Rangeline Park
Park
178 acres8.6 mi of trail
Novice LoopExpert Loop 5Expert Loop 3Intermediate Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Anderson
Anderson has 15 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Rangeline Park (8.6 mi), General Pulaski Park (1.1 mi). 2% of Anderson’s land is conserved, about 664 acres. 557 acres are parks and preserves, 10 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 46% of U.S. towns · #222 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
664 acres · of 41.7 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
557 ac
10 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
61%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.7 mi
4.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Anderson have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Anderson is ahead of 46% of U.S. towns, #222 of 593 in Indiana. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Anderson’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land10 acres of park per 1,000 residents (557 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home61% 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 46%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 63%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Anderson’s 2% is ahead of 61% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 73% 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 Rangeline Park, with 8.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mounds State Park
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
39 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 10 parks & preserves
Rangeline Park178 acres · 8.6 mi of trail
DirectionsGeneral Pulaski Park20 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsShadyside Memorial Park24 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMounds State Park39 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Indiana Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsAthletic Park28 acres
DirectionsFairview Park28 acres
DirectionsShepherd Park8 acres
DirectionsGreater Community Center and Park4 acres
Dickmann Town Center1 acres
DirectionsPublic Square1 acres · City of Anderson
DirectionsWho protects it
664 conserved acres
2% of Anderson’s land. Who manages Anderson’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city595 ac
Other state land46 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits31 ac
Joint27 ac
State parks26 ac
County2 ac
Private owners2 ac
Local Park · 230 acLocal Recreation Area · 184 acLocal Conservation Area · 172 acConservation Easement · 58 acUnknown Easement · 46 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 104 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 24 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rangeline Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 184 | Open |
| Shady Park (Aqua Gardens) Killbuck Wetlands Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 153 | Restricted |
| Shadyside Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 87 | Open |
| Athletic Park Local Park | Town or city | 30 | Open |
| Mounds State Park State Park | State parks | 26 | Open |
| Fairview Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| General Pulaski Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Killbuck Wetland Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 19 | Restricted |
| Edgewater Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Madison Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Anderson
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Anderson
Davis Park
DirectionsPlus 11 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Anderson
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Anderson
1 campground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 8.2 miUnpaved · 7.9 mi
Novice Loop2.3 mi
Expert Loop 51.1 mi
Expert Loop 31.0 mi
Intermediate Loop0.9 mi
Expert Loop 10.5 mi
Expert Loop 40.4 mi
Expert Loop 20.4 mi
Shadyside Recreation Trail/Killbuck Wetlands0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
37Tennis
25Baseball
16Pickleball
8Basketball
5Soccer
2Football
1Skate park
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 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
West Eighth Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itGruenewald HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itAnderson Bank BuildingBuilding · listed 1984
About itWest Central Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itCarnegie Public LibraryBuilding · listed 1985
About itParamount Theater BuildingBuilding · listed 1991
About itTower HotelBuilding · listed 1997
About itAnderson Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2006
About itCentral Avenue SchoolBuilding · listed 2007
About itAnderson High School WigwamBuilding · listed 2018
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Anderson
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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 39 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.9 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Anderson →
Next door
Anderson and its neighbors
Anderson has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Anderson15 miAnderson Township15 miUnion Township9.9 miPendleton2.4 miFall Creek Township2.4 miChesterfield1.2 miStony Creek Township0.0 miAdams Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson | 2% | 0.4 | 10 | 61% | B− |
| Pendleton | 2% | 0.2 | 31 | 49% | B− |
| Anderson Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Fall Creek Township | 1% | 0.1 | 11 | 18% | C− |
| Stony Creek Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 42% | D |
| Adams Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 4 | 17% | D |
| Chesterfield | 6% | 0.9 | 21 | 84% | A− |
| Union Township | 3% | 0.5 | 41 | 41% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Anderson
Where can I hike in Anderson?
The longest trail networks: Rangeline Park, 8.6 miles; General Pulaski Park, 1.1 miles; Mounds State Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Anderson is conserved land?
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.
Are dogs allowed on Anderson’s trails?
Rangeline Park and General Pulaski Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Anderson?
4.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Anderson?
1,856 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Anderson or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 585 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Anderson have?
Ahead of 46% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #222 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 Anderson 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 →