Fort Harrison State Park
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
1,736 acres13.4 mi of trail
Lawrence Creek TrailSchoen Creek TrailFall Creek TrailCamp Glenn Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: ONUnicorn · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Lawrence Township
10% of Lawrence Township’s land is conserved: 3,113 acres
The biggest trail networks: Fort Harrison State Park (13.4 mi), Skiles Test Nature Park (0.7 mi), Roche Diagnostics Employee Park (0.6 mi). 30 miles of mapped trail cross Lawrence Township, 0.6 per square mile of land. 2,854 acres are parks and preserves, 23 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #64 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
3,113 acres · of 47.0 sq mi of land
Trails
30 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,854 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
56%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
32 mi
6.0 mi lanes · 26 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
9
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Lawrence Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lawrence Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lawrence Township is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #64 of 593 in Indiana. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lawrence Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (30 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,854 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home56% 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 73%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 89%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Lawrence Township ranks #251 on Outdoors.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Lawrence Township’s 10% is ahead of 92% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 87% 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 Fort Harrison State Park, with 13.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Roche Diagnostics Employee Park
Park
54 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sargent Road Nature Park
Nature preserve
31 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 18 parks & preserves
Fort Harrison State Park1,736 acres · 13.4 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsSkiles Test Nature Park82 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsRoche Diagnostics Employee Park54 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsSargent Road Nature Park31 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsSahm Park62 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLee Road Park29 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLawrence Community Park147 acres
DirectionsOaklandon Youth Organization, Veterans Memorial Park44 acres
Woolens Gardens Natural Resource Area32 acres · Indianapolis Dept. of Parks and Recretion
DirectionsGardner Park13 acres
DirectionsBlue Heron Nature Preserve13 acres · Mud Creek Conservancy
Oren Alexander Memorial Park12 acres
DirectionsEugene Burns Park9 acres
DirectionsLouis J. Jenn Memorial Park8 acres
Veteran's Memorial Park8 acres
DirectionsSargent Barn Nature Preserve7 acres
DirectionsDoris Cowherd Park2 acres
Eva C. Talley Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,113 conserved acres
10% of Lawrence Township’s land. Who manages Lawrence Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,618 ac
Town or city879 ac
Private owners510 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits40 ac
County32 ac
State natural resources28 ac
Other state land13 ac
State Park · 987 acState Conservation Area · 766 acLocal Park · 493 acPrivate Park · 376 acState Recreation Area · 242 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 38 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 49 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park State Park | State parks | 980 | Open |
| Old Oakland Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 230 | Open |
| Lawrence Creek Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 229 | Open |
| Sahm Golf Course State Recreation Area | Town or city | 161 | Open |
| Bluffs of Fall Creek Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 151 | Open |
| Lawrence Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 144 | Open |
| WarblerWoods Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 135 | Open |
| Camp Beltzer Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 134 | Open |
| Chinquapin Ridge Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 116 | Open |
| Hillcrest Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 101 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
68 places to go in Lawrence Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lawrence Township
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Lawrence Township
2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Lawrence Township
60 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Lawrence Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Lawrence Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Lawrence Township
Camp Belzer
DirectionsDisc golf in Lawrence Township
Sahm Park Disc Golf CourseIn Sahm Park · Indianapolis Parks
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miHorses · 2.2 miUnpaved · 13.8 mi
Lawrence Creek Trail3.6 mi
Schoen Creek Trail2.9 mi
Horizon Cross Country Course1.3 mi
Fall Creek Trail at Geist Dam1.1 mi
Upper Fall Creek Loop Trail0.9 mi
Fall Creek Trail0.5 mi
Camp Glenn Trail0.5 mi
Camp Creek Trail0.3 mi
A Sacred Path0.2 mi
Lawrence Creek Connector0.1 mi
2 more trails
Upper Fall Creek Trail
0.1 miSchoen Creek Connector
0.1 miBiking & sports
32 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
26 mi
off-road bike paths
0.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
102Tennis
51Baseball
27Basketball
17Soccer
10Pickleball
7Football
3Beach volleyball
3Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places 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.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Lawrence 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 40 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Lawrence Township →
Next door
Lawrence Township and its neighbors
Lawrence Township has the second most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Indianapolis167 miLawrence Township30 miFishers25 miWashington Township25 miFall Creek Township16 miWarren Township8.3 miVernon Township0.6 miMcCordsville0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Township | 10% | 0.6 | 23 | 56% | B+ |
| Indianapolis | 6% | 0.5 | 15 | 61% | B |
| Vernon Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 4 | 31% | D |
| McCordsville | under 1% | under 0.1 | 3 | 14% | D |
| Washington Township | 5% | 0.5 | 8 | 57% | B− |
| Fishers | 6% | 0.7 | 8 | 61% | B |
| Warren Township | 4% | 0.2 | 12 | 60% | B− |
| Fall Creek Township | 4% | 0.5 | 6 | 53% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lawrence Township
Where can I hike in Lawrence Township?
The longest trail networks: Fort Harrison State Park, 13.4 miles; Skiles Test Nature Park, 0.7 miles; Roche Diagnostics Employee Park, 0.6 miles; Sargent Road Nature Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lawrence Township is conserved land?
10% 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 Lawrence Township’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Skiles Test Nature Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lawrence Township?
32 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.0 of painted or protected lanes, 26 of off-road paths and 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lawrence Township?
11,757 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lawrence Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,854 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lawrence Township have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #64 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 Lawrence 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 →