Washington Park
Managed by City of East Chicago
18 acres1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Sea Cow · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in East Chicago
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in East Chicago
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Washington Park (1 mi), Tod Park (0.9 mi), Kościuszko Park (0.8 mi). 11 miles of mapped trail cross East Chicago, 0.8 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #61 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
357 acres · of 14.1 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
216 ac
8.3 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.0 mi
2.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is East Chicago?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does East Chicago have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, East Chicago is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #61 of 593 in Indiana. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of East Chicago’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land8.3 acres of park per 1,000 residents (216 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · IN 51% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 74%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 90%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so East Chicago’s 4% is ahead of 73% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 91% 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 Washington Park, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Tod Park
Managed by City of East Chicago
14 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Kościuszko Park
Managed by City of East Chicago
20 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Riley Park
Managed by City of East Chicago
8 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Nuñez Park
Managed by City of East Chicago
7 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Callahan Park
Managed by City of East Chicago
5 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 19 parks & preserves
Washington Park18 acres · 1 mi of trail · City of East Chicago
DirectionsTod Park14 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · City of East Chicago
Kościuszko Park20 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · City of East Chicago
DirectionsRiley Park8 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · City of East Chicago
DirectionsNuñez Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of East Chicago
DirectionsCallahan Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of East Chicago
DirectionsJeorse Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsEdward Valve Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of East Chicago
DuPont Natural Area186 acres
Linear Park15 acres · City of East Chicago
DirectionsMarktown Park13 acres · City of East Chicago
E. J. Block Stadium Park13 acres · City of East Chicago
DirectionsVeterans' Park5 acres · City of East Chicago
DirectionsRoxana Park4 acres · City of East Chicago
Sunnyside Park4 acres · City of East Chicago
Roxana Tot Lot2 acres · City of East Chicago
Carey/Jackson Park1 acres · City of East Chicago
Smith Park1 acres · City of East Chicago
Unity Plaza1 acres · City of East Chicago
Who protects it
357 conserved acres
4% of East Chicago’s land. Who manages East Chicago’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city188 ac
Other state land164 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits5 ac
Conservation Easement · 164 acLocal Park · 164 acState Recreation Area · 24 acPrivate Conservation · 5 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 164 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 23 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| McArthur Golf Course State Recreation Area | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Kosciusko Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Jeorse Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Washington Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Linear Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Block Stadium Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Marktown Park & Community Center Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Tod Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Goodman Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Riley Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
16 places to go in East Chicago
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in East Chicago
Jeorse Park BeachIn Jeorse Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in East Chicago
13 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in East Chicago
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in East Chicago
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
27Basketball
10Baseball
10Tennis
2Football
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in East Chicago: August 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 | 37 | 47 | 59 | 69 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.1 |
February is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in East Chicago →
Next door
East Chicago 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Chicago | 4% | 0.8 | 8 | 99%+ | B+ |
| North Township | 6% | 0.8 | 14 | 98% | A− |
| Hammond | 6% | 0.6 | 13 | 96% | A− |
| Whiting | 6% | 0.4 | 16 | 99%+ | A− |
| Gary | 9% | 1.0 | 41 | 95% | A |
| Calumet Township | 9% | 0.8 | 34 | 91% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in East Chicago
Where can I hike in East Chicago?
The longest trail networks: Washington Park, 1 miles; Tod Park, 0.9 miles; Kościuszko Park, 0.8 miles; Riley Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of East Chicago is conserved land?
4% 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 East Chicago’s trails?
Washington Park and Tod Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in East Chicago?
2.0 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near East Chicago?
11,734 acres of parks and open public land lie inside East Chicago or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 216 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does East Chicago have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #61 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 East Chicago 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 →