Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
62% of Goldstream’s land is conserved, about 34,169 acres. 141 miles of mapped trail cross Goldstream, 1.6 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Goldstream Public Use Area (14.7 mi), Tanana Valley State Forest (1.3 mi).
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #12 of 41 in Alaska. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Goldstream is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #12 of 41 in Alaska. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
Alaska towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 15%; the U.S., 4%), so Goldstream’s 62% is ahead of 88% of Alaska towns, while its trails per square mile lead 82% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
The longest trail network is Goldstream Public Use Area, with 14.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
62% of Goldstream’s land. Who manages Goldstream’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 7 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Land Disposals - Municipal Purposes State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 19,363 | Unknown |
| State Land Disposals - Other Than Municipal State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 6,594 | Unknown |
| State Patented State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 4,966 | Unknown |
| Tanana Valley State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 3,165 | Open |
| Goldstream Public Use Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 71 | Open |
| Goldstream Valley Lions Park Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
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) | 5.0 | 8.3 | 11.5 | 15.1 | 18.6 | 21.8 | 20.2 | 16.5 | 12.9 | 9.5 | 6.0 | 3.7 |
| High (°F) | -1 | 13 | 27 | 46 | 62 | 73 | 73 | 66 | 55 | 34 | 11 | 2 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
April is the driest month (0.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 73 °F). 2.7 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Goldstream →
Goldstream has the most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldstream | 62% | 1.6 | 26 | 1% | A− |
| Farmers Loop | 19% | 2.4 | 106 | under 1% | A− |
| Ester | 56% | 2.1 | 2 | 2% | B |
| College | 3% | 5.2 | 19 | 71% | A− |
| Fox | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Goldstream Public Use Area, 14.7 miles; Tanana Valley State Forest, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
62% of its land, against a typical 15% for an Alaska town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Goldstream Public Use Area and Tanana Valley State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
4.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.3 of off-road paths.
155,658 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Goldstream or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,330 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #12 of 41 in Alaska. 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Goldstream neighbors.
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 →