Thornwood Preserve
Managed by City of Greenfield, In Parks Department
42 acres2.1 mi of trail
Red TrailGreen TrailChief Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Center Township
Center Township has 371 acres of parks, 12 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Thornwood Preserve (2.1 mi), Riley Memorial Park (0.7 mi). 7.2 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 37% of U.S. towns · #287 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
295 acres · of 53.0 sq mi of land
Trails
7.2 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
371 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
69%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
11 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
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 37% of U.S. towns, #287 of 593 in Indiana. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Center 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 (7 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (371 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home69% 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 37%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 52%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Center Township’s 1% is ahead of 39% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 49% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C 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 Thornwood Preserve, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pennsy Trail Park
Managed by City of Greenfield
29 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
All 13 parks & preserves
Thornwood Preserve42 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · City of Greenfield, In Parks Department
DirectionsRiley Memorial Park52 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsGreenfield Art Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDepot Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBrandywine Park50 acres
DirectionsPennsy Trail Park29 acres · City of Greenfield
DirectionsHancock 4H Fair Ground22 acres
DirectionsHenery B. Wilson Park16 acres · City of Greenfield Parks Department
Mary Moore Park9 acres · City of Greenfield
DirectionsMacy Park5 acres
DirectionsWestport Park1 acres
Sister City Park1 acres
DirectionsCopeland Farm Park1 acres
Who protects it
295 conserved acres
1% of Center Township’s land. Who manages Center Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city295 ac
Local Park · 295 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsy Trail Park Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Beckenholdt Park Local Park | Town or city | 59 | Open |
| Brandywine Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Riley Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 48 | Open |
| Thornwood Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Wilson Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Macy Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Riley Home And Museum Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
31 places to go in Center Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Center Township
Baseball Park PLayground
DirectionsIndigo Springs PlaygroundIn Indigo Springs
DirectionsPlus 21 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Center Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Center Township
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Center Township
Heartland Resort
DirectionsMohawk Campground
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Center Township
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.7 mi
Grassway Path0.5 mi
Red Trail0.4 mi
Green Trail0.1 mi
Duck, Duck Bridge0.1 mi
Chief Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
11 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
25Tennis
23Baseball
8Soccer
4Basketball
2Football
1Skate park
1Multi-sport
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking 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 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 40 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 82 | 84 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.1 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Center Township →
Next door
Center Township and its neighbors
Center Township has the most mapped trails of the 4 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 | 1% | 0.1 | 12 | 69% | C+ |
| Sugar Creek Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | 26% | D |
| Brandywine Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 2% | D− |
| Buck Creek Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 10% | D |
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: Thornwood Preserve, 2.1 miles; Riley Memorial Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Center 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 Center Township’s trails?
Thornwood Preserve and Riley Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Center Township?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Center Township?
4,371 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Center Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 371 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Center Township have?
Ahead of 37% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #287 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.
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 →