Sherman Minton Nature Preserve
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
1,441 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Gabriel Farnsley House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainC−Outdoors
Outdoors in Franklin Township
15% of Franklin Township’s land is conserved: 2,337 acres
1.2 miles of mapped trail cross Franklin Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 18% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
2,337 acres · of 23.5 sq mi of land
Trails
1.2 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
991 ft
Hickman Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Franklin Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Franklin Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Franklin Township is ahead of 18% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Franklin Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land0.0 acres of park per 1,000 residents (0 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13DParks close to home0% 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 18%
LessMore
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Franklin Township’s 15% is ahead of 96% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 33% of them.
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Franklin Township. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from D− 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 Sherman Minton Nature Preserve, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
2,337 conserved acres
15% of Franklin Township’s land. Who manages Franklin Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources2,084 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits253 ac
State Conservation Area · 2,084 acPrivate Conservation · 253 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherman Minton Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 1,440 | Restricted |
| Brock - Sampson Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 386 | Restricted |
| Brock - Sampson Addition Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 222 | Restricted |
| Brock Sampson-Hardin Ridge Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 204 | Closed |
| Brock Sampson - Hardin Ridge Fee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 49 | Closed |
| Hardin Ridge Managed Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 35 | Restricted |
Things to do
3 places to go in Franklin Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Franklin Township
Hickman Hill991 ft elevation
DirectionsPickle Pear Knob764 ft elevation · In Sherman Minton Nature Preserve
DirectionsPigeon Roost745 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Gabriel Farnsley HouseBuilding · listed 1982
About itWhen to get out
June is the best month for walking in Franklin 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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 47 | 57 | 69 | 77 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 81 | 70 | 57 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
January is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Franklin Township →
Next door
Franklin Township and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Township | 15% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| New Albany Township | 1% | 0.2 | 6 | 64% | C |
| Georgetown Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 8 | 29% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Franklin Township
Where can I hike in Franklin Township?
The longest trail networks: Sherman Minton Nature Preserve, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Franklin Township is conserved land?
15% 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 Franklin Township’s trails?
Sherman Minton Nature Preserve doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Franklin Township?
11,715 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Franklin Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Franklin Township have?
Ahead of 18% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Franklin 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 →