Big Walnut Sports Park
Park
79 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: WhisperToMe · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in Greencastle
Greencastle has 147 acres of parks, 15 for every 1,000 residents
76% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.8 miles of mapped trail cross Greencastle, 0.3 per square mile of land. 3% of Greencastle’s land is conserved, about 99 acres.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns · #144 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
99 acres · of 5.2 sq mi of land
Trails
1.8 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
147 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
76%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.5 mi
5.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Greencastle?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Greencastle have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Greencastle is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns, #144 of 593 in Indiana. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Greencastle’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (147 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13BParks close to home76% 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 57%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 76%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Greencastle’s 3% is ahead of 67% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 72% 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 Big Walnut Sports Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bowman Park
Managed by DePauw university
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Big Walnut Sports Park79 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 Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBallard Family Memorial Park30 acres
DirectionsPeople Pathways Trailhead Park3 acres
DirectionsMaple Berry Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
99 conserved acres
3% of Greencastle’s land. Who manages Greencastle’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city98 ac
Other state land2 ac
Local Park · 99 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Walnut Sports Park Local Park | Town or city | 77 | Open |
| Robe Ann Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Other state land | 2 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Greencastle
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Greencastle
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
Greencastle Dog ParkIn Big Walnut Sports Park
DirectionsDisc golf in Greencastle
Big Walnut Sports Park Disc Golf CourseIn Big Walnut Sports Park · Greencastle Parks and Recreation
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
People Pathways Zinc Mill Extension0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
5.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
5.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Tennis
12Baseball
6Pickleball
4Basketball
2Football
1Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →11 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.
East College of DePauw UniversityBuilding · listed 1975
About itMcKim Observatory, DePauw UniversityBuilding · listed 1978
About itF.P. Nelson HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itCourthouse Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itWilliam C. Van Arsdel HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itBoulders, TheBuilding · listed 1993
About itDelta Kappa Epilson Fraternity HouseBuilding · listed 1996
About itRichard M. Hazelett HouseBuilding · listed 2006
About itEastern Enlargement Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2011
About itOld Greencastle Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2011
About itNorthwood Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2011
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Greencastle
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 →
Questions about parks and trails in Greencastle
Where can I hike in Greencastle?
The longest trail networks: Big Walnut Sports Park, 0.4 miles; Robe Ann Park, 0.3 miles; Bowman Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Greencastle is conserved land?
3% 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’s trails?
Big Walnut Sports Park and Robe Ann Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Greencastle?
5.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Greencastle?
2,497 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Greencastle or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 147 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Greencastle have?
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #144 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 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 →