Hoosier National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
2,131 acres8 mi of trail
Pate Hollow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Salt Creek Township
More than half of Salt Creek Township’s land is conserved: 52%
52% of Salt Creek Township’s land is conserved, about 8,858 acres. 93 acres are parks and preserves, 63 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Hoosier National Forest (8 mi), Paynetown State Recreation Area (4 mi), Morgan-Monroe State Forest (1.1 mi).
Ahead of 75% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
52%
8,858 acres · of 26.7 sq mi of land
Trails
19 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
93 ac
63 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
4%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
758 ft
Jimmy Sexton Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Salt Creek Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Salt Creek Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Salt Creek Township is ahead of 75% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Salt Creek Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land52% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (19 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land63 acres of park per 1,000 residents (93 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home4% 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 75%
LessMore
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Salt Creek Township’s 52% is ahead of 100% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 89% of them.
Water is 10% of Salt Creek Township’s area (3 of 30 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 47%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. 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 Hoosier National Forest, with 8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Paynetown State Recreation Area
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
470 acres4 mi of trail
Blue Bird TrailWhitetail TrailTree Trek Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Morgan-Monroe State Forest
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
1,713 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Amy Weingartner Branigin Peninsula Preserve
Managed by Sycamore Land Trust
31 acres0.4 mi of trail
Whitehead Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 6 parks & preserves
Hoosier National Forest2,131 acres · 8 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsPaynetown State Recreation Area470 acres · 4 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsMorgan-Monroe State Forest1,713 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Amy Weingartner Branigin Peninsula Preserve31 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Sycamore Land Trust
DirectionsPine Grove State Recreation Area17 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsYellowwood State Forest1 acres · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Who protects it
8,858 conserved acres
52% of Salt Creek Township’s land. Water is left out: Salt Creek Township has 26.7 square miles of land and 3.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Salt Creek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Army Corps of Engineers5,358 ac
U.S. Forest Service2,128 ac
State natural resources1,668 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits83 ac
Recreation Management Area · 5,358 acNational Forest · 2,128 acState Resource Management Area · 1,604 acState Conservation Area · 147 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 5,358 | Open |
| Hoosier National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 2,128 | Open |
| Morgan - Monroe State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 1,604 | Open |
| Yellowwood State Forest State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 64 | Open |
| Heritage Woods State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 37 | Restricted |
| Pizzo State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 27 | Open |
| Latimer Woods State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 13 | Restricted |
| Caldwell - Cedar Crest State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 3 | Restricted |
| Daffodil Hill State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 3 | Restricted |
Things to do
10 places to go in Salt Creek Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Salt Creek Township
Paynetown BeachIn Paynetown State Recreation Area
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Salt Creek Township
Deer Run PlaygroundIn Paynetown State Recreation Area
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Salt Creek Township
Paynetown RampIn Paynetown State Recreation Area
DirectionsPinegrove RampIn Pine Grove State Recreation Area
DirectionsFishing spots in Salt Creek Township
1 fishing spot without a name on the map.
Peaks in Salt Creek Township
Jimmy Sexton Hill758 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Salt Creek Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Salt Creek Township
Primitive CampgroundIn Paynetown State Recreation Area
DirectionsTent Area BIn Paynetown State Recreation Area
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miUnpaved · 1.4 mi
Pate Hollow Trail6.6 mi
Blue Bird Trail0.9 mi
Whitetail Trail0.6 mi
Tree Trek Trail0.4 mi
Whitehead Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Tennis
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Salt 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 | 83 | 85 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 53 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.4 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.1 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Salt Creek Township →
Next door
Salt Creek Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Washington Township138 miPolk Township53 miBenton Township39 miSalt Creek Township19 miPerry Township17 miClear Creek Township13 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Creek Township | 52% | 0.7 | 63 | 4% | B+ |
| Washington Township | 51% | 1.4 | 4,155 | 26% | A |
| Benton Township | 38% | 0.7 | 258 | 22% | A− |
| Perry Township | 4% | 0.5 | 11 | 73% | B |
| Polk Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Clear Creek Township | 33% | 0.4 | 8 | 7% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Salt Creek Township
Where can I hike in Salt Creek Township?
The longest trail networks: Hoosier National Forest, 8 miles; Paynetown State Recreation Area, 4 miles; Morgan-Monroe State Forest, 1.1 miles; Amy Weingartner Branigin Peninsula Preserve, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Salt Creek Township is conserved land?
52% 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 Salt Creek Township’s trails?
Hoosier National Forest and Paynetown State Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Salt Creek Township?
104,992 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Salt Creek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 6,982 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Salt Creek Township have?
Ahead of 75% 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 Salt 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 →