Judy Burton Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
45 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Rochester Township
Rochester Township has 374 acres of parks, 37 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Judy Burton Nature Preserve (1.4 mi), Hospital Trails Park (1.2 mi), Prairie Edge Nature Park (0.9 mi). 12 miles of mapped trail cross Rochester Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 2% of Rochester Township’s land is conserved, about 970 acres.
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns · #181 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
970 acres · of 82.6 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
374 ac
37 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
70%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.4 mi
5.4 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
2 beaches · 1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rochester Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rochester Township is ahead of 52% of U.S. towns, #181 of 593 in Indiana. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rochester Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land37 acres of park per 1,000 residents (374 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home70% 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 52%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 70%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Rochester Township’s 2% is ahead of 52% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 51% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. 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 Judy Burton Nature Preserve, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Prairie Edge Nature Park
Park
21 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
City Park
Park
38 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Blacketor Park
Park
29 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 9 parks & preserves
Judy Burton Nature Preserve45 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHospital Trails Park29 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPrairie Edge Nature Park21 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
City Park38 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Blacketor Park29 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Fulton County Public Library Arboretum2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Lakeside Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFansler Park10 acres
DirectionsJaycee Park1 acres
Who protects it
970 conserved acres
2% of Rochester Township’s land. Who manages Rochester Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources428 ac
State fish & wildlife334 ac
Town or city188 ac
County19 ac
Other state land1 ac
State Conservation Area · 727 acLocal Park · 207 acState Recreation Area · 35 acConservation Easement · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 16 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manitou (Lake) Islands Wetland Conservation Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 212 | Restricted |
| Bob Kern Wetlands Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 163 | Restricted |
| Lakeview Park Local Park | Town or city | 145 | Open |
| Judy Burton Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 128 | Restricted |
| Manitou Islands Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 87 | Restricted |
| Lake Manitou Birt Tract State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 81 | Restricted |
| Lake Manitou Oren Tract State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 56 | Open |
| Menominee Public Fishing Area State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 33 | Open |
| City Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Pioneer Park Local Park | County | 17 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in Rochester Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Rochester Township
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Rochester Township
10 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Rochester Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Disc golf in Rochester Township
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
13Baseball
8Tennis
7Soccer
6Pickleball
5Basketball
1Skate park
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Rochester 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) | 9.5 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.6 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Rochester Township →
Next door
Rochester Township and its neighbors
Rochester Township has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Township | 2% | 0.1 | 37 | 70% | B− |
| Henry Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 16 | 48% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rochester Township
Where can I hike in Rochester Township?
The longest trail networks: Judy Burton Nature Preserve, 1.4 miles; Hospital Trails Park, 1.2 miles; Prairie Edge Nature Park, 0.9 miles; City Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rochester 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 Rochester Township’s trails?
Judy Burton Nature Preserve and Hospital Trails Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rochester Township?
5.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Rochester Township?
874 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rochester Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 374 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rochester Township have?
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #181 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 Rochester 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 →