South Side Park
Park
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainC+Outdoors
Outdoors in Princeton
Princeton has 109 acres of parks, 13 for every 1,000 residents
0.2 miles of mapped trail cross Princeton. 76% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 3% of Princeton’s land is conserved, about 107 acres.
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns · #258 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
107 acres · of 5.5 sq mi of land
Trails
0.2 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
109 ac
13 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
76%
of residents within ½ mile
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Princeton have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Princeton is ahead of 42% of U.S. towns, #258 of 593 in Indiana. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Princeton’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (0 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land13 acres of park per 1,000 residents (109 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 42%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 57%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Princeton’s 3% is ahead of 68% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 28% 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lafayette Park
Park
8 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Public Pool
Park
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
107 conserved acres
3% of Princeton’s land. Who manages Princeton’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County48 ac
Town or city39 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits21 ac
Local Park · 60 acLocal Recreation Area · 48 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gibson County Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 48 | Open |
| Jack Bishop Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 21 | Open |
| Lafayette Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| South Side Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Lincoln Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Princeton
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Princeton
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
10Baseball
7Tennis
4Pickleball
3Basketball
1Football
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 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.
When to get out
The walking year in Princeton
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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 40 | 45 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 81 | 70 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (3.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Princeton →
Questions about parks and trails in Princeton
How much of Princeton 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 Princeton’s trails?
South Side Park and Lafayette Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Princeton?
3,404 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Princeton or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 109 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Princeton have?
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #258 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 Princeton 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 →