Southwestway Park
Managed by Indy Parks and Recreation
502 acres8.7 mi of trail
Lenape (Mountain Bike Trail)Mann Hill LoopCockrumWinding River+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Nicholson-Rand House · Photo: add925 · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Decatur Township
Decatur Township has 641 acres of parks, 17 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Southwestway Park (8.7 mi). 37% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 12 miles of mapped trail cross Decatur Township, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns · #212 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
609 acres · of 32.3 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
641 ac
17 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
37%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
15 mi
9.8 mi paths
Highest peak
791 ft
Mann Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Decatur Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Decatur Township is ahead of 48% of U.S. towns, #212 of 593 in Indiana. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Decatur Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land17 acres of park per 1,000 residents (641 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13BParks close to home37% of residents within a half mile of a park · IN 51% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 48%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 64%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Decatur Township’s 3% is ahead of 67% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 74% of them.
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 Southwestway Park, with 8.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Dollar Hide Creek Park
Park
51 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Griffin Woods
Managed by Indy Parks
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 6 parks & preserves
Southwestway Park502 acres · 8.7 mi of trail · Indy Parks and Recreation
DirectionsDollar Hide Creek Park51 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Carson Park22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGriffin Woods12 acres · Indy Parks
ball park4 acres
Bel Aire Park3 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
609 conserved acres
3% of Decatur Township’s land. Who manages Decatur Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city589 ac
Joint52 ac
State natural resources30 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits16 ac
Local Park · 373 acState Recreation Area · 175 acConservation Easement · 83 acLocal Conservation Area · 41 acAgricultural Easement · 16 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 20 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestway Park Local Park | Town or city | 208 | Open |
| Winding River Golf Course State Recreation Area | Town or city | 175 | Open |
| Southwestway - Mann Property Local Park | Town or city | 105 | Open |
| Southwestway - Cottonwood Lakes Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Carson Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Seerley Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Dollar Hide Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Griffin Woods Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
Things to do
13 places to go in Decatur Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Decatur Township
11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Decatur Township
Canoe Launch
DirectionsPeaks in Decatur Township
Mann Hill791 ft elevation · In Southwestway Park
DirectionsTrails & water
10 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.9 miHorses · 0.6 miUnpaved · 5.5 mi
Lenape (Mountain Bike Trail)1.7 mi
Mann Hill Loop1.1 mi
Cockrum0.5 mi
Winding River0.5 mi
Hidden Lakes0.4 mi
WInding River0.4 mi
Upper Cottonwood0.3 mi
Backdoor0.2 mi
Hidden Lakes Loop0.1 mi
Mann Summit North0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
15 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.8 mi
off-road bike paths
5.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
17Baseball
13Tennis
8Basketball
5Soccer
2Pickleball
2Football
1Volleyball
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).
Nicholson-Rand HouseBuilding · listed 2003
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Decatur 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 40 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 65 | 52 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.9 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Decatur Township →
Next door
Decatur Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Indianapolis167 miWayne Township20 miPerry Township19 miDecatur Township12 miGuilford Township7.6 miMadison Township5.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur Township | 3% | 0.4 | 17 | 37% | B− |
| Perry Township | 1% | 0.4 | 4 | 43% | C |
| Indianapolis | 6% | 0.5 | 15 | 61% | B |
| Wayne Township | 4% | 0.4 | 8 | 68% | B− |
| Guilford Township | 3% | 0.2 | 25 | 70% | B |
| Madison Township | under 1% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Decatur Township
Where can I hike in Decatur Township?
The longest trail networks: Southwestway Park, 8.7 miles; Dollar Hide Creek Park, 0.3 miles; Carson Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Decatur Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Decatur Township’s trails?
Southwestway Park and Dollar Hide Creek Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Decatur Township?
15 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.8 of off-road paths and 5.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Decatur Township?
9,832 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Decatur Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 642 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Decatur Township have?
Ahead of 48% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #212 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 Decatur 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 →