Nellie Juan-College Fiord Wilderness Study Area
Managed by United States Forest Service
222 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Whittier
More than half of Whittier’s land is conserved: 81%
81% of Whittier’s land is conserved, about 6,344 acres. 5 acres are parks and preserves, 12 per 1,000 residents. 6.1 miles of mapped trail cross Whittier, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
81%
6,344 acres · of 12.3 sq mi of land
Trails
6.1 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
5 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 2 boat launches
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Day Use Area
Managed by City of Whittier
1 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
6,344 conserved acres
81% of Whittier’s land. Water is left out: Whittier has 12.3 square miles of land and 7.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Whittier’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service3,754 ac
State natural resources2,793 ac
National Forest · 3,754 acState Other or Unknown · 2,793 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 3 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chugach National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 3,754 | Open |
| State Land Disposals - Municipal Entitlements, Mun State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 2,407 | Unknown |
| State Patented State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 386 | Unknown |
Things to do
9 places to go in Whittier
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Whittier
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Whittier
1 playground without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Whittier
Whittier Boat RampFee
DirectionsPlus 1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Whittier
3 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in Whittier
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Whittier
Shotgun Cove Campsites
DirectionsTrails & water
5 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 2.1 mi
Emerald Cove Trail1.5 mi
Horsetail Falls Trail1.2 mi
Portage Pass Trail0.6 mi
Shotgun Cove Trail0.3 mi
Airstrip Access Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Whittier: June to August
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) | 6.5 | 8.9 | 11.6 | 14.5 | 17.3 | 19.1 | 18.3 | 15.7 | 12.8 | 9.9 | 7.2 | 5.7 |
| High (°F) | 33 | 33 | 36 | 44 | 53 | 61 | 63 | 62 | 54 | 44 | 37 | 34 |
| Rain (in) | 18.8 | 16.2 | 13.7 | 14.7 | 14.9 | 9.2 | 11.2 | 16.5 | 22.5 | 21.1 | 18.8 | 19.8 |
June is the driest month (9.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 63 °F). 22.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Whittier →
Questions about parks and trails in Whittier
Are dogs allowed on Whittier’s trails?
Nellie Juan-College Fiord Wilderness Study Area and City Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Whittier?
7,159 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Whittier or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 324 of them inside the city line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Whittier neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
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 →