Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainThe biggest trail networks: Crooked Lake Nature Preserve (2.5 mi), Wendell and Evelyn Dygert Nature Preserve (1.6 mi). 20% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4.0 miles of mapped trail cross Thorncreek Township, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 39% of U.S. towns · #274 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Thorncreek Township is ahead of 39% of U.S. towns, #274 of 593 in Indiana. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Thorncreek Township’s 2% is ahead of 53% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 45% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Crooked Lake Nature Preserve, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
2% of Thorncreek Township’s land. Who manages Thorncreek Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 209 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 7 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crooked Lake Nature Preserve (Original) State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 96 | Restricted |
| Crooked Lake Managed Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 75 | Open |
| Tri-lakes State Fish Hatchery State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 19 | Open |
| Crooked Lake Nature Preserve Addition #2 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 8 | Restricted |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
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 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.3 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Thorncreek Township →
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorncreek Township | 2% | 0.1 | 76 | 20% | C+ |
| Columbia Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 16 | 68% | C+ |
| Smith Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 8 | 29% | D |
| Noble Township | 4% | 0.2 | 4 | 28% | C |
| Columbia City | 3% | 1.1 | 20 | 79% | B+ |
| Tri-Lakes | 1% | under 0.1 | 5 | 32% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Crooked Lake Nature Preserve, 2.5 miles; Wendell and Evelyn Dygert Nature Preserve, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
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.
Crooked Lake Nature Preserve and Wendell and Evelyn Dygert Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
3,725 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Thorncreek Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 334 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 39% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #274 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Thorncreek Township neighbors.
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 →