Blue River Memorial Park
Park
163 acres3.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Public domain · Public domainBOutdoors
Outdoors in Shelbyville
Shelbyville has 302 acres of parks, 15 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Blue River Memorial Park (3.9 mi), Sunset Park (0.5 mi). 79% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 4.8 miles of mapped trail cross Shelbyville, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns · #132 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
290 acres · of 13.8 sq mi of land
Trails
4.8 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
302 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
79%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.5 mi
0.6 mi lanes · 8.8 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Shelbyville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Shelbyville is ahead of 59% of U.S. towns, #132 of 593 in Indiana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, conserved land lowest.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Shelbyville’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 (5 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (302 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13BParks close to home79% 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 59%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 78%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Shelbyville’s 3% is ahead of 69% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 73% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Blue River Memorial Park, with 3.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sunset Park
Park
17 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Kennedy Park
Park
13 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sunrise Park
Park
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 7 parks & preserves
Blue River Memorial Park163 acres · 3.9 mi of trail
DirectionsSunset Park17 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Central Park Commons Area and Playground4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Kennedy Park13 acres
Sunrise Park11 acres
Clearwick Park7 acres
Morrison Park6 acres
Who protects it
290 conserved acres
3% of Shelbyville’s land. Who manages Shelbyville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city274 ac
County12 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits4 ac
Local Park · 270 acLocal Recreation Area · 20 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue River Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 210 | Open |
| Sunset Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Shelby County Babe Ruth Park Local Recreation Area | County | 12 | Open |
| Sunrise Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Kennedy Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Morrison Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Clearwick Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Meridian Street Aquatic Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Boys And Girls Club Park Local Park | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Shelbyville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Shelbyville
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Shelbyville
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
8.8 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Baseball
16Tennis
4Basketball
3Soccer
2Pickleball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
John Hamilton HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itShelbyville Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1984
About itWest Side Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About itShelbyville High SchoolBuilding · listed 1996
About itPorter Pool BathhouseBuilding · listed 2001
About itPearson, Lora B., SchoolBuilding · listed 2009
About itShelby County CourthouseBuilding · listed 2011
About itClover Ford Iron BridgeStructure · listed 2023
About itMessick Masonic TempleBuilding · listed 2024
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Shelbyville
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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 41 | 52 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 84 | 78 | 66 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.2 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Shelbyville →
Next door
Shelbyville and its neighbors
Shelbyville 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelbyville | 3% | 0.3 | 15 | 79% | B |
| Addison Township | 2% | 0.2 | 14 | 74% | C+ |
| Brandywine Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 1 | 27% | D |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Shelbyville
Where can I hike in Shelbyville?
The longest trail networks: Blue River Memorial Park, 3.9 miles; Sunset Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Shelbyville 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 Shelbyville’s trails?
Blue River Memorial Park and Sunset Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Shelbyville?
9.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of painted or protected lanes and 8.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Shelbyville?
542 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Shelbyville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 302 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Shelbyville have?
Ahead of 59% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #132 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 Shelbyville 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 →