Photo: User:Mingusboodle · Public domainFranklin Township has 214 acres of parks, 9.9 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Dame Mall (0.9 mi). 2.6 miles of mapped trail cross Franklin Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 57% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 27% of U.S. towns · #358 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Franklin Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
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 27% of U.S. towns, #358 of 593 in Indiana. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park comes closest.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Franklin Township’s 1% is ahead of 36% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 37% 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 Dame Mall, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
177 conserved acres
1% of Franklin Township’s land. Who manages Franklin Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 42 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 13 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Heron Park Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Province Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Scott Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Branigin Woods Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Morgan Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Temple Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Province Park Dog Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Payne Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Robert C. Schmidt Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
9 places to go in Franklin Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
8.9 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.
14 places on the National Register
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.
2 more on the History page.
August 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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 41 | 51 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 84 | 83 | 78 | 66 | 52 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Franklin Township →
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 | 1% | 0.1 | 10 | 57% | C |
| Needham Township | under 1% | 0.4 | under 1 | 6% | D |
| Pleasant Township | 1% | 0.3 | 5 | 81% | C+ |
| Nineveh Township | 13% | 0.2 | 208 | 7% | B |
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: Dame Mall, 0.9 miles; Blue Heron Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Franklin 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 Franklin Township’s trails?
Dame Mall and Blue Heron Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Franklin Township?
8.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes and 8.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Franklin Township?
2,949 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Franklin Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 214 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Franklin Township have?
Ahead of 27% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #358 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 Franklin 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 →