Altherr Nature Park
Park
17 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainC−Outdoors
Outdoors in Union Township
Union Township has 65 acres of parks, 6.6 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Altherr Nature Park (0.8 mi). 2.4 miles of mapped trail cross Union Township, 0.1 per square mile of land. 61% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 21% of U.S. towns · #402 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
under 1%
62 acres · of 41.7 sq mi of land
Trails
2.4 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
65 ac
6.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
61%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.9 mi
3.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
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 21% of U.S. towns, #402 of 593 in Indiana. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park comes closest.
C−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Union Township’s overall grade.
Conserved landunder 1% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%C−Trails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4C−Park land6.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (65 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home61% 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 21%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 32%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Union Township’s under 1% is ahead of 21% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 34% of them.
NoteFew parks or trails are mapped in Union Township. OpenStreetMap is mapped by volunteers and coverage varies from town to town, so a town with unmapped parks scores low on them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. 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 Altherr Nature Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Monticello City Park
Park
16 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Nipsco walking path
Park
8 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Bluewater Park
Park
2 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
Altherr Nature Park17 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Monticello City Park16 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNipsco walking path8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Bluewater Park2 acres
Monticello Skate Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
62 conserved acres
under 1% of Union Township’s land. Who manages Union Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city51 ac
State fish & wildlife10 ac
Local Park · 39 acLocal Recreation Area · 12 acState Recreation Area · 10 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monticello City Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| William Altherr Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Voigt Park & City Pool Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Norway Dam Public Fishing Site State Recreation Area | State fish & wildlife | 10 | Open |
| Bluewater Beach Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Jordan Skate Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
12 places to go in Union Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Union Township
Indiana Beach
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Union Township
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Union Township
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Union Township
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Union Township
Indiana Beach Campground
DirectionsIndiana Beach Monticello KOAKOA
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.2 mi
East Driftwood Loop0.5 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.9 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
10Baseball
9Tennis
6Basketball
3Tracks
2Softball
1Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 37 | 49 | 62 | 73 | 82 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Union Township →
Next door
Union Township and its neighbors
Union Township has the most mapped trails of the 4 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 | under 1% | 0.1 | 7 | 61% | C− |
| Monticello | 2% | 0.3 | 10 | 87% | B− |
| Honey Creek Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 27 | 1% | C− |
| Monon Township | 1% | under 0.1 | 12 | 48% | 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: Altherr Nature Park, 0.8 miles; Monticello City Park, 0.2 miles; Nipsco walking path, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Union Township is conserved land?
under 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?
Altherr Nature Park and Monticello City Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Union Township?
3.9 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.9 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Union Township?
459 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Union Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 65 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Union Township have?
Ahead of 21% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #402 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.
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 →