Play outdoors in East Central Indiana
Are you ready to get out and explore what East Central Indiana has to offer? You’ll find plenty of things to do outdoors – from nature preserves to bike trails to water perfect for boating and floating. You can be as active as you want here, and fun adventures are right around the corner.
Check out our interactive ECI map to see what’s happening in our region.
City Parks
Harter Park
Sitting on 68 acres, Harter Park in Union City has a playground, pool, walking trails, lakes, and a space for horseback riding.
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Ridgeville Park
Ridgeville Park includes a playground, sheltered area for picnics, a basketball court, and more!
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Wildcat Park
Located in Farmland, Wildcat Park is a perfect place to take the family to run wild! The park has a playground and other amenities.
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Dunkirk City Park
Dunkirk City Park is a great place to entertain the family with a softball field, shelters for events, a playground, and more!
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Dietrich Memorial Park
Located in Middletown, Dietrich Park includes a playground, baseball field, a trail, picnic area, and more!
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Sunset Park & Splash Pad
Located in Knightstown, Sunset Park & Splash Pad offers a splash pad and playground for outdoor play time for the entire family! They also have a shelter rental for hosting events.
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Playacres Park
Located in Fairmount, Playacres Park has 12.8 acres of land, with a mile-long walking trail, a playground, benches and picnic tables, a handicap-accessible area, and more.
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Gas City Park
Gas City Park features pickle ball courts, a swimming pool, playgrounds, spots for fishing, tennis courts, playgrounds, and more!
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Daleville Town Hall Park and Splash Pad
The Daleville Town Hall Park features one of the largest splash pads in Indiana! The park has everything you need to entertain the kids all day with a playground as well.
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Lion’s Club Park
Located southeast of downtown Yorktown, Lion's Club Park is home of the highly rated Carl Scott Memorial Disc Golf Course, one of the best rated in Indiana! The park also includes a playground, small pavilion, a community garden, picnic tables, and more.
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Civic Green
Civic Green in Yorktown has fire pits, a splash pad, a performance area for concerts, and more!
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Glenn Miller Park
Glenn Miller is the largest park in Richmond and there is much to explore! The park includes a pond, a golf course, a large playground, a splash pad, and more.
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Middlefork Reservoir
Don't miss out on Middlefork Reservoir! This park has everything you could want for a fun day or trip. The lake is over 177 acres where you can boat (rent if you don't have your own), fish, and explore all the other amenities the park has to offer!
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Mary Scott Park
Next to Parkview Elementary School and Dennis Middle School, Richmond's Mary Scott Park is a popular spot for families in the area. The park has seven acres, has a playground, a picnic area, and two shelters.
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Springwood Park
Considered one of Richmond's hidden treasures, Springwood Park has 104 acres of land, and has a 30 acre lake! The Cardinal Greenway Trail is included in the park, along with other nature trails, a playground, picnic areas, covered shelters for rent, and more.
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Clear Creek Park
Located in Richmond, Clear Creek Park has 49 acres and is divided into two sections by West Main Street. The park has a pool and a stadium, concessions, tennis courts, basketball courts, horseshoe courts, and more!
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Riverside Park & Amphitheater
Riverside Park and Amphitheater has an eighteen hole golf course, walking trails, a playground, and prairie ground. This park is most known for its concert space, and it holds six free concerts a year! The amphitheater can even be rented out for weddings and graduation parties.
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Goodrich Park
Goodrich Park in Winchester is a fun place to visit, but also has some history behind it! The grounds used to be an orchard and there are currently over 40 different types of trees in the park. Goodrich is home to a summer community concert series as well!
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Haynes Park
Haynes Park in Portland is a historic park featuring a playground, basketball court, picnic shelter, tables, and much more.
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Hudson Family Park
Hudson Family Park in Portland has a lake for fishing, kayaking, or canoeing, as well as walking trails, a large playground, and an amphitheater.
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Westwood Park & Lake
Westwood Park & Lake in New Castle has a horse trail, hiking and biking trails, boating, fishing, a gatehouse, and more. This is a go-to spot for many families for summer activities, but is also perfect when the cooler weather starts coming in, whether you want to ride a horse, jog, take a walk, camp, have a bonfire, rent a shelter, and more.
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Osborne Park
Osborne Park in New Castle has a large playground area, basketball court, and open space for family football or soccer.
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Matter Park
Matter Park in Marion is a popular venue for weddings, parties, reunions, and more. In addition to playgrounds and other recreational areas, the park includes several flower gardens, a vegetable garden, and a popular walkway of lights in December.
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Charles Mill Park
Charles Mill Park in Marion is a great spot for fishing and boating and also has playground and basketball court as well.
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Barnes Park
Barnes Park in Marion features a playground and a miniature free library where people donate books and take books.
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Roberts Bark Park & Lil’ Bark Park
Roberts Bark Park & Lil' Bark Park in Connersville is a safe, enclosed space for dogs and is available all year round per owner registration.
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Hoover Park
Hoover Park in Hartford City has nature gardens, walking trails, playgrounds and shelter houses available for rent.
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Sigma Phi Gamma Park
Located in Hartford City, this park was originally founded to honor the members of Sigma Phi Gamma sorority. It contains two T-ball fields, three playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball courts, and cornhole courts.
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Westside Park
Westside Park in Muncie is located right by the White River. The park includes a playground, shuffleboard courts, wire control airplane circles, and much more!
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Tuhey Park
Tuhey Park in Muncie has several fun activities for everyone including a playground, pool, splashpad, skatepark, snack bar, and more!
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Cowing Park
Cowing Park in Muncie has a small basketball court, two tennis courts, picnic tables, benches, and grills.
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Cooley Park
With a playground, basketball court, baseball diamond, picnic tables, and convenient parking, Cooley Park in Muncie is a great place for the family.
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Canan Commons
This interactive park has a stage for performances, an open space for recreation, and a light display with solar panels and wind turbines. Several events are held at the park throughout the year including Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations and several Arts Walk events.
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Nature Preserves in East Central Indiana
Salamander Swale
Salamander Swale is a forested hillside surrounding a small wetland in Henry County. The entrance is an opening in the boundary fencing along Cottonwood Ln.
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Hughes Nature Preserve
Nestled between the White River and the Cardinal Greenway, this 7 acre urban site is owned by the City of Muncie. Before the previous owners donated title to the site, a permanent Conservation Easement was donated to RLC to ensure that it would remain forever in its natural state. This eastern hardwood forest provides opportunities to view birds and access the White River.
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White River Woods
White River Woods is a 25 acre preserve in Selma. The area includes a mature forest and is open to the public for hiking. This is part of the larger 117 acre White River Woods property that preserves and protects important wildlife habitat along the White River corridor.
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Stout Memorial Woodland
The Stout Memorial Woodland is a 36 acre preserve in Middletown. This forest is one of the finest upland hardwood stands in East Central Indiana. The forest is home to numerous mature hardwood trees including tulip poplar, oak, walnut, maple, and beech trees.
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Steve Swoveland Nature Preserve
The Steve Swoveland Nature Preserve is a 46 acre site reforested wetland. Located within the city limits of Hagerstown, the disturbed area was saved from the bulldozer through the passionate efforts of nearby resident, Steve Swoveland. Thousands of trees have been planted in the river valley area to help it return to its natural state.
Mike Kiley Forest Preserve
Located in Albany, the Mike Kiley Forest Preserve is a 35 acres restored riparian forest. This preserve is an excellent spot to view birds, deer and other wildlife. The preserve is dedicated to Mike J. Kiley, who was not only a Marion judge and attorney, but also served on the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Board for 27 years working for conservation in Indiana.
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McVey Memorial Forest
McVey Memorial Forest is a 249 acre forest located in Farmland. Edna McVey established this nature park in her will so that generations to come would enjoy it. The property’s trails traverse the hardwood forest over bridges and varied terrain.
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Fall Creek Woods
The 143 acres of Fall Creek Woods in Middletown features towering old trees, steep bluffs, and meandering creeks. Visitors can experience many stages of growth of an Indiana forest, from young trees to older relics, and the varied topography provides a more challenging hike than most of east central Indiana.
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Dutro-Ernst Woods
Dutro-Ernst Woods is a 33 acre urban nature preserve on the site of the former Ernst Nursery in Muncie. It is dedicated to Ruth Dutro, a local Biology teacher, who inspired countless students. The walking trail meanders through a prairie-in-restoration and early successional woodland.
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Blue River Bottoms Nature Preserve
Blue River Bottoms Nature Preserve, located in New Castle, has 19 acres of land to explore.
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Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary
The Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary is owned and operated by the Indiana Audubon Society and is located south of Connersville in Fayette County. Land donations from Alice Green Gray and Congressman Finley H. Gray in the 1940’s established the sanctuary and through subsequent gifts, the Sanctuary now occupies more than 700 acres.
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Red-tail Land Preserve
Red-tail Nature Preserve was the first land acquisition project for the RLC founders in 1999. Located in Muncie, this 105 acre site is located between Prairie Creek Park and the Cardinal Greenway, serving as a link to two significant wildlife habitat areas. A paved trail connects the prairie to the Cardinal Greenway and the Prairie Creek multi-use trails are across the street.
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Cope Environmental Center
The Cope Environmental Center promotes the sustainable use of the earth’s resources through education, demonstration, and research. Cope educates children in its 130 acre outdoor classroom through interactive, hands on sustainability and nature-based programming for schools and other groups; partners with businesses etc. to teach the principles of sustainability, and gives tours of its Sustainable Living Demonstration Home that is powered by solar power and geothermal.
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Hayes Arboretum
Hayes Arboretum is the educational project of S.W. Hayes Research Foundation, Inc. There are 466 acres located in Richmond, Indiana that Hayes Arboretum makes available to its members and visitors. There are unique plant, rock and fossil collections as well as miles of hiking, jogging and mountain bike trails.
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State Parks in East Central Indiana
Summit Lake State Park
An expansive view and good fishing beckon you to Summit Lake State Park, near New Castle. More than 2,680 acres, including a large lake, await your visit. Facilities include 120 electric campsites, three boat ramps, a beach bathhouse and two large open shelters that can be reserved for family picnics and other events.
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Trails in East Central Indiana
The National Road Heritage Trail (NRHT)
The National Road Heritage Trail (NRHT) has two sections and passes through southern Henry County. The name reflects its path following the old Pennsylvania railroad corridor which roughly parallels historic highway 40. The first section is 4 miles long and starts in Lewisville until just before CR 425 W. The second part is 4 miles long and starts in Ogden past Raysville into the edge of Knightstown.
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Woolly Bear Parkway Trail
The Woolly Bear Parkway Trail is located in the town of Kennard and extends west for 1.4 miles. The rustic trail is mostly grass with a gravel base, and lined with trees and other vegetation that make it both a serene escape for trail users and a theater for birds, deer and other wildlife, including the caterpillar that gives the trail its name.
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Hayes Arboretum Mountain Bike Trails
Hayes Arboretum's Mountain Bike Trails are located on the east side of the property, located off the corner of Woodside Drive and Hayes Arboretum Road in Richmond.
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Whitewater Gorge Trail
Located in Richmond, through this 3.7 mile trail of historic gorge area, hikers, cyclists and nature lovers will be able to explore the geological and historical significance of the Whitewater Gorge, as well as its natural rugged beauty.
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Summit Lake State Park Trails
An expansive view and good fishing beckon you to Summit Lake State Park, near New Castle. More than 2,680 acres, including a large lake, await your visit. The park features 4 trails ranging from .75 to 2 miles in length.
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Union City Gateway Trail
Walk or bicycle your way through the gardens and parks from Union City, Indiana to Union City, Ohio on this .72 mile trail.
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Prairie Creek Mountain Bike Trails
The Prairie Creek Mountain Bike Trails wind through a varied landscape of hardwood forest, wooded wetlands and small streams, all adjacent to Prairie Creek Reservoir in Delaware County. A surprising amount of elevation change provides outstanding hiking and biking.
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Prairie Creek Horse Trails
The Prairie Creek Horse Trail is a 2.5 linear trail on the west side of Prairie Creek Reservoir, with a trail head at the Indian Hill area on the county road, CR 475 East. The trail head has a large gravel lot with ample parking for trailers of any size.
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Loblolly Marsh
Located in Bryant, this winding trail takes visitors over a pothole and a small stream and ends on a small hill overlooking a small upland meadow and large river bulrush wetland.
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Wilderness Park
Wilderness Park features a 1.1-mile loop trail near Hartford City, generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 20 min to complete. This trail is great for birding, hiking, and walking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash.
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Main Street Trail
Located in Upland, the one-mile crushed limestone trail traverses a gently contoured glacial moraine while passing through both fields and tree-canopied areas. At the terminus, the path loops around a wildflower garden before returning to the trailhead to complete a two-mile trek.
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Converse Junction Trail
The Converse Junction Trail is 3 miles of paved trail perfect enjoying the natural beauty of Converse via for walking, biking, or hiking!
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Honey Creek Trail
Running along a former rail corridor, the Honey Creek Trail is 5.27 miles and connects three of Middletown’s parks, including Dietrich Park, and passes through the community of Honey Creek in the Fall Creek Township.
Sweetser Switch Trail
The Sweetser Switch Trail is a 4 mile paved rail-trail. The trail joins the 2-mile Converse Junction Trail in the west and a segment of the Cardinal Greenway in the east.
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Nickel Plate Trail
The Nickel Plate Trail is a paved .75 mile trail in Connersville. The trailhead is located at 32nd Street and Park Road.
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Whitewater Gorge Trail
Along this paved trail through the historic gorge area, hikers, cyclists and nature lovers will be able to explore the geological and historical significance of the Whitewater Gorge, as well as its natural rugged beauty. Fossils found along the trail are from animals that lived about 450 million years ago on the bottom of a warm shallow sea that covered this area.
VisitWestwood Park Trail
Westwood Park Trail is a 10-mile, single-track loop that circles the park property and offers a challenging track for hikers and riders.
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Wilbur Wright Trail
The Wilbur Wright Trail is a 5.7 mile trail located in Henry County. The trail is accessible at the trailhead in Mooreland and south at the Henry County YMCA in New Castle.
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White River Greenway
The White River Greenway in Muncie is a paved surface over three miles in length. Its track along the White River offers many beautiful views, and patient trail-goers can find herons and other waterfowl along the way.
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Blackford County Greenway
The Blackford County Greenway is a 1.94 mile, 10 foot wide asphalt multi-use trail.
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Water Activities in East Central Indiana
Sunset Park & Splash Pad
Located in Knightstown, Sunset Park & Splash Pad offers a splash pad and playground for outdoor play time for the entire family! They also have a shelter rental for hosting events.
VisitDaleville Town Hall Park and Splash Pad
The Daleville Town Hall Park features one of the largest splash pads in Indiana! The park has everything you need to entertain the kids all day with a playground as well.
VisitMiddlefork Reservoir
Don't miss out on Middlefork Reservoir! This park has everything you could want for a fun day or trip. The lake is over 177 acres where you can boat (rent if you don't have your own), fish, and explore all the other amenities the park has to offer!
VisitClear Creek Park
Located in Richmond, Clear Creek Park has 49 acres and is divided into two sections by West Main Street. The park has a pool and a stadium, concessions, tennis courts, basketball courts, horseshoe courts, and more!
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Waggener Community Pool
Waggener Community Pool in Rushville is a popular place during the summer!
VisitTuhey Park
Tuhey Park in Muncie has several fun activities for everyone including a playground, pool, splashpad, skatepark, snack bar, and more!
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White River
The White River flows through several counties in east central Indiana. Many recreational activities take place on the river such such as fishing, canoeing and kayaking.
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Marion Splash House
Attractions at the Marion Splash House include a lazy river, two racer slides, ‘big flush’ slide, large wave pool, and kiddie play area with a play pad topped with a large bucket water-drop. They also have concession stands and plenty of seating for guests including cabana rentals.
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Portland Water Park
The Portland Water Park features a lazy river, a dump bucket and two 20-foot slides.
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Prairie Creek Reservoir
Prairie Creek Reservoir is Muncie's largest park and recreational haven. Located just southeast of the Muncie City limits, Prairie Creek offers a wide range of activities and amenities from fishing, camping, boating, beach amenities, water sports, as well as hiking, biking dirt bike, ATV, multi-use, and horse trails.
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