Evansville Area
ParksLeonard-Leota Park
Evansville's premier park has forty acres for active and
passive recreation. Lake Leota provides a beautiful backdrop
for picnics, ballgames, and celebrations in the park. Picnic
areas and tables are available throughout the park; while, four
pavilions serve larger gatherings. For info on
Lake Leota in the park......
Leonard-Leota Park is potentially eligible for listing on the
National Register of Historic Places as both a designed landscape
and a fine example of projects funded by the federal government
during the Depression Era. Federal Emergency Relief
Administration and Workers Progress Administration funds during
the late 1930's employed local workers in landscaping the park,
rip-rapping and landscaping the course of Allen Creek through the
park, and constructing a number of rustic style buildings.
Park facilities include playgrounds, ball diamonds, tennis
courts, skate park, and outdoor swimming pool. For more
about Evansville city parks and facility reservations, please
click here....
The Evansville Grove Society recently relocated the original
Baker Manufacturing Company Office Building to the park's Madison
Street entrance. The building has been restored to serve as
the office for the society and as a local history museum and
visitors center. Recently, a vintage Baker Monitor windmill
was installed at the visitors center.
Magnolia Bluff Park
Magnolia Bluff County Park is an 120 acre park featuring
beautiful rock outcroppings and vistas. Because this park
has steep areas and rock outcroppings, extreme caution must be
used by all park visitors.
Magnolia Bluff has the only naturally occurring stand of white
birch in the county, due to the "micro" climate created on its
north face; so between the north and south faces a broad and
interesting diversity of plant life is found. This provides
a home for a large number of birds and mammals that call the park
home or stop over on a seasonal basis.
Picnic tables, grills, drinking water, and restroom facilities
are provided. In an effort to keep the areas as pleasing as
possible, litter barrels are provided.
Two trails are featured: one a bridle and nature trail; the
other a cross-country ski and hiking trail. Both trails have
an individual distance of just less than three miles.
Gibbs Lake Park
Gibbs Lake County Park is 299 acres in size, enclosing 3/4 of
the shoreline of Gibbs Lake and the north half of the shoreline of
Little Gibbs Lake.
Gibbs Lake Park features a hiking and cross-country ski trail,
bridle path, boat landing and launching area, and a parking lot.
In an effort to keep the park neat and clean, litter barrels are
provided. Drinking water, toilets, picnic tables, and grills
are also provided. All trails are defined with red/white
signs on marker posts.
The cross-country ski trail has been designed for the novice
and intermediate skier, but also provides an excellent opportunity
for the advanced skier to sharpen and refine skills and build
stamina. All trails are open to the public every day from dawn to
dusk. The cross-country and hiking trail is 2.6 miles in
length. However, by utilizing the shortcut, the beginner can
ski only 1.7 miles. By using the "high leg" and re-skiing
using the "low leg", the entire distance is 5.3 miles.
The bridle path is 3.8 miles in length. Parking for horse
trailers is permitted in the equestrian parking lot only.
No horses are permitted in the lake or picnic area. This
trail provides an easy ride.
