Starkey Nature Park
Park
73 acres2.7 mi of trail
Trail 2Trail 5Eagle Creek TrailTrail 1+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Huw Williams (Huwmanbeing) · Public domainB−Outdoors
Outdoors in Zionsville
Zionsville has 485 acres of parks, 15 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Starkey Nature Park (2.7 mi), Mulberry Fields (1.8 mi), Elm Street Green (0.8 mi). 2% of Zionsville’s land is conserved, about 682 acres. 58% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns · #231 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
682 acres · of 67.2 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
485 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
36 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 36 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Zionsville have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Zionsville is ahead of 45% of U.S. towns, #231 of 593 in Indiana. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Zionsville’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical IN town 2% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · IN 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (485 acres) · IN 10 · U.S. 13BParks close to home58% 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 45%
LessMore
Indiana towns of 2,500+ (593)Ahead of 61%
Few Indiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Zionsville’s 2% is ahead of 49% of Indiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 70% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ 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 Starkey Nature Park, with 2.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Overley-Worman Park
Park
54 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Turkey Foot Nature Park
Park
40 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 17 parks & preserves
Starkey Nature Park73 acres · 2.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMulberry Fields32 acres · 1.8 mi of trail
DirectionsElm Street Green14 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsOverley-Worman Park54 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsLions Park20 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsTurkey Foot Nature Park40 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCreekside Nature Park18 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsZion Nature Sanctuary10 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsCarter Station10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCarpenter Nature Preserve205 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Zionsville Parks and Recreation
Heritage Trail Park11 acres
DirectionsJennings Field8 acres
DirectionsDonation Parcel6 acres
Royal Run Park6 acres · Royal Run HOA
Ottinger Park3 acres · Royal Run HOA
American Legion Trail Crossing1 acres
DirectionsLincoln Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
682 conserved acres
2% of Zionsville’s land. Who manages Zionsville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners347 ac
Town or city335 ac
Joint18 ac
Private Park · 347 acLocal Park · 325 acConservation Easement · 18 acState Conservation Area · 10 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf Run Golf Club Private Park | Private owners | 198 | Open |
| Hickory Bend Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 88 | Open |
| Starkey Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 88 | Open |
| Nancy Burton Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 63 | Open |
| Zionsville Golf Course Private Park | Private owners | 52 | Open |
| Mulberry Fields Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
| Turkey Foot Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 25 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Creekside Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Restricted |
| Wetland Reserve Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
21 places to go in Zionsville
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Zionsville
Hampshire PlayArea
DirectionsPlus 18 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Zionsville
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Zionsville
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.1 mi
Trail 20.8 mi
Eagle Creek Trail0.7 mi
Trail 50.5 mi
Trail 10.3 mi
Trail 30.3 mi
Trail 40.2 mi
Biking & sports
36 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
36 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
55Tennis
19Baseball
14Basketball
7Pickleball
3Football
1Beach volleyball
1Soccer
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
August is the best month for walking in Zionsville
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 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 39 | 50 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 84 | 82 | 77 | 65 | 51 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.7 |
February is the driest month (2.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.9 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Zionsville →
Next door
Zionsville and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Indianapolis167 miPike Township48 miClay Township28 miZionsville20 miWhitestown6.5 miPerry Township4.6 miWorth Township1.0 miLebanon0.3 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zionsville | 2% | 0.3 | 15 | 58% | B− |
| Whitestown | 2% | 0.4 | 9 | 72% | B− |
| Perry Township | 5% | 0.6 | 28 | 31% | B |
| Worth Township | under 1% | 0.1 | 16 | 90% | C+ |
| Pike Township | 19% | 1.1 | 60 | 51% | A |
| Indianapolis | 6% | 0.5 | 15 | 61% | B |
| Lebanon | 1% | under 0.1 | 10 | 72% | C |
| Clay Township | 5% | 0.6 | 13 | 75% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Zionsville
Where can I hike in Zionsville?
The longest trail networks: Starkey Nature Park, 2.7 miles; Mulberry Fields, 1.8 miles; Elm Street Green, 0.8 miles; Overley-Worman Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Zionsville is conserved land?
2% 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 Zionsville’s trails?
Starkey Nature Park and Mulberry Fields don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Zionsville?
36 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes and 36 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Zionsville?
11,346 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Zionsville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 485 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Zionsville have?
Ahead of 45% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #231 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 Zionsville 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 →