Depauw Nature Park
Park
569 acres10.9 mi of trail
Prindle Trail P1Creekside Trail K2Connector Trail C1Rail Trail L1+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: WhisperToMe · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in Greencastle Township
Greencastle Township has 906 acres of parks, 71 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Depauw Nature Park (10.9 mi), Jaycee Park (0.7 mi). 14 miles of mapped trail cross Greencastle Township, 0.4 per square mile of land. 62% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns · #148 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
168 acres · of 34.3 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
906 ac
71 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
62%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
8.2 mi
8.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
What kind of outdoors town is Greencastle Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Greencastle Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Greencastle Township is ahead of 56% of U.S. towns, #148 of 593 in Indiana. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Greencastle Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land71 acres of park per 1,000 residents (906 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home62% 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 56%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 75%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Greencastle Township’s 1% is ahead of 37% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 77% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Depauw Nature Park, with 10.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Jaycee Park
Park
186 acres0.7 mi of trail
Jaycee Park Loop Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Big Walnut Sports Park
Park
78 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Bowman Park
Managed by DePauw university
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Depauw Nature Park569 acres · 10.9 mi of trail
DirectionsJaycee Park186 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsBig Walnut Sports Park78 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsRobe Ann Park21 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBowman Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · DePauw university
DirectionsRokicki Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBaugh Memorial Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Scott Hamilton Memorial Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBallard Family Memorial Park29 acres
DirectionsPeople Pathways Trailhead Park4 acres
DirectionsMaple Berry Park1 acres
DirectionsMicaela Cancilla Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
168 conserved acres
1% of Greencastle Township’s land. Who manages Greencastle Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city97 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)69 ac
Other state land2 ac
Local Park · 98 acConservation Easement · 69 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 69 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Walnut Sports Park Local Park | Town or city | 76 | Open |
| Robe Ann Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Other state land | 2 | Open |
Things to do
15 places to go in Greencastle Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Greencastle Township
Big Walnut Sports Park PlaygroundIn Big Walnut Sports Park
DirectionsCastlebury Playground
DirectionsEmerald Palace PlaygroundIn Robe Ann Park
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Greencastle Township
Greencastle Dog ParkIn Big Walnut Sports Park
DirectionsScenic views in Greencastle Township
6 scenic views without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Greencastle Township
Big Walnut Sports Park Disc Golf CourseIn Big Walnut Sports Park · Greencastle Parks and Recreation
DirectionsTrails & water
24 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.2 miUnpaved · 11.0 mi
Prindle Trail P11.4 mi
Creekside Trail K21.0 mi
Connector Trail C11.0 mi
Rail Trail L10.9 mi
Jaycee Park Loop Trail0.7 mi
Quarry Trail Q20.7 mi
Rim Trail R50.7 mi
Creekside Trail K10.7 mi
Rim Trail R20.5 mi
County Road 100 North0.5 mi
14 more trails
Prindle Trail P2
0.5 miWoodland Trail W1
0.4 miQuarry Trail Q1
0.4 miWoodland Trail W2
0.3 miWoodland Trail W6
0.2 miRim Trail R1
0.2 miWoodland Trail W4
0.2 miWoodland Trail W3
0.2 miRim Trail R3
0.2 miWoodland Trail W5
0.2 miRim Trail R4
0.1 miRim Trail R6
0.1 miPeople Pathways Zinc Mill Extension
0.1 miNorth County Road 175 East
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
8.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
18Tennis
12Baseball
6Pickleball
4Basketball
2Football
1Softball
1Skate park
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →14 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Alfred Hirt HouseBuilding · listed 1991
About itForest Hill CemeterySite · listed 2015
About itDunbar Covered BridgeStructure · listed 2024
About it2 more on the History page.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Greencastle Township
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) | 9.7 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 40 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.0 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Greencastle Township →
Next door
Greencastle Township and its neighbors
Greencastle Township has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greencastle Township | 1% | 0.4 | 71 | 62% | B |
| Warren Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 19 | 2% | C− |
| Madison Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 168 | 9% | C |
| Washington Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 100 | 10% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Greencastle Township
Where can I hike in Greencastle Township?
The longest trail networks: Depauw Nature Park, 10.9 miles; Jaycee Park, 0.7 miles; Big Walnut Sports Park, 0.4 miles; Robe Ann Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Greencastle Township is conserved land?
1% 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 Greencastle Township’s trails?
Depauw Nature Park and Jaycee Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Greencastle Township?
8.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Greencastle Township?
5,893 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Greencastle Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 906 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Greencastle Township have?
Ahead of 56% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #148 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 Greencastle Township 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 →