Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab
Park
72 acres3.3 mi of trail
Crooked CreekJensen South ShoreTurtle HauntNorth Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Momoneymoproblemz · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Wayne Township
Wayne Township has 20 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab (3.3 mi), Krannert Park (0.7 mi), Lions Club Park (0.6 mi). 1,139 acres are parks and preserves, 7.7 per 1,000 residents. 4% of Wayne Township’s land is conserved, about 1,247 acres.
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns · #183 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
1,247 acres · of 48.7 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,139 ac
7.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
68%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
31 mi
8.4 mi lanes · 20 mi paths
Highest peak
699 ft
Mars Hill
Lakes & rivers
9
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Wayne Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Wayne Township is ahead of 52% of U.S. towns, #183 of 593 in Indiana. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Wayne Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land7.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,139 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home68% 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 52%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 69%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Wayne Township ranks #351 on Outdoors.
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Wayne Township’s 4% is ahead of 74% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 77% of them.
Park acres per resident are where Wayne Township trails most U.S. towns: 7.7 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 150,959 people share 1,139 acres.
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 Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab, with 3.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
IMS Pagoda Plaza
Park
3 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Garage Area (Credentialed) Parking
Riverside Adventure Park
Managed by Indy Parks and Recreation
71 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Eagle Creek Park
Managed by Indy Parks
42 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 38 parks & preserves
Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab72 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
DirectionsKrannert Park22 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsLions Club Park21 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsIMS Pagoda Plaza3 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRiverside Adventure Park71 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Indy Parks and Recreation
DirectionsEagle Creek Park42 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Indy Parks
Shelton Heights Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFaculty Park7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsChapel Hill Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLeonard Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHaughville Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPatricia Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Indy Parks
DirectionsHawthorne Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBen Davis Park82 acres
DirectionsRobey Park58 acres · Indy Parks
DirectionsChuck Klein Softball Complex23 acres
DirectionsAJ Thatcher Park21 acres
DirectionsBowman Park20 acres · Indy Parks
DirectionsCloverleaf Conservation Area20 acres · Indy Parks
DirectionsMeadowood Park16 acres
DirectionsStout Field Park13 acres
DirectionsGustafson Park13 acres
DirectionsRidenour Park12 acres
DirectionsShambaugh Park12 acres
DirectionsBel Aire Park11 acres
DirectionsBruiser Memorial Park9 acres
Batnan Park7 acres
DirectionsMoreland Park5 acres
DirectionsMax Bahr Park5 acres
DirectionsOlin Park5 acres
Miller Park4 acres
Peace Park4 acres
DirectionsCentennial and Groff Park4 acres
Ross Claypool Park3 acres
DirectionsChristina Oaks Park2 acres
DirectionsDenver Park2 acres
DirectionsMother Mary Park2 acres
DirectionsChapel Glen Club1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,247 conserved acres
4% of Wayne Township’s land. Who manages Wayne Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city721 ac
Private owners475 ac
County42 ac
Other state land8 ac
Local Park · 439 acPrivate Park · 346 acState Recreation Area · 236 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 129 acState Conservation Area · 70 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brickyard Crossing Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 183 | Open |
| Country Club of Indianapolis Private Park | Private owners | 163 | Open |
| Coffin Golf Course Local Park | Town or city | 143 | Open |
| Camp Dellwood Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 129 | Open |
| Riverside Golf Course State Recreation Area | Town or city | 67 | Open |
| Lake Indy State Conservation Area | Town or city | 66 | Restricted |
| Thatcher Golf Course State Recreation Area | Town or city | 66 | Open |
| Eagle Creek Park Local Park | County | 42 | Open |
| Major Taylor Sports Complex State Recreation Area | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Gustafson Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
118 places to go in Wayne Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Wayne Township
Gustafson Park PoolIn Gustafson Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Wayne Township
Adventure PlaygroundIn Ben Davis Park
DirectionsWestlake Elemantary Playground
Directions106 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Boat launches in Wayne Township
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Wayne Township
7th & Hulman Spectator Mound
DirectionsCorner 7 Spectator Mound
DirectionsNorth Hulman Boulevard Spectator Mound
DirectionsNorth Main Straight Spectator Mound
DirectionsTurn 3 Spectator Mounds
DirectionsPeaks in Wayne Township
Mars Hill699 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Wayne Township
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Wayne Township
Camp Dellwood Girl Scouts Camp
DirectionsJameson Camp
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Wayne Township
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
16 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.7 mi
Crooked Creek0.3 mi
Jensen South Shore0.3 mi
Turtle Haunt0.3 mi
North Loop0.3 mi
Jensen North Shore0.2 mi
Riverdale0.2 mi
Mini Golf0.2 mi
White River Trail0.2 mi
East Boardwalk0.2 mi
Cherry Hill0.1 mi
6 more trails
Outdoor Classroom
0.1 miAllison Bridge
0.1 miPersimmon
0.1 miSommers Bridge
0.1 miNorth Bluff
0.1 miEphemeral
0.1 miBiking & sports
31 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
20 mi
off-road bike paths
2.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
88Tennis
51Baseball
26Soccer
25Basketball
13Football
6Pickleball
3Softball
3Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 12 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Allison MansionBuilding · listed 1970
About itOld Pathology BuildingBuilding · listed 1972
About itStewart Manor (Charles B. Sommers House)Building · listed 1976
About itChristamore HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itHaughville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1992
About itHenry F. Campbell MansionBuilding · listed 1997
About itHawthorne Branch Library No. 2Building · listed 2000
About itWheeler-Stokely MansionBuilding · listed 2004
About itIndianapolis Veterans Administration HospitalDistrict · listed 2012
About itStout Field, Administration BuildingBuilding · listed 2018
About itFloral Park CemeterySite · listed 2026
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Wayne 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 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 35 | 40 | 51 | 63 | 73 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 51 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.9 |
February is the driest month (2.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.0 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Wayne Township →
Next door
Wayne Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Indianapolis167 miPike Township48 miCenter Township29 miWashington Township25 miWayne Township20 miWashington Township14 miDecatur Township12 miPlainfield7.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Township | 4% | 0.4 | 8 | 68% | B− |
| Center Township | 7% | 0.7 | 15 | 93% | A− |
| Decatur Township | 3% | 0.4 | 17 | 37% | B− |
| Pike Township | 19% | 1.1 | 60 | 51% | A |
| Indianapolis | 6% | 0.5 | 15 | 61% | B |
| Washington Township | 1% | 0.4 | 11 | 58% | C+ |
| Washington Township | 5% | 0.5 | 8 | 57% | B− |
| Plainfield | 4% | 0.3 | 24 | 76% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Wayne Township
Where can I hike in Wayne Township?
The longest trail networks: Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab, 3.3 miles; Krannert Park, 0.7 miles; Lions Club Park, 0.6 miles; IMS Pagoda Plaza, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Wayne 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 Wayne Township’s trails?
Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab and Krannert Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Wayne Township?
31 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.4 of painted or protected lanes, 20 of off-road paths and 2.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Wayne Township?
14,653 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Wayne Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,139 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Wayne Township have?
Ahead of 52% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #183 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 Wayne 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 →