Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
83% of Willow’s land is conserved, about 366,059 acres. 20,395 acres are parks and preserves, 11,237 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Nancy Lake State Recreation Area (38.6 mi), Little Susitna Recreation River (6.6 mi).
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns. 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, Willow is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold 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 Willow’s 83% is ahead of 90% of Alaska towns, while its trails per square mile lead 20% 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 Nancy Lake State Recreation Area, with 38.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
83% of Willow’s land. Who manages Willow’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 5 of 13 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 | 165,214 | Unknown |
| State Tentatively Approved (tad) State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 114,058 | Unknown |
| State Land Disposals - Municipal Purposes State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 29,570 | Unknown |
| Willow Mountain Critical Habitat Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 22,372 | Restricted |
| Nancy Lake State Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 11,676 | Open |
| State Land Disposals - Other Than Municipal State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 8,961 | Unknown |
| Glennallen Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 5,488 | Open |
| Little Susitna Recreation River State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 5,229 | Open |
| Willow Creek State Recreation Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 3,062 | Open |
| Anchorage Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 259 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 3 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 5 scenic views without a name on the map.
Plus 1 campground 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.
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 7 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
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) | 6.1 | 8.8 | 11.5 | 14.7 | 17.6 | 19.6 | 18.7 | 15.9 | 12.8 | 9.8 | 6.9 | 5.2 |
| 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 Willow →
Willow has the most mapped trails of the 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willow | 83% | 0.1 | 11,237 | 15% | B+ |
| Susitna North | 74% | under 0.1 | 18 | under 1% | C+ |
| Big Lake | 49% | 0.7 | 1,994 | 2% | A− |
| Meadow Lakes | 41% | 0.1 | 86 | 21% | B |
| Fishhook | 55% | 0.6 | 1,529 | 4% | A− |
| Houston | 18% | 0.5 | 91 | under 1% | B |
| Tanaina | 37% | 0.1 | 31 | 18% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Nancy Lake State Recreation Area, 38.6 miles; Little Susitna Recreation River, 6.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
83% 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.
Nancy Lake State Recreation Area and Little Susitna Recreation River don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of off-road paths.
101,477 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Willow or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 26,129 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Willow 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 →