Few parks or trails are on the map in Bear Creek
2% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 0.4 miles of mapped trail cross Bear Creek. 2% of Bear Creek’s land is conserved, about 212 acres.
Ahead of 19% of U.S. towns. What drives it
How much outdoors does Bear Creek have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bear Creek is ahead of 19% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; park acres per resident come closest.
Few Alabama towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Bear Creek’s 2% is ahead of 74% of Alabama towns, while its trails per square mile lead 21% 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
212 conserved acres
2% of Bear Creek’s land. Who manages Bear Creek’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 1 of 1 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Bear Creek Reservoir Retained Land Federal Other or Unknown | Tennessee Valley Authority | 212 | Unknown |
6 places to go in Bear Creek
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 lakes & rivers
0.0 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 Bear Creek: April and May
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) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 51 | 56 | 65 | 73 | 80 | 86 | 89 | 89 | 84 | 74 | 62 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 6.6 |
September is the driest month (4.0 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 6.6 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Bear Creek →
Questions about parks and trails in Bear Creek
How much of Bear Creek is conserved land?
2% of its land, against a typical 1% for an Alabama town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Bear Creek’s trails?
Twin Forks Recreation Area doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Bear Creek?
3,742 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bear Creek or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 15 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Bear Creek have?
Ahead of 19% 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.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Bear Creek 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 →