Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The biggest trail networks: Clark State Forest (35.5 mi), White Oak Nature Preserve (0.5 mi). 1% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 37 miles of mapped trail cross Monroe Township, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns · #99 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Monroe Township is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns, #99 of 593 in Indiana. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Monroe Township’s 24% is ahead of 99% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 88% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Clark State Forest, with 35.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
24% of Monroe Township’s land. Who manages Monroe Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 8,351 | Open |
| White Oak Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 134 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 46 | 56 | 68 | 76 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 81 | 69 | 56 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.4 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Monroe Township →
Monroe Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Township | 24% | 0.7 | 23 | 1% | B |
| Union Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 3 | 16% | D |
| Oregon Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 1 | 1% | D− |
| Charlestown Township | 10% | 0.4 | 269 | 38% | B+ |
| Vienna Township | 3% | 0.1 | 7 | 51% | C |
| Carr Township | 20% | 0.8 | under 1 | under 1% | C+ |
| Polk Township | 9% | 0.2 | under 1 | 3% | C− |
| Wood Township | 12% | 0.3 | 88 | 1% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Clark State Forest, 35.5 miles; White Oak Nature Preserve, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
24% 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.
Clark State Forest and White Oak Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
31,333 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Monroe Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 8,533 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #99 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Monroe Township neighbors.
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 →