41% of Meadow Lakes’ land is conserved: 19,928 acres
751 acres are parks and preserves, 86 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Meadow Lakes Park (0.5 mi). 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #20 of 41 in Alaska. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Meadow Lakes?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Meadow Lakes have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Meadow Lakes is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #20 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 Meadow Lakes’ 41% is ahead of 75% of Alaska towns, while its trails per square mile lead 2% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Meadow Lakes Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Little Susitna Recreation River
19,928 conserved acres
41% of Meadow Lakes’ land. Who manages Meadow Lakes’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 11 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Patented State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 14,948 | Unknown |
| State Tentatively Approved (tad) State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 3,559 | Unknown |
| State Land Disposals - Municipal Purposes State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 683 | Unknown |
| Little Susitna Recreation River State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 622 | Open |
| Beverly Creek Wildlife Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Lake View Public Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Anchorage Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 18 | Open |
| Carousel Public Use Area Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Golden Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Doubloon & Island Lake Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 2 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
4 places to go in Meadow Lakes
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 named trails and 28 lakes & rivers
12 miles of bike routes
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.
The best walking months in Meadow Lakes: June and July
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) | 6.2 | 8.8 | 11.5 | 14.6 | 17.5 | 19.5 | 18.6 | 15.9 | 12.8 | 9.8 | 7.0 | 5.3 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 29 | 34 | 47 | 58 | 64 | 67 | 64 | 55 | 42 | 30 | 25 |
| Rain (in) | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.5 |
April is the driest month (0.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 67 °F). 3.4 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Meadow Lakes →
Meadow Lakes and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meadow Lakes | 41% | 0.1 | 86 | 21% | B |
| Knik-Fairview | 18% | 0.2 | 2 | 10% | C+ |
| Willow | 83% | 0.1 | 11,237 | 15% | B+ |
| Tanaina | 37% | 0.1 | 31 | 18% | B |
| Wasilla | 3% | 0.1 | 32 | 60% | B− |
| Houston | 18% | 0.5 | 91 | under 1% | B |
| Big Lake | 49% | 0.7 | 1,994 | 2% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Meadow Lakes
Where can I hike in Meadow Lakes?
The longest trail networks: Meadow Lakes Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Meadow Lakes is conserved land?
41% 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.
Are dogs allowed on Meadow Lakes’ trails?
Meadow Lakes Park and Little Susitna Recreation River don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Meadow Lakes?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 5.4 of painted or protected lanes and 6.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Meadow Lakes?
26,399 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Meadow Lakes or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 770 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Meadow Lakes have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #20 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.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Meadow Lakes neighbors.
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 →