Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United Sates Fish and Wildlife Service
2,590 acres5.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
DOutdoors
Outdoors in Otter Creek Township
Otter Creek Township has 7.3 miles of mapped trails, 0.2 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (5.8 mi).
Ahead of 6% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
0 acres · of 41.7 sq mi of land
Trails
7.3 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Otter Creek Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Otter Creek Township is ahead of 6% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; trail miles come closest.
D
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Otter Creek Township’s overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%DTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 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 6%
LessMore
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Otter Creek Township’s under 1% is ahead of 7% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 55% of them.
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Otter Creek 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 D. 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 Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, with 5.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
History along the way
History →1 place 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.
Otter Creek Covered BridgeStructure · listed 2019
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Otter Creek 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) | 38 | 43 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 67 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.7 |
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 Otter Creek Township →
Next door
Otter Creek Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Johnson Township58 miShelby Township27 miOtter Creek Township7.3 miJackson Township1.3 miColumbia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Creek Township | under 1% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Columbia Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Center Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 52 | 55% | C |
| Shelby Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Jackson Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Johnson Township | 17% | 1.1 | 1,584 | 63% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Otter Creek Township
Where can I hike in Otter Creek Township?
The longest trail networks: Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, 5.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Otter Creek Township is conserved land?
under 1% 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 Otter Creek Township’s trails?
Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Otter Creek Township?
6,511 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Otter Creek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Otter Creek Township have?
Ahead of 6% 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 Otter Creek 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 →