Harrison-Crawford State Forest
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
2,123 acres2.9 mi of trail
United for Horses Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Spencer Township
Spencer Township has 88 acres of parks, 42 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Harrison-Crawford State Forest (2.9 mi). 9% of Spencer Township’s land is conserved, about 2,281 acres. 3% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
2,281 acres · of 38.3 sq mi of land
Trails
3.5 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
88 ac
42 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
3%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
922 ft
Seigs Hill
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Spencer Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Spencer Township is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Spencer Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4CPark land42 acres of park per 1,000 residents (88 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home3% 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 45%
LessMore
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Spencer Township’s 9% is ahead of 91% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 41% 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 Harrison-Crawford State Forest, with 2.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Blue River Gravel Wash Barrens Nature Preserve
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
2,281 conserved acres
9% of Spencer Township’s land. Who manages Spencer Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources2,242 ac
State fish & wildlife39 ac
Other state land39 ac
State Resource Management Area · 2,121 acState Conservation Area · 160 acConservation Easement · 39 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison - Crawford State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 2,121 | Open |
| The Narrows Nature Preserves State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 74 | Restricted |
| Harrison Spring Conservation Club State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 39 | Open |
| Scout Mountain Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 37 | Open |
| Blue River Gravel Wash Barrens Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 8 | Open |
| Harrison-Crawford State Forest State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 2 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Spencer Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Spencer Township
Seigs Hill922 ft elevation
DirectionsHenry Ott Hill912 ft elevation
DirectionsMarion Herthel Hill866 ft elevation
DirectionsBuzzard Roost Hill810 ft elevation
DirectionsDuke Hill732 ft elevation · In Harrison-Crawford State Forest
DirectionsScout Mountain689 ft elevation · In Harrison-Crawford State Forest
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Horses · 2.9 mi
United for Horses Trail2.9 mi
Front Street Northwest0.2 mi
When to get out
June is the best month for walking in Spencer 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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 47 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 87 | 87 | 81 | 69 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.0 |
August is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.4 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Spencer Township →
Next door
Spencer Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Harrison Township83 miJennings Township15 miSpencer Township3.5 miJackson Township1.3 miBlue River Township0.4 miWhiskey Run Township0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Township | 9% | 0.1 | 42 | 3% | C+ |
| Whiskey Run Township | 5% | under 0.1 | 175 | 22% | C+ |
| Harrison Township | 21% | 0.8 | 208 | 16% | A− |
| Blue River Township | 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
| Jackson Township | 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Jennings Township | 25% | 0.3 | 616 | 22% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Spencer Township
Where can I hike in Spencer Township?
The longest trail networks: Harrison-Crawford State Forest, 2.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Spencer Township is conserved land?
9% 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 Spencer Township’s trails?
Harrison-Crawford State Forest and Blue River Gravel Wash Barrens Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Spencer Township?
30,864 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Spencer Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,217 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Spencer Township have?
Ahead of 45% 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 Spencer 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 →