Northview Church Open Space
Park
54 acres2.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: TheSongbook · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Carmel
Carmel has 27 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Northview Church Open Space (2.6 mi), Central Park (1.6 mi), River Heritage Park (0.9 mi). 5% of Carmel’s land is conserved, about 1,610 acres. 75% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns · #95 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,610 acres · of 49.1 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,303 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
75%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
217 mi
4.0 mi lanes · 213 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
30
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Carmel have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Carmel is ahead of 65% of U.S. towns, #95 of 593 in Indiana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Carmel’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,303 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home75% 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 65%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 84%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Carmel ranks #296 on Outdoors.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Carmel’s 5% is ahead of 80% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 84% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Northview Church Open Space, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
The Flowing Well
Managed by Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation
19 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Barker's Canopy Nature Preserve
Park
10 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Prairie Meadow Park
Park
7 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 65 parks & preserves
Northview Church Open Space54 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral Park162 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRiver Heritage Park45 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
DirectionsThe Flowing Well19 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation
DirectionsWest Park80 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsBarker's Canopy Nature Preserve10 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsPrairie Meadow Park7 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Coxhall Gardens117 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsLawrence W. Inlow Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation
DirectionsMeadowlark Park18 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMark Badger Park30 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsKawachinagano Japanese Garden6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHoosier Hero Common4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFounders Park40 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation
Carey Grove Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Victoria Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Pershing Green1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHazel Landing Park95 acres
DirectionsPrather Park62 acres
DirectionsThomas Marcuccilli Nature Park59 acres · Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation
DirectionsClaybourne Fields35 acres
DirectionsHarrison Park31 acres
DirectionsBear Creek Park28 acres
Gray Road Park22 acres
DirectionsParks at Spring Mill21 acres · Parks at Spring Mill Homeowners Association
DirectionsCherry Tree Park13 acres
The Groves at West Park11 acres
Pleasant Grove Park9 acres
Provost Park9 acres
DirectionsLenape Trace Park7 acres
DirectionsMark Herrmann Athletic Facility6 acres
DirectionsWebster Park6 acres
DirectionsGoldwater Park5 acres
DirectionsAmerican Legion Park4 acres
DirectionsGreyhound Park4 acres
DirectionsReading Tree Park4 acres
Carmel Clay Veterans Memorial Freedom Park4 acres
DirectionsPrayer Path3 acres · Zionsville Presbyterian Church
White River Greenway3 acres
University Green3 acres
DirectionsRonald Reagan Green2 acres
DirectionsHidden Park2 acres
DirectionsRohrer Road Monon Entrance2 acres
DirectionsMarshall Common2 acres
Jennings Green2 acres
DirectionsFairingdon Common2 acres
96th Street Monon Trailhead South2 acres · Carmel Parks
DirectionsFishers White River Park1 acres
Leighton Green1 acres
Deerstyne Green1 acres
DirectionsBlisland Commons1 acres
Clay Terrace Park1 acres
DirectionsFairbanks Park1 acres
Carter Green1 acres
DirectionsTruman Green1 acres
DirectionsRoosevelt Green1 acres
Broughton Green1 acres
Milford Green1 acres
Gadsen Park1 acres
Meeting House Green1 acres
DirectionsChapel Square1 acres
Halifax Park1 acres
DirectionsBirkenhead Common1 acres
Trowbridge Commons1 acres
DirectionsGreat Oaks Common1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,610 conserved acres
5% of Carmel’s land. Who manages Carmel’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners1,063 ac
Town or city524 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits21 ac
State natural resources13 ac
Private Park · 1,063 acLocal Park · 524 acPrivate Conservation · 21 acConservation Easement · 13 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plum Creek Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 205 | Open |
| Prairie View Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 196 | Open |
| Central Park Local Park | Town or city | 153 | Open |
| Crooked Stick Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 152 | Open |
| Brookside Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 129 | Open |
| Twin Lakes Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 126 | Open |
| Woodland Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 108 | Open |
| Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 99 | Open |
| Carmelot Park Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| West Park Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
125 places to go in Carmel
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Carmel
Park Lane Apartments Pool
DirectionsPlum Creek Country Club-Pool
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Carmel
Founders CornerIn University Green
Directions112 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Carmel
7 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Carmel
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Carmel
Hole 1 of Disc Golf CourseIn Northview Church Open Space
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Carmel
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
30 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Beveridge PondBromley PondChurchill PondpondDogwood PondpondDruid PondpondElgin PondpondFaringdon PondHarelston PondpondHendricks PondpondHidden PondpondHorbeck PondpondHourglass LakelakeIce PondpondKew PondpondLake UllswaterreservoirLake WindemerereservoirLake WoodlandreservoirLimehouse PondpondLodden PondpondMarshall PondpondMcnutt PondpondMill PondpondQuack PondpondQuayle PondpondShricker PondpondTaggart PondpondTree Shadow PondpondWilson PondpondWoodland Addition LakereservoirWilliams Creek
Biking & sports
217 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
213 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
134Tennis
40Basketball
39Baseball
33Soccer
31Pickleball
7Beach volleyball
7Multi-sport
5Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 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.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Carmel
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 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.8 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.1 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Carmel →
Next door
Carmel and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Indianapolis167 miNoblesville Township30 miClay Township28 miCarmel27 miFishers25 miWashington Township25 miZionsville20 miDelaware Township11 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmel | 5% | 0.6 | 13 | 75% | B+ |
| Clay Township | 5% | 0.6 | 13 | 75% | B+ |
| Delaware Township | 6% | 0.7 | 14 | 77% | B+ |
| Fishers | 6% | 0.7 | 8 | 61% | B |
| Zionsville | 2% | 0.3 | 15 | 58% | B− |
| Washington Township | 5% | 0.5 | 8 | 57% | B− |
| Indianapolis | 6% | 0.5 | 15 | 61% | B |
| Noblesville Township | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Carmel
Where can I hike in Carmel?
The longest trail networks: Northview Church Open Space, 2.6 miles; Central Park, 1.6 miles; River Heritage Park, 0.9 miles; The Flowing Well, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Carmel is conserved land?
5% 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 Carmel’s trails?
Northview Church Open Space and Central Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Carmel?
217 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.0 of painted or protected lanes and 213 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Carmel?
16,312 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Carmel or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,303 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Carmel have?
Ahead of 65% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #95 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 Carmel 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 →