McCormick's Creek State Park
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
1,890 acres11.2 mi of trail
Trail 5Trail 4Trail 9Trail 2+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Friendly Shelter Parking
Secrest-Wampler House · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in Washington Township
Washington Township has 1,934 acres of parks, 300 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: McCormick's Creek State Park (11.2 mi). 7% of Washington Township’s land is conserved, about 2,000 acres. 36% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns · #94 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
2,000 acres · of 47.4 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,934 ac
300 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
36%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.7 mi
0.7 mi paths
Highest peak
784 ft
Straley Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Washington Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Washington Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Washington Township is ahead of 66% of U.S. towns, #94 of 593 in Indiana. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Washington Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land300 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,934 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13AParks close to home36% of residents within a half mile of a park · IN 51% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 66%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 84%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Washington Township’s 7% is ahead of 86% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 67% 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.
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 McCormick's Creek State Park, with 11.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Owen-Putnam State Forest
Nature preserve
46 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Owen County Veterans Memorial Park
Park
14 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
McCormick's Creek State Park1,890 acres · 11.2 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsOwen-Putnam State Forest46 acres
Owen County Fair Grounds31 acres
DirectionsOwen County Veterans Memorial Park14 acres
Cooper Commons11 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,000 conserved acres
7% of Washington Township’s land. Who manages Washington Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,865 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)91 ac
State natural resources41 ac
State fish & wildlife3 ac
State Park · 1,477 acState Conservation Area · 389 acConservation Easement · 91 acState Resource Management Area · 41 acState Recreation Area · 3 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 91 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mccormick's Creek State Park State Park | State parks | 1,477 | Open |
| Wolf Cave Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 212 | Open |
| McCormick's Cove Nature Preserve State Conservation Area | State parks | 177 | Open |
| Owen-Putnam State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 41 | Open |
| Spencer Public Access Site State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 3 | Open |
Things to do
28 places to go in Washington Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Washington Township
Deer Run Shelter PlaygroundIn McCormick's Creek State Park
DirectionsWestbrook Shelter PlaygroundIn McCormick's Creek State Park
DirectionsPlus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Washington Township
Public Access
DirectionsWaterfalls in Washington Township
McCormick's Creek WaterfallIn McCormick's Creek State Park
DirectionsScenic views in Washington Township
McCormick's Creek Fire TowerHours: Mar-Nov: 09:00-sunset · In McCormick's Creek State Park
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Washington Township
Straley Hill784 ft elevation
DirectionsTaylor Hill722 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Washington Township
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Washington Township
Area 1In McCormick's Creek State Park
DirectionsArea 2In McCormick's Creek State Park
DirectionsArea 3In McCormick's Creek State Park
DirectionsArea 4In McCormick's Creek State Park
DirectionsCampground Loop AFee · In McCormick's Creek State Park
DirectionsCampground Loop BFee · In McCormick's Creek State Park
DirectionsPrimitive Camping AreaFee · In McCormick's Creek State Park
DirectionsYouth Tent AreaFee · In McCormick's Creek State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
9 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.7 mi
Trail 51.9 mi
Trail 41.6 mi
Trail 91.2 mi
Trail 21.1 mi
Trail 10.5 mi
MYPath0.4 mi
Echo Canyon Trail0.3 mi
Trail 30.2 mi
Bridle Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Baseball
8Tennis
4Soccer
1Football
1Multi-sport
1Equestrian
1Basketball
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →10 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
CCC Recreation Building-Nature MuseumBuilding · listed 1993
About itMcCormick's Creek State Park Entrance and GatehouseBuilding · listed 1993
About itStone Arch Bridge over McCormick's CreekStructure · listed 1993
About itOwen County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1994
About itSecrest-Wampler HouseBuilding · listed 2002
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Washington 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) | 37 | 42 | 52 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 79 | 67 | 53 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.2 |
February is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Washington Township →
Next door
Washington Township and its neighbors
Washington Township has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Washington Township13 miMorgan Township8.6 miFranklin Township4.3 miClay Township2.4 miLafayette Township1.2 miWayne Township1.1 miBean Blossom Township0.8 miMontgomery Township0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Township | 7% | 0.3 | 300 | 36% | B+ |
| Wayne Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 1 | 54% | D |
| Montgomery Township | 7% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Bean Blossom Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 27 | 2% | C |
| Lafayette Township | 3% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 3% | D |
| Clay Township | 6% | 0.1 | 436 | 14% | B− |
| Morgan Township | 17% | 0.3 | under 1 | under 1% | C |
| Franklin Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 27 | 2% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Washington Township
Where can I hike in Washington Township?
The longest trail networks: McCormick's Creek State Park, 11.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Washington Township is conserved land?
7% 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 Washington Township’s trails?
McCormick's Creek State Park and Owen-Putnam State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Washington Township?
0.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Washington Township?
15,370 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Washington Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,976 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Washington Township have?
Ahead of 66% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #94 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 Washington 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 →