Franke Park
Park
216 acres11.4 mi of trail
Goshen LoopChristmas TrailLog JamDerby Hill+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Chief Jean-Baptiste de Richardville House · Photo: Nancy.mccammon-hansen · CC BY-SA 3.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne has 82 miles of mapped trails, 0.7 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Franke Park (11.4 mi), Foster Park (4.6 mi), Kreager Park (2.2 mi). 5% of Fort Wayne’s land is conserved, about 3,845 acres. 71% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns · #106 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
3,845 acres · of 111.8 sq mi of land
Trails
82 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,378 ac
8.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
71%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
129 mi
15 mi lanes · 106 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
22
4 beaches · 5 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fort Wayne have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fort Wayne is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns, #106 of 593 in Indiana. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fort Wayne’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (82 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land8.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,378 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home71% 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 63%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 82%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Fort Wayne ranks #306 on Outdoors.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Fort Wayne’s 5% is ahead of 82% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 90% 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 Franke Park, with 11.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ivan Lebamoff Reservoir Park
Park
13 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 76 parks & preserves
Franke Park216 acres · 11.4 mi of trail
DirectionsFoster Park239 acres · 4.6 mi of trail
DirectionsKreager Park162 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMemorial park35 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSalomon Farm Park171 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsLakeside Park27 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMcMillen Park159 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsIvan Lebamoff Reservoir Park13 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsLutheran Park11 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsPromenade Park8 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsFranklin School Park5 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsBob Arnold Northside Park33 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLawton Park28 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHamilton Park12 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMcCulloch Park4 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsJehl Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Baer Field Heritage Air Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsShoaff Park163 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMcCormick Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsGren Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Fort Wayne City Of Bd Of Park Commissioners
Laurelwood Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Rea Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBristors Spring Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSwinney Park85 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAlumni Park56 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWeisser Park21 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBloomingdale Park17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWaynedale Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Whispering Medows Community Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLondonderry Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Justin Study Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWestbrook Rain Garden3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHillsborro Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Klug Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
SCAN Children's Garden1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLibrary Plaza1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Allen County Public Library
DirectionsPraise Park37 acres
DirectionsRockhill Park35 acres
DirectionsHeadwaters Park26 acres
DirectionsVesey Park22 acres
DirectionsFoster Park West20 acres · Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation
DirectionsLions Park14 acres
DirectionsKatler Park13 acres
DirectionsIndian Village Park12 acres · Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation
DirectionsBrookview Park11 acres
DirectionsPsi Ote Park9 acres
Dayle B Cobin Memorial Park8 acres
DirectionsKettler Park7 acres
Guldlin Park7 acres
DirectionsLafayette Esplande Park7 acres
Noll Park5 acres
Westlawn Park4 acres
Packard Park3 acres
DirectionsJohnny Appleseed Park3 acres
Freimann Square3 acres
DirectionsCamp Allen Park3 acres
DirectionsCrystal Spring Park3 acres
Hanna Park3 acres
Moody Park3 acres
DirectionsRocket Park2 acres
Creek Bed Park2 acres
Lafayette Park1 acres
The Courthouse Green1 acres
DirectionsBowser Park1 acres
DirectionsJohn Nuckols Memorial Park1 acres
DirectionsWilliams Park1 acres
Miner Playground1 acres
Saint Joseph Township Community Park1 acres
DirectionsGriswold Playlot1 acres · City of Fort Wayne
DirectionsSeiling Park1 acres
Bass Playground1 acres
Old Fort Park1 acres
DirectionsTurpie Playlot1 acres
Roosevelt Park1 acres
Orff Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,845 conserved acres
5% of Fort Wayne’s land. Who manages Fort Wayne’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city2,002 ac
Private owners1,676 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)141 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits33 ac
Local Park · 1,994 acPrivate Park · 1,676 acConservation Easement · 141 acState Conservation Area · 33 acState Recreation Area · 8 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 141 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franke Park Local Park | Town or city | 289 | Open |
| Foster Park Local Park | Town or city | 242 | Open |
| Sycamore Hills Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 219 | Open |
| Kreager Park Local Park | Town or city | 216 | Open |
| Salomon Farm Park Local Park | Town or city | 174 | Open |
| Brookwood Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 170 | Open |
| Shoaff Park Local Park | Town or city | 169 | Open |
| Fort Wayne Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 168 | Open |
| Cherry Hill Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 162 | Open |
| Lakeside Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 161 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
198 places to go in Fort Wayne
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Fort Wayne
Fitzgeald Beach
DirectionsWestlakes Beach
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Fort Wayne
McMillen Diving poolIn McMillen Park
DirectionsMcMillen Kiddie PoolIn McMillen Park
DirectionsMcMillen PoolIn McMillen Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Fort Wayne
Chick-fil-A Play Place
DirectionsCrossroad's Playground
DirectionsFrog Park
DirectionsFun Zone
DirectionsMcCormick PlaygroundIn McCormick Park
DirectionsMcCormick Splash PadIn McCormick Park
DirectionsPNC PlaygroundIn Promenade Park
DirectionsSafety Village
Directions3 more playgrounds
159 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Fort Wayne
Camp CanineIn Alumni Park
DirectionsCamp Canine: Members OnlyIn Alumni Park
DirectionsPawster ParkIn Foster Park West
DirectionsPlus 3 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Fort Wayne
5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Fort Wayne
3 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Fort Wayne
A FrameIn Franke Park
DirectionsDave's CornerIn Franke Park
DirectionsNo ReturnIn Franke Park
DirectionsSilver SpoonIn Franke Park
DirectionsSoap Box Derby HillIn Franke Park
DirectionsSt. Mary's overlook Deck
DirectionsSwamp BridgeIn Franke Park
DirectionsTerry's TurnIn Franke Park
Directions1 more scenic view
The PointIn Franke Park
DirectionsPlus 6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Fort Wayne
Rocket Hill
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Fort Wayne
Miss Virginia's GardenMiss Virginia's Food Pantry
DirectionsPlus 1 community garden without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
17 named trails and 22 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 14.8 miUnpaved · 13.7 mi
Goshen Loop1.6 mi
Christmas Trail1.5 mi
Log Jam0.3 mi
River Bend Woods Commons Path0.3 mi
Rivergreenway0.3 mi
Tiger Trail0.2 mi
Derby Hill0.2 mi
Freeway0.2 mi
Frog Pond Loop0.2 mi
Rollercoaster0.2 mi
7 more trails
Knopp Commons Trail
0.2 miMo-Ron
0.1 miMaumee Pathway
0.1 miDeer Alley
0.1 miParkview Tree Canopy Trail
0.1 miRidge Run
0.1 miTwitch Ditch
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Aboite LakepondApartment Complex PondpondCatbird PondpondCook Lougheed Wildlife PondreservoirCovington BayreservoirEmerald LakelakeEubank LakepondFrog PondpondInverness LakepondKekionga Shores LakereservoirMirror LakelakeMuhn RiverPoolRain PondpondShoaff LakelakeSwinney PondpondTear Drop PondpondMaumee RiverPromenade Park CanalSaint Joseph riverSt. Joseph RiverSt. Mary's River
Biking & sports
129 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
15 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
106 mi
off-road bike paths
8.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Franke Park EasyBike route
3.1 miFranke park moderateBike route
2.4 miFranke Park HardBike route
0.6 miRiver GreenwayBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
191Tennis
111Baseball
74Basketball
73Soccer
35Pickleball
14Football
5Volleyball
3Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →70 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 54 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
Chief Jean-Baptiste de Richardville HouseNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1997
About itJohnny Appleseed Memorial ParkSite · listed 1973
About itFort Wayne City HallBuilding · listed 1973
About itEmbassy Theater and Indiana HotelBuilding · listed 1975
About itWilliam S. Edsall HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itLindenwood CemeterySite · listed 1978
About itTrinity Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1978
About itEngine House No. 3Building · listed 1979
About itChristian G. Strunz HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itJohn Claus Peters HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itCathedral of the Immaculate ConceptionBuilding · listed 1980
About it58 more on the History page.
When to get out
September is the best month for walking in Fort Wayne
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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 37 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 49 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Fort Wayne →
Next door
Fort Wayne and its neighbors
Fort Wayne has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Fort Wayne82 miWashington Township28 miPerry Township17 miSt. Joseph Township14 miHuntertown1.7 miNew Haven1.6 miMilan Township1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Wayne | 5% | 0.7 | 9 | 71% | B |
| New Haven | 3% | 0.1 | 5 | 49% | C |
| Huntertown | 4% | 0.2 | 9 | 70% | B− |
| Perry Township | 5% | 0.5 | 10 | 42% | B− |
| St. Joseph Township | 3% | 0.4 | 5 | 56% | C+ |
| Washington Township | 5% | 0.9 | 21 | 41% | B |
| Milan Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 1% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fort Wayne
Where can I hike in Fort Wayne?
The longest trail networks: Franke Park, 11.4 miles; Foster Park, 4.6 miles; Kreager Park, 2.2 miles; Memorial park, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fort Wayne 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 Fort Wayne’s trails?
Franke Park and Foster Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fort Wayne?
129 miles of bike routes are on the map: 15 of painted or protected lanes, 106 of off-road paths and 8.2 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Franke Park Easy, Franke park moderate and Franke Park Hard.
Is there public land near Fort Wayne?
4,641 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fort Wayne or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,378 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fort Wayne have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #106 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 Fort Wayne 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 →