Woodside · Photo: User:Jaydec · CC BY-SA 3.0Center Township has 184 acres of parks, 8.5 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Matter Park (0.8 mi). 2.6 miles of mapped trail cross Center Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 69% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 28% of U.S. towns · #345 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Center Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Center Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Center Township is ahead of 28% of U.S. towns, #345 of 593 in Indiana. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Center Township’s under 1% is ahead of 27% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 44% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Matter Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Shiloh Park
All 9 parks & preserves
66 conserved acres
under 1% of Center Township’s land. Who manages Center Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matter Park Local Park | Town or city | 55 | Open |
| South Marion Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Riverside Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Barnes Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Home Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
14 places to go in Center Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Plus 12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
4 lakes & rivers
5.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
13 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
1 more on the History page.
The walking year in Center 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 38 | 49 | 62 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 77 | 65 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 2.6 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Center Township →
Center Township and its neighbors
Center Township has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 9 | 69% | C |
| Washington Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | 29% | D |
| Mill Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 8 | 41% | C− |
| Monroe Township | under 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
| Franklin Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | 73% | C− |
| Gas City | 2% | under 0.1 | 12 | 42% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Center Township
Where can I hike in Center Township?
The longest trail networks: Matter Park, 0.8 miles; Steele Circle Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Center Township is conserved land?
under 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 Center Township’s trails?
Matter Park and Shiloh Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Center Township?
5.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Center Township?
5,547 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Center Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 184 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Center Township have?
Ahead of 28% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #345 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 Center Township neighbors.
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 →