Yellowwood State Forest
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
7,413 acres13.5 mi of trail
Tecumseh TrailWaycross C&C to Tecumseh Trail Link
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Tecumseh Trailhead Parking
Bean Blossom Covered Bridge · Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Jackson Township
Jackson Township has 7,481 acres of parks, 1,884 for every 1,000 residents
20% of Jackson Township’s land is conserved, about 7,819 acres. The biggest trail networks: Yellowwood State Forest (13.5 mi), Trevlac Bluffs Nature Preserve (3.5 mi), Hitz-Rhodehamel Woods (0.5 mi). 45% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns · #35 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
7,819 acres · of 61.6 sq mi of land
Trails
21 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
7,481 ac
1,884 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
45%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.4 mi
Highest peak
958 ft
Cooks Hill
Lakes & rivers
22
What kind of outdoors town is Jackson Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Jackson Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Jackson Township is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns, #35 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 Jackson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (21 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land1,884 acres of park per 1,000 residents (7,481 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home45% 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 81%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 94%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Jackson Township’s 20% is ahead of 98% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 72% 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 Yellowwood State Forest, with 13.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Trevlac Bluffs Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
282 acres3.5 mi of trail
Yellowwood TrailTecumseh Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Hitz-Rhodehamel Woods
Nature preserve
131 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Little Africa Wildlife Viewing Area
Nature preserve
18 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Yellowwood State Forest7,413 acres · 13.5 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrevlac Bluffs Nature Preserve282 acres · 3.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHitz-Rhodehamel Woods131 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Little Africa Wildlife Viewing Area18 acres
Morgan-Monroe State Forest4 acres · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Who protects it
7,819 conserved acres
20% of Jackson Township’s land. Who manages Jackson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources7,628 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits153 ac
Other state land38 ac
State Conservation Area · 7,303 acConservation Easement · 199 acState Resource Management Area · 165 acPrivate Conservation · 153 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 199 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 7 of 12 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowwood State Forest State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 7,303 | Open |
| Morgan - Monroe State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 165 | Open |
| Brown County Hills - Hitz-Rhodehamel Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 131 | Open |
| Brown County Hills Fee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 21 | Closed |
Things to do
6 places to go in Jackson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Jackson Township
Bean Blossom Overlook
DirectionsPeaks in Jackson Township
Cooks Hill958 ft elevation
DirectionsMaple Hill955 ft elevation
DirectionsBaughman Hill942 ft elevation
DirectionsDug Hill919 ft elevation
DirectionsBaker Hill879 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 22 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 14.7 mi
Tecumseh Trail14.5 mi
Yellowwood Trail1.6 mi
Waycross C&C to Tecumseh Trail Link0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Autumn LakereservoirBaker LakereservoirBardonner LakereservoirBear LakelakeBear Lodge LakereservoirEcho LakereservoirFineburg LakelakeGallahue LakelakeHungry Acres LakelakeKelly LakereservoirKirkofer LakereservoirLake LaSallereservoirLinger Longer LakelakeLutheran Hills LakelakeMerriman LakereservoirMiddle Little Lamb LakelakeOde LakereservoirPrange LakepondRorack LakereservoirShady Oaks LakereservoirUpper Little Lamb LakereservoirBeanblossom Creek
Biking & sports
1.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Bean Blossom Covered BridgeStructure · listed 2022
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Jackson 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 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 42 | 52 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 66 | 53 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.5 |
February is the driest month (2.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Jackson Township →
Next door
Jackson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Township | 20% | 0.3 | 1,884 | 45% | A− |
| Hamblen Township | 6% | 0.3 | 174 | 2% | B− |
| Washington Township | 51% | 1.4 | 4,155 | 26% | A |
| Benton Township | 38% | 0.7 | 258 | 22% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Jackson Township
Where can I hike in Jackson Township?
The longest trail networks: Yellowwood State Forest, 13.5 miles; Trevlac Bluffs Nature Preserve, 3.5 miles; Hitz-Rhodehamel Woods, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jackson Township is conserved land?
20% 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 Jackson Township’s trails?
Yellowwood State Forest and Trevlac Bluffs Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jackson Township?
1.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Jackson Township?
79,916 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jackson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 7,650 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jackson Township have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #35 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 Jackson 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 →