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Thomas A. Hendricks House and Stone Head Road MarkerThomas A. Hendricks House and Stone Head Road Marker · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Van Buren Township

Van Buren Township has 11,052 acres of parks, 5,670 for every 1,000 residents

48% of Van Buren Township’s land is conserved, about 26,654 acres. 97 miles of mapped trail cross Van Buren Township, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Brown County State Park (56 mi), Hoosier National Forest (21.3 mi), Yellowwood State Forest (5.2 mi).

Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Conserved land
48%
26,654 acres · of 87.2 sq mi of land
Trails
97 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
11,052 ac
5,670 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
7%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
1,010 ft
Hohen Point
Lakes & rivers
14

What kind of outdoors town is Van Buren Township?

Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.

Room to roam5,670 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.Land that stays wild48% of the land is conserved; a typical Indiana town, 2%.A trail town1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 83% of U.S. towns.
Outdoors grade

How much outdoors does Van Buren Township have?

On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Van Buren Township is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.

A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Van Buren Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land48% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (97 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land5,670 acres of park per 1,000 residents (11,052 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home7% 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 86%
LessMore

Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Van Buren Township’s 48% is ahead of 100% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 96% of them.

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.

12345
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 Brown County State Park, with 56 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.

Brown County State Park

Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
9,259 acres56 mi of trail
Horse Trail BHorse Trail AHorse Trail 16Horse Trail H+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Hoosier National Forest

Managed by United States Forest Service
12,027 acres21.3 mi of trail
Ogala TrailNebo Ridge TrailNebo RidgeBrown County "D"+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Yellowwood State Forest

Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
1,615 acres5.2 mi of trail
Horse Trail DTecumseh TrailHorse Trail 16
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot

Stone Head Nature Preserve

Nature preserve
123 acres4.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗

Laura Hare Nature Preserve at Downey Hill

Managed by Sycamore Land Trust
126 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
Brown County State Park9,259 acres · 56 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Directions
Hoosier National Forest12,027 acres · 21.3 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Directions
Yellowwood State Forest1,615 acres · 5.2 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Directions
Stone Head Nature Preserve123 acres · 4.9 mi of trail
Directions
Laura Hare Nature Preserve at Downey Hill126 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Sycamore Land Trust
Charles C. Deam Wilderness9 acres · United States Forest Service
Who protects it

26,654 conserved acres

48% of Van Buren Township’s land. Who manages Van Buren Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.

U.S. Forest Service12,027 ac
State parks9,326 ac
Army Corps of Engineers3,747 ac
State natural resources1,932 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits86 ac
National Forest · 12,027 acState Park · 7,392 acRecreation Management Area · 3,747 acState Conservation Area · 3,679 acForest Stewardship Easement · 187 ac
Good to know

Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 223 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.

The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)Managed byAcresPublic access
Hoosier National Forest
National Forest
U.S. Forest Service12,027Open
Brown County State Park
State Park
State parks7,392Open
Monroe Recreation Area
Recreation Management Area
Army Corps of Engineers3,747Open
10 O'clock Line Nature Preserve
State Conservation Area
State parks1,934Open
Yellowwood State Forest
State Conservation Area
State natural resources1,744Open
Brown County Hills - Salt Creek
Private Conservation
Land trusts & nonprofits50Closed
Things to do

24 places to go in Van Buren Township

Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.

Peaks in Van Buren Township
Hohen Point1,010 ft elevation · In Brown County State Park
Directions
Browning Hill928 ft elevation · In Hoosier National Forest
Directions
Seelmaer Hill856 ft elevation
Directions
Nickerson Hill814 ft elevation
Directions
Risk Hill814 ft elevation
Directions
Shepard Hill781 ft elevation
Directions
Wilkerson Hill764 ft elevation · In Hoosier National Forest
Directions
Cherry Hill741 ft elevation
Directions
3 more peaks
Hurley Hill741 ft elevation
Directions
Kirk Hill722 ft elevation · In Hoosier National Forest
Directions
Polly Hill692 ft elevation · In Brown County State Park
Directions
Trails & water

25 named trails and 14 lakes & rivers

Named trails
Open to bikes · 18.2 miHorses · 54.2 miUnpaved · 24.5 mi
Horse Trail B8.1 mi
Horse Trail A5.3 mi
Ogala Trail4.8 mi
Nebo Ridge Trail3.5 mi
Horse Trail 163.2 mi
Horse Trail H2.8 mi
Horse Trail D2.7 mi
Horse Trail J2.7 mi
Horse Trail 172.4 mi
Horse Trail E2.3 mi
15 more trails
Horse Trail 15
2.3 mi
Horse Trail 14
2.2 mi
Horse Trail C
2.2 mi
Limekiln East
2.1 mi
Limekiln West
2.0 mi
Horse Trail 13
1.9 mi
Nebo Ridge
1.7 mi
Horse Trail 11
1.4 mi
Horse Trail 6
1.3 mi
Schooner Trace
1.3 mi
Horse Trail A-1
1.3 mi
Trail 6
1.2 mi
Brown County "D"
1.2 mi
Tecumseh Trail
1.2 mi
Horse Trail I
1.0 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Camp Christina LakereservoirCrooked Creek LakereservoirDixon PondpondGoodwin LakelakeHappy Hollow LakereservoirHarris PondreservoirOrtleib LakelakePine Ridge PondreservoirScott PondpondSilver Hook LakereservoirStrahl LakereservoirTreaty Line PondpondMiddle Fork Salt CreekSycamore Branch
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.

Limekiln EastBike route
2.1 mi
Limekiln TrailBike route
2 mi
Schooner TraceBike route
1.3 mi
Walnut TrailBike route
0.5 mi
Courts & fields
2Basketball
1Tennis
1Beach volleyball

Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.

History along the way

2 places on the National Register

The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).

History →
Thomas A. Hendricks House and Stone Head Road MarkerBuilding · listed 1984
About it
Story Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2019
About it
When to get out

August is the best month for walking in Van Buren 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Daylight (h)9.710.711.813.214.314.914.713.712.411.110.09.4
High (°F)384353657483858579675442
Rain (in)3.52.93.94.95.24.94.43.53.43.63.73.6

February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Van Buren Township →

Next door

Van Buren Township and its neighbors

Van Buren Township has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.

Washington Township138 miVan Buren Township97 miSalt Creek Township36 miJackson Township1.6 miPershing Township0.7 mi
TownConserved
of land		Trail mi
per sq mi		Park acres
per 1,000		Near a park
½ mile		Outdoors
Van Buren Township48%1.15,6707%A
Washington Township51%1.44,15526%A
Salt Creek Township— not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Pershing Township25%under 0.1327%C
Jackson Townshipunder 1%0.1under 1under 1%D−

The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.

Questions about parks and trails in Van Buren Township

Where can I hike in Van Buren Township?

The longest trail networks: Brown County State Park, 56 miles; Hoosier National Forest, 21.3 miles; Yellowwood State Forest, 5.2 miles; Stone Head Nature Preserve, 4.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.

How much of Van Buren Township is conserved land?

48% 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 Van Buren Township’s trails?

Brown County State Park and Hoosier National Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.

Is there public land near Van Buren Township?

109,475 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Van Buren Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 26,487 of them inside the town line.

How much outdoors does Van Buren Township have?

Ahead of 86% 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 Van Buren Township neighbors.

Town Square →
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 →