Bristors Spring Park
Park
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainC+Outdoors
Outdoors in St. Joseph Township
St. Joseph Township has 14 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
359 acres are parks and preserves, 4.6 per 1,000 residents. 56% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of St. Joseph Township’s land is conserved, about 634 acres.
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns · #268 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
634 acres · of 35.1 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
359 ac
4.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
56%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
30 mi
3.9 mi lanes · 22 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does St. Joseph Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, St. Joseph Township is ahead of 40% of U.S. towns, #268 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 St. Joseph Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land4.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (359 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13CParks close to home56% 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 55%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so St. Joseph Township’s 3% is ahead of 64% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 76% 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 Bristors Spring Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Jehl Park
Park
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Bristors Spring Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Jehl Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Shoaff Park166 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLondonderry Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Laurelwood Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Hillsborro Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
SCAN Children's Garden1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPraise Park40 acres
DirectionsLions Park14 acres
DirectionsKatler Park13 acres
DirectionsRocket Park3 acres
Kreager Park1 acres
Saint Joseph Township Community Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
634 conserved acres
3% of St. Joseph Township’s land. Who manages St. Joseph Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners405 ac
Town or city192 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits37 ac
Private Park · 405 acLocal Park · 192 acState Conservation Area · 37 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoaff Park Local Park | Town or city | 172 | Open |
| Cherry Hill Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 161 | Open |
| Riverbend Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 150 | Open |
| Canterbury Green Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 56 | Open |
| Arlington Park Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 38 | Open |
| Mengerson Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 37 | Closed |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Jehl Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| St. Joe Pathway Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
64 places to go in St. Joseph Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in St. Joseph Township
Crossroad's Playground
Directions58 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in St. Joseph Township
2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in St. Joseph Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in St. Joseph Township
Rocket HillIn Rocket Park
DirectionsCommunity gardens in St. Joseph Township
1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.5 mi
River Bend Woods Commons Path0.3 mi
Knopp Commons Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
30 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
22 mi
off-road bike paths
4.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
63Tennis
35Baseball
24Basketball
23Soccer
11Pickleball
3Football
1Volleyball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 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.
Martin Blume Jr. FarmBuilding · listed 2006
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in St. Joseph 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 | 14.9 | 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) | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in St. Joseph Township →
Next door
St. Joseph Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Fort Wayne82 miWayne Township33 miWashington Township28 miSt. Joseph Township14 miCedar Creek Township11 miAdams Township7.0 miNew Haven1.6 miMilan Township1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph Township | 3% | 0.4 | 5 | 56% | C+ |
| Washington Township | 5% | 0.9 | 21 | 41% | B |
| Adams Township | 4% | 0.2 | 14 | 52% | B− |
| Cedar Creek Township | 3% | 0.3 | 22 | 22% | C+ |
| Wayne Township | 6% | 0.8 | 11 | 88% | B+ |
| Milan Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 1% | D |
| Fort Wayne | 5% | 0.7 | 9 | 71% | B |
| New Haven | 3% | 0.1 | 5 | 49% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in St. Joseph Township
Where can I hike in St. Joseph Township?
The longest trail networks: Bristors Spring Park, 0.3 miles; Jehl Park, 0.3 miles; Shoaff Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of St. Joseph Township is conserved land?
3% 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 St. Joseph Township’s trails?
Bristors Spring Park and Jehl Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in St. Joseph Township?
30 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.9 of painted or protected lanes, 22 of off-road paths and 4.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near St. Joseph Township?
4,399 acres of parks and open public land lie inside St. Joseph Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 359 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does St. Joseph Township have?
Ahead of 40% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #268 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 St. Joseph 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 →