Harrison-Crawford State Forest
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
10,096 acres40.5 mi of trail
Upper Blue River TrailFox Hollow TrailAdventure TrailTurkey Ridge Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Corydon Battle Site · Photo: Bedford at English Wikipedia · Public domainA−Outdoors
Outdoors in Harrison Township
Harrison Township has 2,821 acres of parks, 208 for every 1,000 residents
21% of Harrison Township’s land is conserved, about 13,468 acres. 83 miles of mapped trail cross Harrison Township, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Harrison-Crawford State Forest (40.5 mi), O'Bannon Woods State Park (28.1 mi), Hayswood Nature Reserve (3 mi).
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #40 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
21%
13,468 acres · of 101.3 sq mi of land
Trails
83 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,821 ac
208 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
16%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.2 mi
7.2 mi paths
Highest peak
892 ft
Windell Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Harrison Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Harrison Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Harrison Township is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #40 of 593 in Indiana. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Harrison Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land21% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (83 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land208 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,821 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13AParks close to home16% 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 80%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 93%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Harrison Township’s 21% is ahead of 98% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 92% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. 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 Harrison-Crawford State Forest, with 40.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
O'Bannon Woods State Park
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
2,132 acres28.1 mi of trail
Breeden Ridge TrailGroup Camp TrailHorsemen'S Campground TrailRocky Ridge Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Hayswood Nature Reserve
Nature preserve
317 acres3 mi of trail
Indian Creek Trail Hayswood SectionIndian Creek Trail Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Indian Creek Trail
Nature preserve
19 acres0.5 mi of trail
Indian Creek Trail Doolittle Section
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 7 parks & preserves
Harrison-Crawford State Forest10,096 acres · 40.5 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsO'Bannon Woods State Park2,132 acres · 28.1 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsHayswood Nature Reserve317 acres · 3 mi of trail
DirectionsIndian Creek Trail19 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHistoric Corydon Indiana Town Square2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBattle of Corydon Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBicentennial Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
13,468 conserved acres
21% of Harrison Township’s land. Who manages Harrison Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources10,631 ac
State parks2,217 ac
County318 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits301 ac
Other state land3 ac
State Resource Management Area · 10,096 acState Park · 1,746 acState Conservation Area · 1,320 acPrivate Conservation · 301 acLocal Park · 3 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison - Crawford State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 10,096 | Open |
| O'bannon Woods State Park State Park | State parks | 1,746 | Open |
| Mouth of Blue River Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 470 | Open |
| Indian Creek Woods State Conservation Area | County | 258 | Restricted |
| Post Oak - Cedar Nature Preserve (Addition) State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 232 | Open |
| Deam (Charles C.) Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 181 | Open |
| Lower Blue River Forest - Jug Hole Cave Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 127 | Closed |
| Dewey Hickman Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 123 | Open |
| Flint Barrens Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 61 | Restricted |
| Hayswood Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | County | 56 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in Harrison Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Harrison Township
10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Harrison Township
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Harrison Township
O'Bannon Woods Fire TowerIn O'Bannon Woods State Park
DirectionsPeaks in Harrison Township
Windell Hill892 ft elevation
DirectionsPilot Knob863 ft elevation · In Hayswood Nature Reserve
DirectionsBinkley Hill837 ft elevation
DirectionsGreenbrier Knob823 ft elevation · In Harrison-Crawford State Forest
DirectionsMathes Hill817 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Harrison Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Harrison Township
Horsemen's Campground ElectricIn O'Bannon Woods State Park
DirectionsHorsemen's Campground Non-electricIn O'Bannon Woods State Park
DirectionsPlus 3 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 10.1 miHorses · 23.2 miUnpaved · 34.4 mi
Fox Hollow Trail6.6 mi
Adventure Trail6.3 mi
Upper Blue River Trail6.2 mi
Turkey Ridge Trail5.2 mi
Cypress Bog Trail3.4 mi
Breeden Ridge Trail2.7 mi
Group Camp Trail2.5 mi
Fire Tower Trail2.3 mi
Horsemen'S Campground Trail2.1 mi
Rocky Ridge Trail2.1 mi
15 more trails
Greenbriar Trail
2.1 miBlue River Bluff Trail
2.1 miIdlewild Trail
1.8 miUnited for Horses Trail
1.8 miOhio River Loop
1.6 miRiverside Trail
1.6 miIron Bridge Trail
1.5 miNature Center Trail
1.4 miCCC Ghost Trail
1.2 miPool Campground Trail
1.1 miIndian Creek Trail Hayswood Section
1.1 miPotato Run Trail
1.1 miTulip Valley Trail
1.0 miCliff Dweller Trail
0.9 miTwin Chimney Trail
0.9 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Baseball
6Tennis
4Soccer
1Softball
1Basketball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Corydon Battle SiteSite · listed 1979
About itWhen to get out
June is the best month for walking in Harrison 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 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 84 | 87 | 87 | 81 | 69 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.2 |
August is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Harrison Township →
Next door
Harrison Township and its neighbors
Harrison Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Harrison Township83 miJennings Township15 miBoone Township9.8 miWashington Township9.0 miSpencer Township3.5 miHeth Township1.7 miJackson Township1.3 miFranklin Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Township | 21% | 0.8 | 208 | 16% | A− |
| Jennings Township | 25% | 0.3 | 616 | 22% | A− |
| Spencer Township | 9% | 0.1 | 42 | 3% | C+ |
| Boone Township | 8% | 0.2 | 1,172 | 7% | B |
| Jackson Township | 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Franklin Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 1 | 17% | D− |
| Heth Township | 1% | 0.1 | 2 | 4% | D |
| Washington Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Harrison Township
Where can I hike in Harrison Township?
The longest trail networks: Harrison-Crawford State Forest, 40.5 miles; O'Bannon Woods State Park, 28.1 miles; Hayswood Nature Reserve, 3 miles; Indian Creek Trail, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Harrison Township is conserved land?
21% 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 Harrison Township’s trails?
Harrison-Crawford State Forest and O'Bannon Woods State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Harrison Township?
7.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Harrison Township?
44,988 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harrison Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 12,972 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Harrison Township have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #40 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 Harrison 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 →