Jackson-Washington State Forest
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
3,863 acres22.9 mi of trail
Cedar Tree Loop (Blue)Trail #10Trail #2Trail #6 Sawmill Hollow+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Reporter1998 · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Brownstown Township
Brownstown Township has 4,163 acres of parks, 731 for every 1,000 residents
11% of Brownstown Township’s land is conserved, about 4,298 acres. The biggest trail networks: Jackson-Washington State Forest (22.9 mi). 29 miles of mapped trail cross Brownstown Township, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #28 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
4,298 acres · of 63.0 sq mi of land
Trails
29 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,163 ac
731 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.7 mi
0.7 mi paths
Highest peak
948 ft
Pinnacle
Lakes & rivers
5
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Brownstown Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Brownstown Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Brownstown Township is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #28 of 593 in Indiana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Brownstown Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (29 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land731 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,163 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home65% 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 84%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 95%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Brownstown Township’s 11% is ahead of 93% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 80% 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 Jackson-Washington State Forest, with 22.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Jackson County Park
Park
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
4,298 conserved acres
11% of Brownstown Township’s land. Who manages Brownstown Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources4,107 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)161 ac
State fish & wildlife16 ac
Town or city12 ac
County1 ac
State Conservation Area · 4,107 acConservation Easement · 161 acState Recreation Area · 16 acLocal Park · 14 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 161 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson-Washington State Forest State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 4,107 | Open |
| Brownstown Public Access Site/Public Fishing Area State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 16 | Open |
| Brownstown Public Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Jackson County Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
Things to do
15 places to go in Brownstown Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Brownstown Township
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Brownstown Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Brownstown Township
Brownstown Public Fishing Area
DirectionsScenic views in Brownstown Township
4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Brownstown Township
Pinnacle948 ft elevation · In Jackson-Washington State Forest
DirectionsPicnic areas in Brownstown Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Brownstown Township
1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
16 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Horses · 9.7 miUnpaved · 7.2 mi
Cedar Tree Loop (Blue)3.0 mi
Trail #102.6 mi
Trail #22.4 mi
Trail #6 Sawmill Hollow1.8 mi
Horse Trail Y (Boot Loop_1.7 mi
Trail #7 Firetower Trail1.5 mi
Horse Trail R (Gobblers Loop)1.4 mi
Horse Trail W (White Pine Loop)1.2 mi
Trail 11.1 mi
Orchard Ridge Loop (Green)0.9 mi
6 more trails
Trail #3
0.8 miHorse Trail Y (Boot Loop)
0.7 miHorse Trail Y/R
0.4 miTrail #4- Tree ID
0.3 miTrail #5
0.2 mi(unmaintained)
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Baseball
5Tennis
3Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places 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.
Picnic Area-Jackson State ForestSite · listed 1997
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Brownstown Township: July and August
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 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 44 | 54 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 80 | 68 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Brownstown Township →
Next door
Brownstown Township and its neighbors
Brownstown Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Brownstown Township29 miDriftwood Township16 miJackson Township7.9 miHamilton Township4.4 miGrassy Fork Township3.0 miCarr Township1.9 miWashington Township0.9 miOwen Township0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownstown Township | 11% | 0.5 | 731 | 65% | A− |
| Hamilton Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 6 | 5% | D |
| Driftwood Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Owen Township | 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
| Washington Township | 2% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Jackson Township | 20% | 0.2 | 5 | 64% | B− |
| Grassy Fork Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Carr Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 14 | 2% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Brownstown Township
Where can I hike in Brownstown Township?
The longest trail networks: Jackson-Washington State Forest, 22.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Brownstown Township is conserved land?
11% 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 Brownstown Township’s trails?
Jackson-Washington State Forest and Jackson County Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Brownstown Township?
0.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Brownstown Township?
52,445 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Brownstown Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,163 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Brownstown Township have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #28 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 Brownstown 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 →