Minnetrista
Park
36 acres1.7 mi of trail
Minnetrista Nature Area TrailOakhurst Garden Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Emmmmh · CC BY-SA 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Muncie
Muncie has 7.0 miles of mapped trails, 0.3 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Minnetrista (1.7 mi), Dutro-Ernst Woods (1.2 mi). 459 acres are parks and preserves, 7.1 per 1,000 residents. 73% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns · #236 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
491 acres · of 27.4 sq mi of land
Trails
7.0 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
459 ac
7.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
73%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
25 mi
6.5 mi lanes · 17 mi paths
Highest peak
945 ft
Spider Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Muncie?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Muncie have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Muncie is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns, #236 of 593 in Indiana. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Muncie’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 (7 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land7.1 acres of park per 1,000 residents (459 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home73% 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 45%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 60%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Muncie’s 3% is ahead of 64% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 66% 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 Minnetrista, with 1.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Dutro-Ernst Woods
Managed by Red-tail Land Conservancy
32 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
John Craddock Wetlands Nature Preserve
Managed by Ret Tail Conservancy
22 acres0.4 mi of trail
Craddock Wetlands Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Tuhey Park
Managed by City of Muncie
10 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 26 parks & preserves
Minnetrista36 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsDutro-Ernst Woods32 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · Red-tail Land Conservancy
DirectionsJohn Craddock Wetlands Nature Preserve22 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Ret Tail Conservancy
Ball Community Park10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHeekin Park60 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsTuhey Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Muncie
DirectionsCooley Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMansfield Park21 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCornerstone Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Cornerstone Center for the ARts
DirectionsMcCulloch Park86 acres
DirectionsWestside Park22 acres
DirectionsHughes Nature Preserve13 acres · Red Tail Conservancy
Thomas Park9 acres
DirectionsRose Park5 acres
DirectionsCowing Park4 acres
Aultshire Park4 acres
Riverview Park4 acres
Maring-Hunt Park3 acres
DirectionsHalteman Park3 acres
DirectionsGuthrie Park3 acres
Jack's Park2 acres
DirectionsCanan Commons2 acres · City of Muncie
DirectionsMorningside Park1 acres
DirectionsMatthews Park1 acres
DirectionsMuncie Rotary Club Park1 acres
DirectionsRiverbend Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
491 conserved acres
3% of Muncie’s land. Who manages Muncie’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city347 ac
Private owners121 ac
County38 ac
Local Park · 291 acPrivate Park · 88 acLocal Recreation Area · 60 acLocal Conservation Area · 39 acState Conservation Area · 17 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestview Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 88 | Open |
| McCulloch Park Local Park | Town or city | 84 | Open |
| Heekin Park Local Park | Town or city | 60 | Open |
| Minnetrista Nature Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Delaware County Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 38 | Open |
| Cardinal Greenway Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Mansfield Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Muncie Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Private owners | 22 | Open |
| White River Bicentennial Park (Westside Park) Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| White River Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
56 places to go in Muncie
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Muncie
Tuhey Kiddie PoolIn Tuhey Park
DirectionsTuhey PoolIn Tuhey Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Muncie
48 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Muncie
Emerson Dog Park
DirectionsPeaks in Muncie
Spider Hill945 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Muncie
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Muncie
3 community gardens without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.5 mi
Turkey Lady Trail0.6 mi
Minnetrista Nature Area Trail0.5 mi
Oakhurst Garden Path0.4 mi
Craddock Wetlands Trail0.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
25 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
17 mi
off-road bike paths
1.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
53Tennis
26Baseball
25Basketball
20Soccer
9Beach volleyball
4Pickleball
4Football
2Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →38 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Muncie Public LibraryBuilding · listed 1976
About itKimbrough, Emily, Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itRoberts HotelBuilding · listed 1982
About itBoyce BlockBuilding · listed 1984
About itF.D. Rose BuildingBuilding · listed 1984
About itMoore-Youse-Maxon HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itMargaret and George Riley Jones HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itMasonic TempleBuilding · listed 1984
About itFrancis T. Roots BuildingBuilding · listed 1985
About itOld West End Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1986
About itWysor Heights Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itCity HallBuilding · listed 1988
About it26 more on the History page.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Muncie
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 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 39 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Muncie →
Next door
Muncie and its neighbors
Muncie has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muncie | 3% | 0.3 | 7 | 73% | C+ |
| Yorktown | 2% | under 0.1 | 9 | 36% | C− |
| Center Township | 2% | 0.2 | 7 | 73% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Muncie
Where can I hike in Muncie?
The longest trail networks: Minnetrista, 1.7 miles; Dutro-Ernst Woods, 1.2 miles; John Craddock Wetlands Nature Preserve, 0.4 miles; Ball Community Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Muncie 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 Muncie’s trails?
Minnetrista and Dutro-Ernst Woods don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Muncie?
25 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.5 of painted or protected lanes, 17 of off-road paths and 1.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Muncie?
5,045 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Muncie or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 459 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Muncie have?
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #236 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 Muncie 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 →