Photo: JoeyBLS · Public domainSt. John has 90 acres of parks, 4.0 for every 1,000 residents
0.6 miles of mapped trail cross St. John. 65% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 21% of U.S. towns · #403 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
How much outdoors does St. John have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, St. John is ahead of 21% of U.S. towns, #403 of 593 in Indiana. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so St. John’s 1% is ahead of 34% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 31% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Civic Memorial Park
Homestead Acres Park Number 1
James E. Larimer Park
All 14 parks & preserves
57 conserved acres
1% of St. John’s land. Who manages St. John’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie West Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Sun Meadows Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Civic Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Lake Hills Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Edgewood Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Larimer Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Homestead Village Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Heron Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Schillton Hills Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Louis Estates Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
9 places to go in St. John
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 lakes & rivers
6.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in St. John: April 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 48 | 60 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in St. John →
St. John and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. John | 1% | under 0.1 | 4 | 65% | C− |
| Schererville | 10% | 0.2 | 11 | 95% | B+ |
| St. John Township | 7% | 0.4 | 14 | 86% | B+ |
| Hanover Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 3 | 49% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in St. John
Where can I hike in St. John?
The longest trail networks: Civic Memorial Park, 0.1 miles; Homestead Acres Park Number 1, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of St. John is conserved land?
1% 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 St. John’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Prairie West Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in St. John?
6.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.7 of off-road paths and 0.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near St. John?
9,841 acres of parks and open public land lie inside St. John or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 90 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does St. John have?
Ahead of 21% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #403 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 St. John neighbors.
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 →