Park Mary Historic District · Photo: Nyttend · Public domainLafayette has 11 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: McAllister Park (5 mi), Columbian Park (0.7 mi), Murdock Park (0.6 mi). 77% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 668 acres are parks and preserves, 9.4 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns · #161 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
How much outdoors does Lafayette have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lafayette is ahead of 55% of U.S. towns, #161 of 593 in Indiana. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Lafayette’s 4% is ahead of 72% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 74% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is McAllister Park, with 5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Murdock Park
All 20 parks & preserves
709 conserved acres
4% of Lafayette’s land. Who manages Lafayette’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layfayette Municipal Golf Course State Recreation Area | Town or city | 164 | Open |
| McCallister Park Local Park | Town or city | 88 | Open |
| Lafayette Country Club State Recreation Area | Private owners | 76 | Closed |
| Columbian Park Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Lyboult Sports Park Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Cat Park Local Park | Private owners | 34 | Open |
| Munger Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Bishop Woods Private Conservation | Private owners | 32 | Closed |
| Tippecanoe County Fairgrounds State Recreation Area | County | 32 | Open |
| Murdock Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
58 places to go in Lafayette
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
53 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Plus 2 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
4 named trails
30 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
27 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
15 more on the History page.
August is the best month for walking in Lafayette
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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 38 | 50 | 63 | 74 | 82 | 84 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Lafayette →
Lafayette and its neighbors
Lafayette has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette | 4% | 0.4 | 9 | 77% | B− |
| Shadeland | under 1% | 0.1 | 3 | under 1% | D |
| Union Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 3 | under 1% | D |
| Wea Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 3 | 46% | C− |
| Fairfield Township | 4% | 0.6 | 12 | 81% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lafayette
Where can I hike in Lafayette?
The longest trail networks: McAllister Park, 5 miles; Columbian Park, 0.7 miles; Murdock Park, 0.6 miles; McCaw Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lafayette 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 Lafayette’s trails?
McAllister Park and Columbian Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lafayette?
30 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.9 of painted or protected lanes, 23 of off-road paths and 0.1 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lafayette?
4,878 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lafayette or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 668 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lafayette have?
Ahead of 55% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #161 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 Lafayette neighbors.
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 →