Flying Creek Nature Preserve
Park
78 acres3.3 mi of trail
Connector TrailPrimitive TrailFeeder TrailWoodland Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Henry Stuart House · Photo: Chris Pruitt · CC BY-SA 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Fairhope
Fairhope has 6.3 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Flying Creek Nature Preserve (3.3 mi). 44% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of Fairhope’s land is conserved, about 125 acres.
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns · #53 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
125 acres · of 15.0 sq mi of land
Trails
6.3 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
229 ac
9.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
44%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
4.3 mi
0.6 mi lanes · 3.7 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Fairhope?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fairhope have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fairhope is ahead of 38% of U.S. towns, #53 of 187 in Alabama. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fairhope’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical AL town 1% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · AL 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land9.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (229 acres) · AL 8 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home44% of residents within a half mile of a park · AL 36% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 38%
LessMore
Alabama towns of 2,500+ (187)Ahead of 72%
Few Alabama towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Fairhope’s 1% is ahead of 60% of Alabama towns, while its trails per square mile lead 82% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to C+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
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
The longest trail network is Flying Creek Nature Preserve, with 3.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fairhoper's Community Park
Park
2 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Flying Creek Nature Preserve78 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFairhoper's Community Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFairhope Municipal Park & Pier22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Fairhope Municipal Park54 acres
DirectionsFounders Park28 acres
DirectionsMike Ford Tennis Center at Stimpson Park9 acres · City of Fairhope
DirectionsSouth Beach Park6 acres
Knoll Park4 acres
Henry George Bluff Park4 acres
Who protects it
125 conserved acres
1% of Fairhope’s land. Who manages Fairhope’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city125 ac
County1 ac
Local Park · 125 acLocal Recreation Area · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairhope Municipal Park Local Park | Town or city | 57 | Open |
| Founders Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| North Bluff Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Bayfront Parklamds Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Stimpson Field Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Knoll Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Jasmine Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Fels Toddler Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Sibley Street Public Access (Steadman's Landing) Local Recreation Area | County | 1 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Fairhope
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fairhope
Fairhope Elementary School Playground
DirectionsFels Ave Playground
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Fairhope
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in Fairhope
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
10 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.3 miUnpaved · 3.5 mi
Connector Trail0.5 mi
Primitive Trail0.4 mi
Feeder Trail0.3 mi
Woodland Trail0.3 mi
Carriage Rd Trail0.3 mi
Gully Trail0.2 mi
Logging Rd Trail0.2 mi
Birding Trail0.2 mi
Riparian Trail0.2 mi
Tunnel Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
4.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.7 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
22Tennis
17Baseball
11Soccer
7Golf
5Pickleball
2Football
1Skate park
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →15 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Whittier HallBuilding · listed 1985
About itCarl L. Bloxham BuildingBuilding · listed 1988
About itBank of FairhopeBuilding · listed 1988
About itGaston BuildingBuilding · listed 1988
About itUS Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1988
About itWhite Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itZurhorst HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itBeckner HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itFairhope Bayfront DistrictDistrict · listed 1988
About itGolf, Gun & Country ClubBuilding · listed 1988
About itSchool of Organic EducationBuilding · listed 1988
About itLebanon Chapel AME ChurchBuilding · listed 1988
About it3 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Fairhope: 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) | 10.4 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.7 | 14.1 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 10.2 |
| High (°F) | 61 | 64 | 70 | 76 | 84 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 87 | 79 | 69 | 63 |
| Rain (in) | 5.2 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 6.3 | 7.8 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.1 |
October is the driest month (4.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 7.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Fairhope →
Next door
Fairhope and its neighbors
Fairhope has the most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairhope | 1% | 0.4 | 9 | 44% | C+ |
| Point Clear | under 1% | 1.4 | 1 | 32% | C− |
| Daphne | under 1% | 0.3 | 4 | 30% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fairhope
Where can I hike in Fairhope?
The longest trail networks: Flying Creek Nature Preserve, 3.3 miles; Fairhoper's Community Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fairhope is conserved land?
1% 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 Fairhope’s trails?
Flying Creek Nature Preserve and Fairhoper's Community Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fairhope?
4.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.6 of painted or protected lanes and 3.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Fairhope?
4,278 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fairhope or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 229 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fairhope have?
Ahead of 38% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #53 of 187 in Alabama. 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 Fairhope 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 →