Southwestway Park
Managed by Indy Parks and Recreation
59 acres1 mi of trail
Hidden Lakes Loop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: IndyTaylor · CC BY-SA 4.0COutdoors
Outdoors in Perry Township
Perry Township has 19 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Southwestway Park (1 mi), Perry Park (0.7 mi), Glenns Valley Nature Park (0.5 mi). 436 acres are parks and preserves, 3.6 per 1,000 residents. 43% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns · #331 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
406 acres · of 45.9 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
436 ac
3.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
43%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
18 mi
9.4 mi lanes · 7.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Perry Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Perry Township is ahead of 30% of U.S. towns, #331 of 593 in Indiana. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Perry Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land3.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (436 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13CParks close to home43% of residents within a half mile of a park · IN 51% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 30%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 44%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Perry Township ranks #394 on Outdoors.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Perry Township’s 1% is ahead of 47% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 77% of them.
Park acres per resident are where Perry Township trails most U.S. towns: 3.6 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 123,439 people share 436 acres.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− 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 Southwestway Park, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Perry Park
Park
21 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Glenns Valley Nature Park
Managed by Indy Parks
33 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Gray Park
Park
14 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 15 parks & preserves
Southwestway Park59 acres · 1 mi of trail · Indy Parks and Recreation
Perry Park21 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Glenns Valley Nature Park33 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Indy Parks
Gray Park14 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Sarah T. Bolton Park38 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSchwitzer Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSmith Mall2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGerman Park24 acres
Bluff Park10 acres
DirectionsHartman Park9 acres
DirectionsSouthside Park7 acres
Southport Presbyterian Park5 acres
Southport Park3 acres
DirectionsMeridian Woods Park1 acres
University Heights Pocket Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
406 conserved acres
1% of Perry Township’s land. Who manages Perry Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city400 ac
State natural resources62 ac
Joint2 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
Private owners1 ac
Local Park · 179 acState Recreation Area · 160 acConservation Easement · 63 acLocal Conservation Area · 62 acAgricultural Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 19 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smock Golf Course State Recreation Area | Town or city | 160 | Open |
| Southwestway - Cottonwood Lakes Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| Sarah Bolton Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Glenns Valley Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| German Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Perry Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| South Grove Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Restricted |
| Hartman Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Bluff Park / Indianapolis Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Southside Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
42 places to go in Perry Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Perry Township
Key Stadium Playground
Directions39 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Perry Township
Smock Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miUnpaved · 2.3 mi
Hidden Lakes Loop1.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
18 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
7.9 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
50Tennis
35Baseball
18Basketball
11Soccer
8Football
2Beach volleyball
2Volleyball
1Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 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.
Hanna-Ochler-Elder HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itGeorge Stumpf HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itAdministration Building, Indiana Central UniversityBuilding · listed 1984
About itSouthport High School, OldBuilding · listed 2003
About itSt. Timothy’s Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 2020
About itBluff Road Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2023
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Perry 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 40 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 66 | 52 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Perry Township →
Next door
Perry Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Indianapolis167 miCenter Township29 miPerry Township19 miWhite River Township14 miDecatur Township12 miPleasant Township11 miGreenwood9.4 miFranklin Township5.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perry Township | 1% | 0.4 | 4 | 43% | C |
| Decatur Township | 3% | 0.4 | 17 | 37% | B− |
| Franklin Township | 2% | 0.1 | 8 | 52% | C |
| Indianapolis | 6% | 0.5 | 15 | 61% | B |
| White River Township | 1% | 0.3 | 1 | 31% | C− |
| Greenwood | 2% | 0.3 | 5 | 82% | C+ |
| Center Township | 7% | 0.7 | 15 | 93% | A− |
| Pleasant Township | 1% | 0.3 | 5 | 81% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Perry Township
Where can I hike in Perry Township?
The longest trail networks: Southwestway Park, 1 miles; Perry Park, 0.7 miles; Glenns Valley Nature Park, 0.5 miles; Gray Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Perry Township is conserved land?
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 Perry Township’s trails?
Southwestway Park and Perry Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Perry Township?
18 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.4 of painted or protected lanes, 7.9 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Perry Township?
8,894 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Perry Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 438 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Perry Township have?
Ahead of 30% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #331 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 Perry 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 →