Hoover has 37 miles of mapped trails, 0.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Moss Rock Preserve (9.8 mi), Hoover Metropolitan Complex (3.3 mi), Hoover Sports Park East (1.8 mi). 2% of Hoover’s land is conserved, about 548 acres. 843 acres are parks and preserves, 9.1 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns · #34 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
548 acres · of 49.7 sq mi of land
Trails
37 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
843 ac
9.1 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
1.8 mi
1.8 mi lanes
Highest peak
846 ft
Little Shades Mountain
Lakes & rivers
19
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hoover have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hoover is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns, #34 of 187 in Alabama. Trail miles hold the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hoover’s overall grade.
Few Alabama towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Hoover’s 2% is ahead of 69% 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 C+ 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.
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)
10.2
10.9
11.9
13.0
13.9
14.3
14.2
13.4
12.3
11.3
10.4
9.9
High (°F)
55
60
67
75
82
88
91
91
86
76
65
57
Rain (in)
5.3
5.4
5.4
5.0
4.3
4.9
5.0
4.1
4.0
3.4
4.5
5.0
October is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 5.4 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Hoover →
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hoover
Where can I hike in Hoover?
The longest trail networks: Moss Rock Preserve, 9.8 miles; Hoover Metropolitan Complex, 3.3 miles; Hoover Sports Park East, 1.8 miles; Veterans Park, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hoover 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 Hoover’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Veterans Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Hoover?
1.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.8 of painted or protected lanes. Named routes: Veterans Park National Recreation Trail.
Is there public land near Hoover?
20,354 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hoover or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 920 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Hoover have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #34 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 Hoover neighbors.
Photo: Johntrinh06 · CC BY 4.0