Parks, trails and outdoor places in Kokomo

Kokomo is flat, green and laced with creeks, which makes it good country for walking and riding. The City of Kokomo Parks and Recreation Department maintains dozens of parks and a growing set of paved trails, and the two longest trails meet in the middle of downtown. Here is where residents go to get outside, and how to plan for each season.

The big parks

Jackson Morrow Park on South Park Road is the city's largest, at about 100 acres. Its paved walkpath runs roughly 1.3 miles, partly in the open and partly through woods, and a bark-chipped side path near Little Wildcat Creek leads deeper into the trees; the city's wildflower guide covers the wooded stretch, which is at its best in spring. The park also has a dog park, sand volleyball, a man-made sledding hill and the Kirkendall Interpretive Nature Center, where exhibits explain the wildlife you might meet on the trail.

Highland Park on West Defenbaugh Street, south of downtown, covers 83 acres along Kokomo Creek. Besides playgrounds, courts and a disc golf course, it has a creek island reached by a walk bridge, a pond, and the red Vermont Covered Bridge, built in 1875 and 1876 and moved here from the town of Vermont east of Kokomo; the city says it carries the last Smith Type 3 trusses in Indiana. For something wilder, the old Indian Trails run from the corner of Country Club Hills Lane and Old Ben Drive down to the park's dam. The city's advice is to follow the creek, and to expect steeper, eroded ground near the top on the west side.

Foster Park, 30 acres on West Superior Street, is the downtown green: a festival ground with the Kokomo Arts Pavilion, a skatepark, courts and a boardwalk loop of the Walk of Excellence beside Wildcat Creek.

North of town, Reservoir Park sits on land the city leases beside the Kokomo Reservoir. The Peshewa Nature Trail runs about 1.3 miles from the park off 500 East to the dam at 400 East, past a wetland that draws birds. There is a fishing pier at 500 East; the public boat ramp is at 400 East.

Trails for walking, running and riding

Two trails form a cross through the city. The Industrial Heritage Trail runs about 5.9 miles north to south beside a rail line, a rail-with-trail in the city's words, from just south of Lincoln Road through downtown to the Nickel Plate Trail, which the city says runs on to Rochester. Markers along the way point out the sites of the Kokomo Rubber Company and the Haynes Automobile Company, and murals and benches line the path.

The Wildcat Creek Walk of Excellence runs east to west for about four miles, from Mehlig Park through Miller-Highland and Foster parks, past Kokomo Municipal Stadium, into Future Park and on to Waterworks Park, with a spur to Kokomo Beach. It is mostly paved, with boardwalk sections in Foster Park and downtown, and the city describes it as wide, smooth and nearly level. Along the Foster Park stretch, watch for herons, owls, beavers and deer.

The two meet at the Downtown River Walk, about seven acres of walkways along the creek, next to the Riverwalk Stage and the KokoGo Bike Share building. The shorter Cloverleaf Trail, added in 2018, adds almost two miles between the Dixon Road trailhead, Mehlig Park and Al Berryman Park. And the Kokomo Sculpture Walk puts nine juried large-scale sculptures along the Industrial Heritage Trail and the Riverwalk, with the collection changing every two years.

Season by season, safely

Spring through fall, KokoGo lends bikes free from its trailhead on South Main Street, including children's bikes, tandems, trikes and helmets. Riders must be 18 or older with a state ID and a card kept on file, and rentals must start at least an hour before closing. The 2026 season ran from late April to early October, with weekends only at either end.

On the reservoir land, the city does not allow hunting, camping or motorized vehicles on the nature trail, and fires belong only in grills in the designated areas. From September through April, the nature center keeps shorter winter hours. Weather closes splash pads and other water features, which the city runs only when conditions allow. And because Wildcat Creek floods, it is worth knowing that FEMA released preliminary flood hazard information for Howard County in March 2026; low boardwalks and creekside paths are the first places to avoid after heavy rain.

Maps and conditions

The city's parks page links to a printable park location map and individual pages for each trail, with PDF maps of the Industrial Heritage Trail and the Walk of Excellence, the trail's information markers and a wildlife pocket guide. The Greater Kokomo site has a printable map of the Sculpture Walk. For current conditions or a closure, the city lists a weekday phone line and email on every parks page.

Gear and a meal

Two local shops can outfit a trail day. Kokomo Cycling and Fitness on East Boulevard sells comfort, road, mountain, youth and electric bikes. Downtown on the courthouse square, P.F. Hendricks & Co. is a family-owned outdoor boutique with clothing for men and women. After a long loop at Jackson Morrow, Half Moon Restaurant & Brewery on South Lafountain Street is a short drive away for barbecue and beer brewed on site.