Bradt Natural Area
Nature preserve
85 acres2.1 mi of trail
Trail 1Trail 3Trail 2
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Busching Covered Bridge · Photo: Chris Light · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Johnson Township
Johnson Township has 5,942 acres of parks, 1,584 for every 1,000 residents
17% of Johnson Township’s land is conserved, about 5,951 acres. 58 miles of mapped trail cross Johnson Township, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Bradt Natural Area (2.1 mi).
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #7 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
17%
5,951 acres · of 54.6 sq mi of land
Trails
58 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,942 ac
1,584 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
63%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
961 ft
Hassmer Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Johnson Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Room to roam1,584 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild17% of the land is conserved; a typical Indiana town, 2%.A trail town1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 82% of U.S. towns.History along the way6 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Johnson Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Johnson Township is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #7 of 593 in Indiana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Johnson Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land17% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (58 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land1,584 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,942 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home63% of residents within a half mile of a park · IN 51% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 92%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)#7 of 593
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Johnson Township’s 17% is ahead of 97% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 95% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Bradt Natural Area, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Versailles Sports Complex
Park
51 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Pangburn Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
5,951 conserved acres
17% of Johnson Township’s land. Who manages Johnson Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks5,849 ac
State natural resources102 ac
State Park · 5,496 acState Conservation Area · 353 acForest Stewardship Easement · 102 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 102 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Versailles State Park State Park | State parks | 5,496 | Open |
| Falling Timber Nature Preserve (Falling Timber) State Conservation Area | State parks | 105 | Open |
| Laughery Bluff Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 98 | Open |
| Falling Timber Nature Preserve (Henderson Bend) State Conservation Area | State parks | 72 | Open |
| Versailles Flatwoods Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 41 | Open |
| Dogwood Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 21 | Open |
| Falling Timber Nature Preserve (High Bluff) State Conservation Area | State parks | 17 | Open |
Things to do
17 places to go in Johnson Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Johnson Township
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Johnson Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Johnson Township
Hassmer Hill961 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Johnson Township
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Johnson Township
Campground A
DirectionsCampground B
DirectionsCampground C
DirectionsGroup Camp Laughery
DirectionsHorseman's Campground
DirectionsYouth Tent Area
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 23.7 miHorses · 20.2 miUnpaved · 0.9 mi
Grandview Loop5.3 mi
Potato Peeler4.4 mi
Trail 13.9 mi
Trail X3.5 mi
Shadow Run3.4 mi
Trail A2.9 mi
Trail B2.9 mi
Trail D2.8 mi
Trail 32.5 mi
Worm Hole2.5 mi
15 more trails
Trail W
2.1 miLast Chance
2.0 miTrail 2
1.8 miTrail Z
1.7 miTrail S
1.6 miTrail Y
1.5 miEagle Trace
1.4 miCenter Loop
1.3 miCliffside
1.2 miTrail 4
1.0 miCreekside
0.8 miTrampled By Turtles
0.7 miTurtle Trail
0.4 miTrail G
0.3 miTrail C
0.3 miLakes & 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
8Soccer
7Basketball
5Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Busching Covered BridgeStructure · listed 2019
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Johnson 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 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 43 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 67 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Johnson Township →
Next door
Johnson Township and its neighbors
Johnson Township has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Johnson Township58 miShelby Township27 miOtter Creek Township7.3 miBrown Township1.9 miDelaware Township1.9 miWashington Township1.1 miCenter Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson Township | 17% | 1.1 | 1,584 | 63% | A |
| Washington Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
| Brown Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
| Center Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 52 | 55% | C |
| Shelby Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Otter Creek Township | under 1% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Delaware Township | under 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Johnson Township
Where can I hike in Johnson Township?
The longest trail networks: Bradt Natural Area, 2.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Johnson Township is conserved land?
17% 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 Johnson Township’s trails?
Bradt Natural Area and Versailles Sports Complex don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Johnson Township?
6,148 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Johnson Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,942 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Johnson Township have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #7 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 Johnson 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 →