Imagination Glen Park
Park
260 acres11.7 mi of trail
Rich's RevengeFar Creek RunNear Creek RunDaytona+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Portage
13% of Portage’s land is conserved: 2,202 acres
27 miles of mapped trail cross Portage, 1.1 per square mile of land. 2,103 acres are parks and preserves, 55 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Imagination Glen Park (11.7 mi), Indiana Dunes National Park (9.3 mi), John Merle Coulter Nature Preserve (0.9 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #13 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
2,202 acres · of 25.7 sq mi of land
Trails
27 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,103 ac
55 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
76%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
13 mi
13 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
4 beaches
What kind of outdoors town is Portage?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Portage have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Portage is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #13 of 593 in Indiana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Portage’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (27 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land55 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,103 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13A−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 90%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 98%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Portage’s 13% is ahead of 95% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 95% of them.
Water is 7% of Portage’s area (2 of 28 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 12%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A. 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 Imagination Glen Park, with 11.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Indiana Dunes National Park
Managed by National Park Service
1,700 acres9.3 mi of trail
Long Lake TrailWest Beach TrailTolleston Dunes Short LoopTolleston Dunes Long Loop+1
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
John Merle Coulter Nature Preserve
Managed by Shirley Heinze Land Trust
94 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Portage Lakefront Park and Riverwalk
Nature preserve
49 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Frank Gilbert, Jr. Monument Park
Park
3 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Founder's Square Park
Park
3 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Imagination Glen Park260 acres · 11.7 mi of trail
DirectionsIndiana Dunes National Park1,700 acres · 9.3 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsJohn Merle Coulter Nature Preserve94 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Shirley Heinze Land Trust
Portage Lakefront Park and Riverwalk49 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsDeer Trail Park17 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsFrank Gilbert, Jr. Monument Park3 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Founder's Square Park3 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Countryside Park30 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsOlson Memorial Park16 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsWoodland Park58 acres
DirectionsWolfe Park10 acres
Perry Park3 acres
Forest Avenue Park2 acres
Who protects it
2,202 conserved acres
13% of Portage’s land. Water is left out: Portage has 25.7 square miles of land and 2.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Portage’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service1,562 ac
Town or city678 ac
Joint164 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land53 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits20 ac
National Park · 1,508 acLocal Park · 678 acConservation Easement · 271 acState Conservation Area · 20 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 218 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 | 1,508 | Open |
| Imagination Glen Local Park | Town or city | 256 | Open |
| Portage Bicentennial Park Local Park | Town or city | 224 | Open |
| Portage (Woodland) Park Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Prairie - Duneland Trail County Park Local Park | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Countryside Park Local Park | Town or city | 29 | Open |
| Ironhorse Trail Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Izaak Walton League Miller Chapter State Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 20 | Closed |
| Deer Trail Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Arthur H. Olson Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
22 places to go in Portage
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Portage
Portage LakefrontIn Indiana Dunes National Park
DirectionsWest BeachIn Indiana Dunes National Park
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Portage
Marina Shores Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Portage
8 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Portage
Tolleston Dunes OutlookIn Indiana Dunes National Park
DirectionsPlus 1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Portage
Mount ChicagoIn Indiana Dunes National Park
DirectionsScallop DuneIn Indiana Dunes National Park
DirectionsSmoking DuneIn Indiana Dunes National Park
DirectionsPlus 2 peaks without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Portage
West Beach Picnic AreaIn Indiana Dunes National Park
DirectionsPlus 1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
25 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.0 miUnpaved · 16.2 mi
Long Lake Trail1.5 mi
Rich's Revenge1.3 mi
West Beach Trail1.2 mi
Tolleston Dunes Short Loop1.0 mi
Tolleston Dunes Long Loop1.0 mi
Far Creek Run0.9 mi
Near Creek Run0.8 mi
Daytona0.8 mi
Broken Arrow0.7 mi
Basement0.6 mi
15 more trails
Log Jam
0.6 miHinterlands
0.5 miRiverwalk
0.5 miSpaghetti Hill
0.5 miTolleston Dunes Trail
0.4 miRoller Coaster
0.4 miSpeedy Ridge
0.4 miSwitchback
0.4 miTrailer Run
0.4 miBobal Ridge
0.4 miDune Succession Trail
0.3 miTeenage Wasteland
0.3 miPeninsula
0.3 miHinterland Connector
0.2 miShelter Skelter
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
13 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
19Baseball
14Tennis
9Soccer
2Football
2Beach volleyball
1Basketball
1Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
West Beach Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2025
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Portage: July to 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) | 33 | 36 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Portage →
Next door
Portage and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Westchester Township55 miCalumet Township51 miGary49 miPortage Township34 miPortage27 miChesterton10 miOgden Dunes2.0 miBurns Harbor1.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage | 13% | 1.1 | 55 | 76% | A |
| Burns Harbor | 9% | 0.2 | 162 | 85% | A− |
| Portage Township | 12% | 1.0 | 46 | 72% | A |
| Ogden Dunes | 24% | 2.7 | 73 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Westchester Township | 32% | 1.7 | 298 | 93% | A+ |
| Chesterton | 13% | 1.1 | 23 | 90% | A |
| Gary | 9% | 1.0 | 41 | 95% | A |
| Calumet Township | 9% | 0.8 | 34 | 91% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Portage
Where can I hike in Portage?
The longest trail networks: Imagination Glen Park, 11.7 miles; Indiana Dunes National Park, 9.3 miles; John Merle Coulter Nature Preserve, 0.9 miles; Portage Lakefront Park and Riverwalk, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Portage is conserved land?
13% 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 Portage’s trails?
Imagination Glen Park and Indiana Dunes National Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Portage?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 13 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Portage?
18,607 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Portage or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,103 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Portage have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #13 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 Portage 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 →