Union Township has 364 acres of parks, 26 for every 1,000 residents
87% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 7.5 miles of mapped trail cross Union Township, 0.4 per square mile of land. 4% of Union Township’s land is conserved, about 481 acres.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #70 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Union Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Union Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Union Township is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #70 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.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Union Township’s 4% is ahead of 75% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 78% 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
The longest trail network is Rieke Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Greenhurst Commons
Dekalb County Fairgrounds
All 13 parks & preserves
481 conserved acres
4% of Union Township’s land. Who manages Union Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 193 | Open |
| Greenhurst Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 109 | Open |
| Rieke Park Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Fifteenth St Wetlands Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Hunters Glen Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| DeKalb County Fairgrounds Local Recreation Area | County | 16 | Open |
| Lash Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Eckhart Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Smith Acres Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
8 places to go in Union Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
10 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.
September is the best month for walking in Union Township
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 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 32 | 36 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 81 | 76 | 63 | 49 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.4 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Union Township →
Union Township and its neighbors
Union Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | 4% | 0.4 | 26 | 87% | B+ |
| Jackson Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 27 | 10% | C− |
| Wilmington Township | 2% | under 0.1 | 18 | 67% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Union Township
Where can I hike in Union Township?
The longest trail networks: Rieke Park, 0.3 miles; Courthouse Green, 0.3 miles; Dekalb County Fairgrounds, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Union Township is conserved land?
4% 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 Union Township’s trails?
Rieke Park and Courthouse Green don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Union Township?
10 miles of bike routes are on the map: 10 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Union Township?
1,806 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Union Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 364 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Union Township have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #70 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 Union Township 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 →