East Side Park
Park
19 acres0.2 mi of trail
Eastside lake side walk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Nyttend · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Washington
Washington has 141 acres of parks, 11 for every 1,000 residents
81% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1.4 miles of mapped trail cross Washington, 0.2 per square mile of land. 4% of Washington’s land is conserved, about 161 acres.
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns · #173 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
161 acres · of 6.7 sq mi of land
Trails
1.4 mi
0.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
141 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
81%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Washington?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Washington have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Washington is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns, #173 of 593 in Indiana. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Washington’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (1 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4C+Park land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (141 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home81% 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 53%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 71%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Washington’s 4% is ahead of 73% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 60% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B. 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 East Side Park, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Eastside Park
Park
15 acres0.2 mi of trail
Eastside lake side walk
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Playground
Park
14 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Longfellow Park
Park
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 5 parks & preserves
East Side Park19 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsEastside Park15 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPlayground14 acres
Longfellow Park10 acres
South Side Park9 acres
Who protects it
161 conserved acres
4% of Washington’s land. Who manages Washington’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city121 ac
Private owners40 ac
Local Park · 69 acLocal Recreation Area · 52 acPrivate Park · 40 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gwaltney Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| East Side Park Local Park | Town or city | 48 | Open |
| Washington Country Club Private Park | Private owners | 40 | Open |
| Longfellow Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| South Side Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
Trails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Eastside lake side walk0.6 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
4Tennis
4Pickleball
3Basketball
1Baseball
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →8 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Robert C. Graham HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itWashington Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About itMagnus J. Carnahan HouseBuilding · listed 1991
About itThomas Faith HouseBuilding · listed 1994
About itDr. John A. Scudder HouseBuilding · listed 1995
About itDr Nelson Wilson HouseBuilding · listed 2008
About itDaviess County CourthouseBuilding · listed 2008
About itBeulah A. M. E. Church & Dunbar SchoolBuilding · listed 2026
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Washington
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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 44 | 55 | 67 | 76 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 80 | 69 | 55 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.6 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Washington →
Questions about parks and trails in Washington
Where can I hike in Washington?
The longest trail networks: East Side Park, 0.2 miles; Eastside Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Washington 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 Washington’s trails?
East Side Park and Eastside Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Washington?
1,155 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Washington or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 141 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Washington have?
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #173 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 Washington 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 →