Wildwood Park
Managed by City of Florence Parks and Recreation Department
189 acres7.4 mi of trail
Big PimpinLollipopRanger LoopStraight Up+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: themidnite (original), Yassie (derivative work · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Florence
Florence has 18 miles of mapped trails, 0.7 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Wildwood Park (7.4 mi), McFarland Park (3.7 mi). 959 acres are parks and preserves, 23 per 1,000 residents. 6% of Florence’s land is conserved, about 1,011 acres.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #13 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,011 acres · of 27.1 sq mi of land
Trails
18 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
959 ac
23 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
53%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.1 mi
0.5 mi lanes · 0.5 mi paths
Highest peak
492 ft
River Hill
What kind of outdoors town is Florence?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Florence have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Florence is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #13 of 187 in Alabama. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Florence’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical AL town 1% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (18 mi) · AL 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land23 acres of park per 1,000 residents (959 acres) · AL 8 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home53% 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 68%
LessMore
Alabama towns of 2,500+ (187)Ahead of 94%
Few Alabama towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Florence’s 6% is ahead of 89% of Alabama towns, while its trails per square mile lead 89% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. 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 Wildwood Park, with 7.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
McFarland Park
Park
344 acres3.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Veterans Memorial Park
Managed by City of Florence Parks and Recreation Department
114 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Wildwood Park189 acres · 7.4 mi of trail · City of Florence Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsMcFarland Park344 acres · 3.7 mi of trail
DirectionsSaint Florian Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFlorence Sportsplex137 acres
DirectionsVeterans Memorial Park114 acres · City of Florence Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsDeibert Park75 acres · City of Florence Park and Recreation Department
DirectionsCox Creek Park29 acres
DirectionsMartin Park16 acres · City of Florence, Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsRiver Heritage Park8 acres · City of Florence Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsNorth Florence Chisholm Road Soccer Complex7 acres · City of Florence Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsWilson Park3 acres · City of Florence Parks and Recreation Department
DirectionsSeven Mile Island Wildlife Management Area1 acres
Who protects it
1,011 conserved acres
6% of Florence’s land. Who manages Florence’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Tennessee Valley Authority738 ac
Town or city711 ac
State natural resources9 ac
Federal Other or Unknown · 738 acLocal Park · 711 acResource Management Area · 9 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 13 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickwick Reservoir Retained Land Federal Other or Unknown | Tennessee Valley Authority | 626 | Unknown |
| Mcfarland Park Local Park | Town or city | 359 | Open |
| Florence Sportsplex Local Park | Town or city | 132 | Open |
| Wilson Reservoir Retained Land Federal Other or Unknown | Tennessee Valley Authority | 112 | Unknown |
| Veteran'S Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 90 | Open |
| Deibert Park Local Park | Town or city | 73 | Open |
| Cox Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Martin Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| State-owned Submerged Lands Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 9 | Open |
| River Heritage Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
44 places to go in Florence
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Florence
Smith Park
Directions35 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Florence
North Woof Community Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Florence
McFarland Park West Boat Ramp
DirectionsShoal Creek Public Boat Ramp
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Florence
Wilson Dam Viewpoint
DirectionsPeaks in Florence
River Hill492 ft elevation
DirectionsDisc golf in Florence
McFarland Park Disc Golf CourseIn McFarland Park
DirectionsVeterans Park Disc Golf CourseIn Veterans Memorial Park
DirectionsTrails & water
12 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.4 miUnpaved · 1.8 mi
Big Pimpin1.8 mi
Lollipop1.2 mi
Ranger Loop0.8 mi
Straight Up0.8 mi
Nature Trail0.6 mi
Motohanger0.5 mi
Ghost Trail0.5 mi
Power Line Loop0.4 mi
4-Ball0.4 mi
Greene Trail0.4 mi
2 more trails
Rollercoaster
0.3 miWildwood Loop Trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
1.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.5 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
33Tennis
24Baseball
12Soccer
7Multi-sport
7Pickleball
5Football
4Basketball
4Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →29 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 29 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Karsner-Carroll HouseBuilding · listed 1970
About itCourtviewBuilding · listed 1974
About itWesleyan HallBuilding · listed 1974
About itLarimore HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itSannoner Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itGov. Robert Patton HouseBuilding · listed 1976
About itWalnut Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1976
About itWood Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1978
About itRosenbaum HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itWilson Park HousesDistrict · listed 1979
About itWater TowerStructure · listed 1980
About it17 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Florence: 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 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 51 | 56 | 65 | 74 | 81 | 88 | 91 | 90 | 85 | 75 | 63 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 5.9 |
September is the driest month (3.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 5.9 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Florence →
Next door
Florence and its neighbors
Florence has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | 6% | 0.7 | 23 | 53% | B+ |
| St. Florian | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Florence
Where can I hike in Florence?
The longest trail networks: Wildwood Park, 7.4 miles; McFarland Park, 3.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Florence is conserved land?
6% 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 Florence’s trails?
Wildwood Park and McFarland Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Florence?
1.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.5 of painted or protected lanes and 0.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Florence?
18,779 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Florence or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 969 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Florence have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #13 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 Florence 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 →