River Preserve County Park
Managed by Elkhart County Parks
66 acres3.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Jackson Township
Jackson Township has 153 acres of parks, 31 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: River Preserve County Park (3.1 mi), DeFries Gardens (0.5 mi). 5.5 miles of mapped trail cross Jackson Township, 0.2 per square mile of land. 34% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns · #288 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
220 acres · of 36.3 sq mi of land
Trails
5.5 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
153 ac
31 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
34%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.8 mi
Highest peak
984 ft
Buzzard Hill
Lakes & rivers
1
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 36% of U.S. towns, #288 of 593 in Indiana. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jackson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land31 acres of park per 1,000 residents (153 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home34% 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 36%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 52%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Jackson Township’s 1% is ahead of 41% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 52% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− 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 River Preserve County Park, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
DeFries Gardens
Managed by Elkhart County Parks
7 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Baintertown Park
Managed by Elkhart County Parks
4 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
220 conserved acres
1% of Jackson Township’s land. Who manages Jackson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city79 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)62 ac
County58 ac
Private owners21 ac
Local Park · 137 acConservation Easement · 62 acPrivate Park · 21 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 62 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Preserve Park Local Park | County | 58 | Restricted |
| Baintertown Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Parmore Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 21 | Open |
| Hoover Field Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Sunnyside Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Jackson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Jackson Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Jackson Township
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Jackson Township
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Peaks in Jackson Township
Buzzard Hill984 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Jackson Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
7.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
7Baseball
2Basketball
1Beach volleyball
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Jackson Township: April and September
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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 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 | 1% | 0.2 | 31 | 34% | C+ |
| Union Township | 1% | 0.2 | 37 | 54% | B− |
| Benton Township | 1% | 0.1 | 15 | 10% | C− |
| Elkhart Township | 4% | 0.5 | 17 | 60% | B |
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: River Preserve County Park, 3.1 miles; DeFries Gardens, 0.5 miles; Sunny Side Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jackson 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 Jackson Township’s trails?
River Preserve County Park and DeFries Gardens don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Jackson Township?
7.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Jackson Township?
1,698 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jackson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 153 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jackson Township have?
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #288 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 →