Rum Village Park
Managed by South Bend Venue Parks & Arts
157 acres2.6 mi of trail
Indian TrailSpicebrush TrailIronwood TrailRed Oak Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Scott Palmer · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in South Bend
South Bend has 28 miles of mapped trails, 0.7 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Rum Village Park (2.6 mi), Potawatomi Park (1 mi), Southeast Park (0.7 mi). 84% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 6% of South Bend’s land is conserved, about 1,604 acres.
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns · #62 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,604 acres · of 41.9 sq mi of land
Trails
28 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,524 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
84%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
96 mi
29 mi lanes · 32 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
6
3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is South Bend?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does South Bend have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, South Bend is ahead of 74% of U.S. towns, #62 of 593 in Indiana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of South Bend’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (28 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,524 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13BParks close to home84% 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 74%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 90%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, South Bend ranks #243 on Outdoors.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so South Bend’s 6% is ahead of 84% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 88% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to 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 Rum Village Park, with 2.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Southeast Park
Park
13 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Izaak Walton League Park
Managed by Izaak Walton League
113 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 48 parks & preserves
Rum Village Park157 acres · 2.6 mi of trail · South Bend Venue Parks & Arts
DirectionsPotawatomi Park29 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsSoutheast Park13 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsIzaak Walton League Park113 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Izaak Walton League
DirectionsLaSalle Park41 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsLeeper Park28 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsFredrickson Park14 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPulaski Park7 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsKeller Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsJon Hunt Memorial Plaza2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPinhook Park25 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsVoorde Park15 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsO'Brien Park23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverside Park18 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVeteran's Memorial Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWoodlawn Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPhillip St. Clair Park47 acres
DirectionsKennedy Park37 acres
DirectionsBoland Park29 acres
DirectionsBoehm Park27 acres
DirectionsMuessel Grove Park17 acres
DirectionsHonor Park14 acres
DirectionsHoward Park13 acres
DirectionsEdison Park12 acres
DirectionsKaiser Park11 acres
DirectionsBooth Tarkington Park9 acres
DirectionsWalker Field Park9 acres
DirectionsCoquillard Park7 acres
DirectionsGovernor Joe Kernan Park5 acres
DirectionsMartin Luther King, Jr. Dream Center5 acres
DirectionsRiverside Manor Park5 acres
Plaza Park5 acres
DirectionsEast Race5 acres
DirectionsRavina Park4 acres
DirectionsBrownfield Park3 acres
DirectionsWesthaven Park3 acres
DirectionsSeitz Park2 acres
DirectionsFremont Park2 acres
DirectionsRandolph Park2 acres
DirectionsNokomis Park2 acres
Ryer Mini Park2 acres
Helmen Park2 acres
DirectionsParkovash Park1 acres
DirectionsKelly Park1 acres
DirectionsGwen Stiver Park1 acres
DirectionsIsland Park1 acres
DirectionsSorin Park1 acres
Pier Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,604 conserved acres
6% of South Bend’s land. Who manages South Bend’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,355 ac
Private owners181 ac
County70 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government9 ac
Local Park · 958 acState Recreation Area · 426 acPrivate Park · 164 acLocal Recreation Area · 49 acLocal Other or Unknown · 18 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackthorn Golf Course State Recreation Area | Town or city | 267 | Open |
| Morris Park Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 157 | Open |
| Rum Village Park Local Park | Town or city | 154 | Open |
| Erskine Golf Course State Recreation Area | Town or city | 115 | Open |
| Wheelock Park Local Park | Town or city | 107 | Open |
| Potawatomi Park Local Park | Town or city | 54 | Open |
| Kennedy Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Open |
| Bellville Gardens Local Park | Town or city | 44 | Open |
| LaSalle Park Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Rum Village Annex Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
87 places to go in South Bend
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in South Bend
Edison Park PlaygroundIn Edison Park
DirectionsKid's KingdomIn Potawatomi Park
Directions74 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in South Bend
3 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in South Bend
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in South Bend
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in South Bend
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in South Bend
2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 6 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 5.3 miUnpaved · 9.5 mi
Rum Village mountain bike trail4.7 mi
Indian Trail1.0 mi
Spicebrush Trail0.3 mi
Ironwood Trail0.2 mi
Red Oak Trail0.2 mi
Shagbark Trail0.2 mi
Hillside Trail0.1 mi
Hidden Trail0.1 mi
Old Tree Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
96 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
29 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
32 mi
off-road bike paths
35 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
91Tennis
68Baseball
34Soccer
26Basketball
12Football
1Skate park
1Beach volleyball
1Pickleball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →78 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Old Courthouse (Second St. Joseph County Courthouse)Building · listed 1970
About itJoseph D. Oliver HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itWest Washington Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1975
About itHoratio Chapin HouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itChapin Park Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itJames A. Judie HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itChauncey N. Lawton HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itPalais Royale BuildingBuilding · listed 1983
About itO'Brien Electric Priming CompanyBuilding · listed 1983
About itKelley-Fredrickson House and Office BuildingBuilding · listed 1984
About itSamuel Leeper Jr. HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About it66 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in South Bend: April, July and 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) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 48 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.2 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in South Bend →
Next door
South Bend and its neighbors
South Bend has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
South Bend28 miPortage Township27 miPenn Township13 miMishawaka12 miNotre Dame1.9 miGilmer Park0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Bend | 6% | 0.7 | 15 | 84% | B+ |
| Gilmer Park | under 1% | under 0.1 | 3 | 55% | D |
| Mishawaka | 4% | 0.6 | 8 | 82% | B |
| Notre Dame | 9% | 1.6 | 2 | 96% | B+ |
| Portage Township | 5% | 0.8 | 10 | 87% | B+ |
| Penn Township | 2% | 0.2 | 10 | 69% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in South Bend
Where can I hike in South Bend?
The longest trail networks: Rum Village Park, 2.6 miles; Potawatomi Park, 1 miles; Southeast Park, 0.7 miles; Izaak Walton League Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of South Bend is conserved land?
6% 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 South Bend’s trails?
Rum Village Park and Potawatomi Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in South Bend?
96 miles of bike routes are on the map: 29 of painted or protected lanes, 32 of off-road paths and 35 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near South Bend?
8,670 acres of parks and open public land lie inside South Bend or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,524 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does South Bend have?
Ahead of 74% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #62 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 South Bend 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 →