Charlestown State Park
Managed by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
697 acres2.6 mi of trail
Trail 6
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Charlestown
Charlestown has 1,182 acres of parks, 143 for every 1,000 residents
16% of Charlestown’s land is conserved, about 1,178 acres. The biggest trail networks: Charlestown State Park (2.6 mi). 4.4 miles of mapped trail cross Charlestown, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns · #29 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
16%
1,178 acres · of 11.4 sq mi of land
Trails
4.4 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,182 ac
143 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
66%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Charlestown?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Charlestown have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Charlestown is ahead of 83% of U.S. towns, #29 of 593 in Indiana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Charlestown’s overall grade.
Conserved land16% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land143 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,182 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13AParks close to home66% 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 83%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 95%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Charlestown’s 16% is ahead of 96% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 75% 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 Charlestown State Park, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
1,178 conserved acres
16% of Charlestown’s land. Who manages Charlestown’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks1,162 ac
Town or city16 ac
State Park · 1,162 acLocal Park · 16 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlestown State Park State Park | State parks | 1,113 | Open |
| Fourteen Mile Creek Nature Preserve Addition State Park | State parks | 49 | Open |
| Greenway Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Charlestown Family Activities Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Church Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Charlestown
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Charlestown
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Charlestown
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Charlestown
Riverview OverlookIn Charlestown State Park
DirectionsRiverview OverlookIn Charlestown State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Trail 62.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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.
Courts & fields
14Tennis
6Baseball
1Football
1Tracks
1Skate park
1Softball
1Basketball
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).
When to get out
The walking year in Charlestown
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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 46 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 87 | 87 | 81 | 69 | 56 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.2 |
February is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Charlestown →
Next door
Charlestown 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlestown | 16% | 0.4 | 143 | 66% | A− |
| Jeffersonville | 6% | 0.7 | 28 | 81% | A− |
| Charlestown Township | 10% | 0.4 | 269 | 38% | B+ |
| Utica Township | 10% | 0.6 | 168 | 44% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Charlestown
Where can I hike in Charlestown?
The longest trail networks: Charlestown State Park, 2.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Charlestown is conserved land?
16% 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 Charlestown’s trails?
Charlestown State Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Charlestown?
19,343 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Charlestown or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,182 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Charlestown have?
Ahead of 83% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #29 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 Charlestown 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 →