Photo: User:Kgmnmr · CC BY-SA 3.0Burns Harbor has 350 acres of parks, 162 for every 1,000 residents
9% of Burns Harbor’s land is conserved, about 376 acres. 85% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.2 miles of mapped trail cross Burns Harbor, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Burns Harbor?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Burns Harbor have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Burns Harbor is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Burns Harbor’s 9% is ahead of 91% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 57% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Lakewood Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Indiana Dunes National Park
Imagination Glen Park
376 conserved acres
9% of Burns Harbor’s land. Who manages Burns Harbor’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 25 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Dunes National Park National Park | National Park Service | 309 | Open |
| Lakeland Park Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| Bolinger Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Imagination Glen Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Portage Bicentennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
2 places to go in Burns Harbor
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 playground without a name on the map.
2.6 miles of bike routes
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.
The best walking months in Burns Harbor: July and September
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 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 36 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Burns Harbor →
Burns Harbor and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burns Harbor | 9% | 0.2 | 162 | 85% | A− |
| Portage | 13% | 1.1 | 55 | 76% | A |
| Westchester Township | 32% | 1.7 | 298 | 93% | A+ |
| Portage Township | 12% | 1.0 | 46 | 72% | A |
| Dune Acres | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Chesterton | 13% | 1.1 | 23 | 90% | A |
| Porter | 30% | 1.5 | 229 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Liberty Township | 5% | 0.6 | 63 | 58% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Burns Harbor
Where can I hike in Burns Harbor?
The longest trail networks: Lakewood Park, 0.3 miles; Indiana Dunes National Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Burns Harbor is conserved land?
9% 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 Burns Harbor’s trails?
Lakewood Park and Indiana Dunes National Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Burns Harbor?
2.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Burns Harbor?
16,731 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Burns Harbor or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 350 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Burns Harbor have?
Ahead of 79% 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 Burns Harbor neighbors.
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 →