Celery Bog Nature Area
Nature preserve
227 acres2.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
John E. and Catherine E. Christian House (Samara) · Photo: Tim Musson · CC BY-SA 2.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in West Lafayette
10% of West Lafayette’s land is conserved, and 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park
20 miles of mapped trail cross West Lafayette, 1.5 per square mile of land. 10% of West Lafayette’s land is conserved, about 875 acres. The biggest trail networks: Celery Bog Nature Area (2.8 mi), Cason Family Park (2.3 mi), Stewart Woods (1.5 mi).
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #15 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
875 acres · of 13.7 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
551 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
60 mi
8.6 mi lanes · 50 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is West Lafayette?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does West Lafayette have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, West Lafayette is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #15 of 593 in Indiana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of West Lafayette’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4APark land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (551 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · IN 51% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 88%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 98%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so West Lafayette’s 10% is ahead of 92% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 98% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. 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 Celery Bog Nature Area, with 2.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Stewart Woods
Nature preserve
32 acres1.5 mi of trail
Stewart Woods Hiking Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Happy Hollow Park
Park
93 acres0.6 mi of trail
Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Purdue Horticulture Park
Park
35 acres0.3 mi of trail
Stewart Woods Hiking Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Purdue Gold Intramural Fields
Park
24 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 23 parks & preserves
Celery Bog Nature Area227 acres · 2.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCason Family Park33 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsStewart Woods32 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHappy Hollow Park93 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCumberland Park78 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsAcademy Park4 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsPurdue Horticulture Park35 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPurdue Gold Intramural Fields24 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsPickett Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsTapawingo Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBell Tower Area1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCentennial Mall1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTrailhead Park6 acres
DirectionsSquirrel Park4 acres
DirectionsGeorge E. Lommel Park4 acres · West Lafayette Parks and Recreation
Memorial Mall3 acres
DirectionsPurdue Mall3 acres
DirectionsSpitzer Court2 acres
DirectionsPeck-Trachtman Park2 acres
University Farm Park2 acres
Stadium Mall2 acres
DirectionsMascouten Park1 acres
DirectionsFounders Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
875 conserved acres
10% of West Lafayette’s land. Who manages West Lafayette’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Land trusts & nonprofits340 ac
Town or city321 ac
Other state land220 ac
Joint52 ac
County18 ac
Local Park · 381 acLocal Recreation Area · 357 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 107 acConservation Easement · 52 acState Conservation Area · 40 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 20 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue Golf Local Recreation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 248 | Open |
| Celery Bog Local Park | Town or city | 132 | Open |
| Horticultural Park Woods Private Recreation or Education | Other state land | 107 | Closed |
| Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex Local Recreation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 92 | Open |
| Happy Hollow Park Local Park | Town or city | 81 | Open |
| Horticulture Park Local Park | Other state land | 43 | Open |
| Cumberland Park Local Park | Town or city | 40 | Open |
| McCormick's Woods State Conservation Area | Other state land | 40 | Open |
| Lindberg Road Soccer Fields Local Park | County | 18 | Open |
| West Lafayette Ballfields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
44 places to go in West Lafayette
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in West Lafayette
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in West Lafayette
Spa
DirectionsPlaygrounds in West Lafayette
WLES Grade 1-3 Playground
DirectionsWLES Kindergarten Playground
DirectionsPlus 26 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in West Lafayette
Cumberland Dog ParkIn Cumberland Park
DirectionsCumberland Dog ParkIn Cumberland Park
DirectionsHappy Hollow Dog ParkIn Happy Hollow Park
DirectionsPlus 5 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in West Lafayette
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in West Lafayette
1 scenic view without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in West Lafayette
4 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
5 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 13.2 mi
McCormick Woods MTB Trail2.6 mi
Purdue Outer XC Trail1.8 mi
Stewart Woods Hiking Trail1.6 mi
Trail0.3 mi
Purdue XC Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
60 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
50 mi
off-road bike paths
1.5 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
37Tennis
13Basketball
9Beach volleyball
8Softball
7Baseball
7Football
5Soccer
2Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 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 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
John E. and Catherine E. Christian House (Samara)National Historic Landmark · Building · listed 1992
About itJesse Andrew HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itMorton SchoolBuilding · listed 1999
About itVarsity, TheBuilding · listed 2001
About itAlpha Tau Omega Fraternity HouseBuilding · listed 2002
About itHills and Dales Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2002
About itChauncey-Stadium Avenues Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2002
About itCurtis-Grace HouseBuilding · listed 2012
About itHappy Hollow Heights Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2015
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in West Lafayette
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 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 38 | 50 | 63 | 74 | 82 | 84 | 83 | 78 | 65 | 50 | 38 |
| Rain (in) | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.5 |
February is the driest month (2.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in West Lafayette →
Next door
West Lafayette 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Lafayette | 10% | 1.5 | 12 | 98% | A |
| Wabash Township | 4% | 0.5 | 10 | 84% | B |
| Tippecanoe Township | 2% | 0.7 | 258 | 32% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in West Lafayette
Where can I hike in West Lafayette?
The longest trail networks: Celery Bog Nature Area, 2.8 miles; Cason Family Park, 2.3 miles; Stewart Woods, 1.5 miles; Happy Hollow Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of West Lafayette is conserved land?
10% 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 West Lafayette’s trails?
Celery Bog Nature Area and Cason Family Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in West Lafayette?
60 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.6 of painted or protected lanes, 50 of off-road paths and 1.5 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near West Lafayette?
5,113 acres of parks and open public land lie inside West Lafayette or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 603 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does West Lafayette have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #15 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 West Lafayette 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 →