Union Township has 71 acres of parks, 21 for every 1,000 residents
1.6 miles of mapped trail cross Union Township. 41% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 27% of U.S. towns · #357 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
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 27% of U.S. towns, #357 of 593 in Indiana. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Union Township’s 1% is ahead of 34% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 28% 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.
Water Tower Park
Potato Creek State Park
198 conserved acres
1% of Union Township’s land. Who manages Union Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 163 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Railroad Bike Trail Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Pleasant Lake Public Access Site State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 4 | Open |
6 places to go in Union Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
7 lakes & rivers
18 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.
The best walking months in Union Township: April and July to 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) | 31 | 35 | 47 | 60 | 71 | 80 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 63 | 48 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 4.3 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Union Township →
Union Township 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 21 | 41% | C |
| Madison Township | under 1% | 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| German Township | under 1% | 0.2 | 9 | 49% | C |
| Liberty Township | 18% | 0.7 | 1,119 | 45% | A |
| Centre Township | 2% | 0.1 | 12 | 51% | C |
| Greene Township | 1% | 0.5 | under 1 | 4% | 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
How much of Union Township 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 Union Township’s trails?
Newton Park and Water Tower Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Union Township?
18 miles of bike routes are on the map: 18 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Union Township?
5,970 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Union Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 71 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Union Township have?
Ahead of 27% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #357 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 →