Moraine Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
461 acres3.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Moraine Nature Preserve ParkingWebsite ↗
C−Outdoors
Outdoors in Jackson Township
6% of Jackson Township’s land is conserved: 992 acres
The biggest trail networks: Moraine Nature Preserve (3.1 mi), Zona Wildlife Refuge (1.4 mi). 4.4 miles of mapped trail cross Jackson Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 17% of U.S. towns · #443 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
992 acres · of 27.0 sq mi of land
Trails
4.4 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
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 17% of U.S. towns, #443 of 593 in Indiana. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Jackson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 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 17%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 25%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Jackson Township’s 6% is ahead of 82% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 53% of them.
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Jackson 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 Moraine Nature Preserve, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Zona Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
88 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
992 conserved acres
6% 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 resources938 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits54 ac
State Conservation Area · 938 acConservation Easement · 54 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 54 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 5 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moraine Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 461 | Restricted |
| Moriane Natural Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 361 | Restricted |
| University Of Chicago Woods State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 76 | Restricted |
| Suman Fen State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 40 | Restricted |
Things to do
2 places to go in Jackson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Jackson Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Jackson Township
Sand Creek CampgroundFee
DirectionsTrails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Basketball
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 | 35 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Jackson Township →
Next door
Jackson Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Westchester Township55 miPine Township18 miLiberty Township15 miNew Durham Township4.8 miJackson Township4.4 miWashington Township2.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Township | 6% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| Liberty Township | 5% | 0.6 | 63 | 58% | B+ |
| New Durham Township | 1% | 0.1 | 9 | 19% | C− |
| Pine Township | 24% | 0.7 | 1,276 | 70% | A |
| Washington Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 14 | 6% | C− |
| Westchester Township | 32% | 1.7 | 298 | 93% | 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: Moraine Nature Preserve, 3.1 miles; Zona Wildlife Refuge, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Jackson Township is conserved land?
6% 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?
Moraine Nature Preserve and Zona Wildlife Refuge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Jackson Township?
14,778 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Jackson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Jackson Township have?
Ahead of 17% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #443 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 →