Fairfax State Recreation Area
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
761 acres5.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Clear Creek Township
33% of Clear Creek Township’s land is conserved: 6,613 acres
The biggest trail networks: Fairfax State Recreation Area (5.3 mi), Cedar Bluffs (0.6 mi), Allen's Creek State Recreation Area (0.5 mi). 7% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 13 miles of mapped trail cross Clear Creek Township, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns · #186 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
33%
6,613 acres · of 30.9 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
44 ac
8.2 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
7%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
715 ft
Depot Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
2 beaches · 4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Clear Creek Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Clear Creek Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Clear Creek Township is ahead of 52% of U.S. towns, #186 of 593 in Indiana. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Clear Creek Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land33% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land8.2 acres of park per 1,000 residents (44 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home7% of residents within a half mile of a park · IN 51% · U.S. 72%D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 52%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 69%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Clear Creek Township’s 33% is ahead of 99% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 78% of them.
Water is 19% of Clear Creek Township’s area (7 of 38 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 27%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. 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 Fairfax State Recreation Area, with 5.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cedar Bluffs
Managed by The Nature Conservancy
24 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dogs usually not allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Allen's Creek State Recreation Area
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
59 acres0.5 mi of trail
Turkey Trot Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Salt Creek State Recreation Area
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
270 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Fairfax State Recreation Area761 acres · 5.3 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsCedar Bluffs24 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · The Nature Conservancy
DirectionsAllen's Creek State Recreation Area59 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Salt Creek State Recreation Area270 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsMoore's Creek State Recreation Area153 acres · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Hoosier National Forest47 acres · United States Forest Service
Paynetown State Recreation Area1 acres · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Who protects it
6,613 conserved acres
33% of Clear Creek Township’s land. Water is left out: Clear Creek Township has 30.9 square miles of land and 7.0 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Clear Creek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Army Corps of Engineers6,276 ac
Private owners152 ac
Other state land57 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits50 ac
U.S. Forest Service49 ac
State parks45 ac
Recreation Management Area · 6,276 acPrivate Park · 139 acForest Stewardship Easement · 57 acPrivate Conservation · 50 acNational Forest · 49 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 6,276 | Open |
| Pointe Golf and Tennis Resort Private Park | Private owners | 139 | Open |
| Cedar Bluffs Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 50 | Open |
| Hoosier National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 48 | Open |
| Underwood-Grandis Tract State Conservation Area | State parks | 45 | Restricted |
| Smithville Diamonds Local Park | Private owners | 13 | Open |
| Hoosier Purchase Unit National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 1 | Open |
Things to do
16 places to go in Clear Creek Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Clear Creek Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Clear Creek Township
9 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Clear Creek Township
Fairfax RampIn Fairfax State Recreation Area
DirectionsMoore's Creek RampIn Moore's Creek State Recreation Area
DirectionsMoores Creek RampIn Moore's Creek State Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Clear Creek Township
Depot Hill715 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.1 mi
Lakeview School Nature Trail0.6 mi
Turkey Trot Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
14Tennis
6Basketball
4Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Joseph Mitchell HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Clear Creek 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 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 43 | 54 | 65 | 75 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Clear Creek Township →
Next door
Clear Creek Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Polk Township53 miSalt Creek Township19 miPerry Township17 miClear Creek Township13 miMarshall Township2.4 miIndian Creek Township1.4 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Creek Township | 33% | 0.4 | 8 | 7% | B− |
| Marshall Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 8 | 7% | D |
| Perry Township | 4% | 0.5 | 11 | 73% | B |
| Indian Creek Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | under 1% | D |
| Polk Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Salt Creek Township | 52% | 0.7 | 63 | 4% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Clear Creek Township
Where can I hike in Clear Creek Township?
The longest trail networks: Fairfax State Recreation Area, 5.3 miles; Cedar Bluffs, 0.6 miles; Allen's Creek State Recreation Area, 0.5 miles; Salt Creek State Recreation Area, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Clear Creek Township is conserved land?
33% 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 Clear Creek Township’s trails?
Fairfax State Recreation Area and Cedar Bluffs don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Clear Creek Township?
59,980 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Clear Creek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,964 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Clear Creek Township have?
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #186 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 Clear Creek 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 →