Gordon and Faith Greiner Nature Preserve
Managed by Shirley Heinze Land Trust
70 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Hobart
Hobart has 824 acres of parks, 28 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Gordon and Faith Greiner Nature Preserve (0.9 mi), Cressmoor Prairie Nature Preserve (0.8 mi), Bur Oak Woods Nature Preserve (0.7 mi). 6% of Hobart’s land is conserved, about 981 acres. 76% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #82 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
981 acres · of 26.2 sq mi of land
Trails
8.8 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
824 ac
28 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
76%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
10 mi
4.1 mi lanes · 5.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hobart have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hobart is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #82 of 593 in Indiana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hobart’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land28 acres of park per 1,000 residents (824 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13B+Parks 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 70%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 86%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Hobart’s 6% is ahead of 83% 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 Gordon and Faith Greiner Nature Preserve, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Cressmoor Prairie Nature Preserve
Managed by Shirley Heinze Land Trust
39 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Bur Oak Woods Nature Preserve
Managed by Shirley Heinze Land Trust
81 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Hobart Prairie Grove
Nature preserve
308 acres0.6 mi of trail
Hobart Woodland Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 24 parks & preserves
Gordon and Faith Greiner Nature Preserve70 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Shirley Heinze Land Trust
DirectionsCressmoor Prairie Nature Preserve39 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Shirley Heinze Land Trust
DirectionsBur Oak Woods Nature Preserve81 acres · 0.7 mi of trail · Shirley Heinze Land Trust
DirectionsHobart Prairie Grove308 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsFestival Park15 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsMcCloskey's Burr Oak Savanna Nature Preserve109 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Hobart City Ball Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsIndiana Dunes National Park308 acres · National Park Service
Hobart Marsh — Bailey tract102 acres
Hobart Marsh — Kim tract61 acres
Stewart Mattix Prairie55 acres
DirectionsHobart Marsh — Nozrik tract50 acres
Ivory Wetlands50 acres · Shirley Heinze Land Trust
Hobart Marsh — Quail Hollow tract46 acres
Hillman Park35 acres
DirectionsRobinson Park32 acres
DirectionsHobart Marsh — Bundalo tract23 acres
Hidden Prairie21 acres · Shirley Heinze Land Trust
Levan Wetland Nature Preserve18 acres · Woodland Savanna Land Conservancy Inc
DirectionsLakeview Park15 acres · City of Hobart
Bock/Higgins Nature Preserve14 acres
DirectionsHobart Marsh — Chorak tract14 acres
DirectionsEleven-Acre Prairie11 acres
Brinson Nature Preserve10 acres
Who protects it
981 conserved acres
6% of Hobart’s land. Who manages Hobart’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service282 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits243 ac
Town or city193 ac
Private owners173 ac
State natural resources55 ac
Other state land32 ac
County1 ac
National Park · 282 acLocal Park · 194 acPrivate Conservation · 154 acState Conservation Area · 151 acPrivate Park · 138 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Dunes National Park National Park | National Park Service | 282 | Open |
| Hidden Prairie Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 154 | Closed |
| Cressmoor Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 99 | Open |
| Mac Jay Lake (Hobart Izaak Walton League) State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 63 | Closed |
| McCloskey Savanna - South State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 55 | Restricted |
| Evergreen Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Indian Ridge Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 40 | Open |
| Hillman Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Robinson Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Mccloskey Burr Oak Savanna Addition State Conservation Area | Other state land | 32 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
11 places to go in Hobart
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hobart
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Hobart
Deep River Water Trail, Soccer and Rugby Field access point
DirectionsScenic views in Hobart
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.0 mi
Hobart Woodland Trail0.6 mi
Hiking trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
10 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
16Baseball
10Tennis
9Soccer
4Basketball
4Softball
2Football
2Tracks
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Hobart: April 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) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.4 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Hobart →
Next door
Hobart and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Calumet Township51 miGary49 miHobart Township11 miUnion Township9.6 miRoss Township9.5 miHobart8.8 miMerrillville6.0 miLake Station3.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobart | 6% | 0.3 | 28 | 76% | B+ |
| Lake Station | 5% | 0.4 | 13 | 93% | B+ |
| Merrillville | 8% | 0.2 | 40 | 73% | B+ |
| Hobart Township | 7% | 0.4 | 24 | 87% | A− |
| Union Township | 1% | 0.3 | 2 | 12% | C− |
| Ross Township | 8% | 0.2 | 45 | 72% | B+ |
| Calumet Township | 9% | 0.8 | 34 | 91% | A |
| Gary | 9% | 1.0 | 41 | 95% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hobart
Where can I hike in Hobart?
The longest trail networks: Gordon and Faith Greiner Nature Preserve, 0.9 miles; Cressmoor Prairie Nature Preserve, 0.8 miles; Bur Oak Woods Nature Preserve, 0.7 miles; Hobart Prairie Grove, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hobart is conserved land?
6% 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 Hobart’s trails?
Gordon and Faith Greiner Nature Preserve and Cressmoor Prairie Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hobart?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.1 of painted or protected lanes and 5.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Hobart?
16,228 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hobart or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 824 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Hobart have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #82 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 Hobart 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 →