Owen-Putnam State Forest
Nature preserve
571 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Moffett-Ralston House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainDOutdoors
Outdoors in Lafayette Township
Few parks or trails are on the map in Lafayette Township
The biggest trail networks: Owen-Putnam State Forest (1.2 mi). 3% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of Lafayette Township’s land is conserved, about 571 acres.
Ahead of 11% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
571 acres · of 29.1 sq mi of land
Trails
1.2 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Near a park
3%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
804 ft
Emmins Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lafayette Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lafayette Township is ahead of 11% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
D
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lafayette Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 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 home3% 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 11%
LessMore
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Lafayette Township’s 3% is ahead of 68% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 30% of them.
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Lafayette 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 Owen-Putnam State Forest, with 1.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
571 conserved acres
3% of Lafayette Township’s land. Who manages Lafayette Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources571 ac
State Resource Management Area · 571 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owen-Putnam State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 571 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Lafayette Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lafayette Township
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Lafayette Township
Emmins Hill804 ft elevation
DirectionsWolfe Hill784 ft elevation
DirectionsCorbin Hill692 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Lafayette Township
1 campground without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Lafayette 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 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.6 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Lafayette Township →
Next door
Lafayette Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Washington Township13 miMorgan Township8.6 miFranklin Township4.3 miMarion Township2.5 miLafayette Township1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Township | 3% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 3% | D |
| Marion Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Washington Township | 7% | 0.3 | 300 | 36% | B+ |
| Morgan Township | 17% | 0.3 | under 1 | under 1% | C |
| Franklin Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 27 | 2% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lafayette Township
Where can I hike in Lafayette Township?
The longest trail networks: Owen-Putnam State Forest, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lafayette Township is conserved land?
3% 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 Lafayette Township’s trails?
Owen-Putnam State Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Lafayette Township?
10,079 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lafayette Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 581 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lafayette Township have?
Ahead of 11% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Lafayette 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 →