Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park
Managed by South Bend Venue Parks & Arts
149 acres2.5 mi of trail
Portage TrailPalisades TrailPortage Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Evking22 · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Penn Township
Penn Township has 667 acres of parks, 9.7 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park (2.5 mi), Central Park (1.1 mi), Mary Gibbard Park (0.5 mi). 2% of Penn Township’s land is conserved, about 623 acres. 13 miles of mapped trail cross Penn Township, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns · #271 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
623 acres · of 62.7 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
667 ac
9.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
69%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
39 mi
17 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
7
8 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Penn Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Penn Township is ahead of 40% of U.S. towns, #271 of 593 in Indiana. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Penn Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land9.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (667 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home69% 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 40%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 54%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Penn Township’s 2% is ahead of 49% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 59% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mary Gibbard Park
Managed by Mishawaka Parks and Recreation
7 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 28 parks & preserves
Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park149 acres · 2.5 mi of trail · South Bend Venue Parks & Arts
DirectionsCentral Park15 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMary Gibbard Park7 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Mishawaka Parks and Recreation
Hills Hans Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsTwin Branch Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBattell Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBendix Park22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBeutter Waterfront Park15 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHeroes Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Mishawaka Parks and Recreation
DirectionsKate's Garden3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWilson Park48 acres
Mishawaka RES30 acres
Rose Park19 acres
Osceola Baseball & Softball Association19 acres
DirectionsMerrifield Park16 acres
DirectionsHenry Frank Park12 acres
DirectionsCrawford Park12 acres
DirectionsLaing Park11 acres
DirectionsMargaret H. Prickett Marina Park9 acres
DirectionsNormain Heights Park7 acres
DirectionsKamm Island Park7 acres
DirectionsFern Hunsberger Park6 acres
Borley Park3 acres
DirectionsTemple Park3 acres
DirectionsMonkey Island2 acres
DirectionsLincoln Park2 acres
DirectionsShiojiri Garden1 acres
DirectionsSt. Joe County Park Boat Launch1 acres
Who protects it
623 conserved acres
2% of Penn Township’s land. Who manages Penn Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city465 ac
County144 ac
State fish & wildlife14 ac
Local Park · 580 acLocal Recreation Area · 29 acState Other or Unknown · 11 acState Recreation Area · 2 acState Conservation Area · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferrettie/Baugo Creek Local Park | County | 135 | Open |
| Eberhart-Petro Golf Course Local Park | Town or city | 107 | Open |
| George Wilson Park Local Park | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Bendix Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Laing Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Osceola Baseball And Softball Association Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Merrifield Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Robert C Buetter Riverfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Ward Baker Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Rose Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
96 places to go in Penn Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Penn Township
Penn Swimming Pools
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Penn Township
Bittersweet Playground
Directionssplash padIn Central Park
Directions65 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Penn Township
large dogsIn Margaret H. Prickett Marina Park
Directionssmall dogsIn Margaret H. Prickett Marina Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Penn Township
8 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Penn Township
12 scenic views without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Penn Township
7 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Penn Township
Courtyard
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 7 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.3 mi
Palisades Trail0.7 mi
Portage Trail0.6 mi
Portage Loop0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
39 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
17 mi
off-road bike paths
22 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
47Tennis
34Baseball
21Beach volleyball
19Basketball
10Soccer
6Football
6Softball
4Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 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.
Mishawaka Reservoir Caretaker's ResidenceBuilding · listed 1998
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Penn Township: April, July and September
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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Penn Township →
Next door
Penn Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
South Bend28 miPortage Township27 miClay Township13 miPenn Township13 miMishawaka12 miHarris Township8.8 miMadison Township3.3 miBaugo Township0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Township | 2% | 0.2 | 10 | 69% | C+ |
| Baugo Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 3 | 36% | D |
| Portage Township | 5% | 0.8 | 10 | 87% | B+ |
| Mishawaka | 4% | 0.6 | 8 | 82% | B |
| South Bend | 6% | 0.7 | 15 | 84% | B+ |
| Harris Township | 3% | 0.4 | 10 | 29% | C+ |
| Madison Township | under 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Clay Township | 8% | 0.6 | 19 | 45% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Penn Township
Where can I hike in Penn Township?
The longest trail networks: Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park, 2.5 miles; Central Park, 1.1 miles; Mary Gibbard Park, 0.5 miles; Hills Hans Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Penn Township is conserved land?
2% 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 Penn Township’s trails?
Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park and Central Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Penn Township?
39 miles of bike routes are on the map: 17 of off-road paths and 22 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Penn Township?
8,265 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Penn Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 677 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Penn Township have?
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #271 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 Penn 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 →