township | under 1% | 0.4 | under 1 | 6% | D |
| German Township | 1% | 0.1 | 17 | 25% | C |
| Amity | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Blue River Township
Where can I hike in Blue River Township?
The longest trail networks: Irwin Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Blue River Township is conserved land?
16% 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 Blue River Township’s trails?
Irwin Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Blue River Township?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Blue River Township?
2,569 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Blue River Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 215 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Blue River Township have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #75 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 Blue River 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 →