Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Photo: American Diabetio · CC BY-SA 4.0The biggest trail networks: Monte Sano State Park (35.1 mi), Monte Sano Nature Preserve (19.1 mi), Wade Mountain Nature Preserve (9.2 mi). 170 miles of mapped trail cross Huntsville, 0.8 per square mile of land. 6% of Huntsville’s land is conserved, about 8,942 acres.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns · #6 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Huntsville is ahead of 79% of U.S. towns, #6 of 187 in Alabama. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Huntsville ranks #202 on Outdoors.
Few Alabama towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Huntsville’s 6% is ahead of 91% of Alabama towns, while its trails per square mile lead 90% 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 Monte Sano State Park, with 35.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
6% of Huntsville’s land. Who manages Huntsville’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 657 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 39 of 118 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monte Sano State Park State Park | State parks | 2,388 | Open |
| Wade Mountain Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 831 | Open |
| Blevins Gap Preserve Local Conservation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 742 | Open |
| J.D. & Annie S. Hays Nature Preserve Local Park | Town or city | 516 | Open |
| Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 492 | Restricted |
| Monte Sano Nature Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 462 | Open |
| John Hunt Park Local Park | Town or city | 457 | Open |
| Monte Sano Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 429 | Open |
| Goldsmith-Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary Local Park | Town or city | 375 | Open |
| Brahan Spring Park Local Park | Town or city | 266 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
118 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Plus 10 dog parks without a name on the map.
Plus 11 boat launches without a name on the map.
Plus 8 scenic views without a name on the map.
38 peaks are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Plus 11 picnic areas without a name on the map.
4 disc golf without a name on the map.
1 community garden 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 20 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
60 more on the History page.
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 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 51 | 55 | 64 | 73 | 81 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 85 | 74 | 63 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.8 |
October is the driest month (3.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 5.8 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Huntsville →
Huntsville has the most mapped trails of the 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville | 6% | 0.8 | 41 | 70% | A− |
| Redstone Arsenal | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Triana | 1% | under 0.1 | 6 | 25% | D |
| Owens Cross Roads | 1% | 0.2 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Athens | 1% | 0.1 | 12 | 46% | C |
| Decatur | 16% | 0.5 | 14 | 66% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
The longest trail networks: Monte Sano State Park, 35.1 miles; Monte Sano Nature Preserve, 19.1 miles; Wade Mountain Nature Preserve, 9.2 miles; Alum Hollow Land Trust, 7.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
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.
Monte Sano State Park and Monte Sano Nature Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
62 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.9 of painted or protected lanes and 52 of off-road paths.
29,036 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Huntsville or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 9,229 of them inside the city line.
Ahead of 79% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #6 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.
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Huntsville 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 →