Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve
Managed by Land Trust of North Alabama
159 acres3.8 mi of trail
Rainbow Mountain Loop TrailJa-Moo-Ko Loop TrailRainbolt TrailWild Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Republic of Selmaria · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Madison
Madison has 11 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve (3.8 mi), Heritage Park (1 mi), Bob Jones Walking Trail (0.8 mi). 88% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Madison’s land is conserved, about 369 acres.
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns · #29 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
369 acres · of 30.6 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
619 ac
10 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
88%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
25 mi
0.8 mi lanes · 24 mi paths
Highest peak
1,145 ft
Rainbow Mountain
Lakes & rivers
8
What kind of outdoors town is Madison?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Madison have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Madison is ahead of 54% of U.S. towns, #29 of 187 in Alabama. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Madison’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical AL town 1% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · AL 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land10 acres of park per 1,000 residents (619 acres) · AL 8 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home88% of residents within a half mile of a park · AL 36% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 54%
LessMore
Alabama towns of 2,500+ (187)Ahead of 85%
Few Alabama towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Madison’s 2% is ahead of 72% of Alabama towns, while its trails per square mile lead 78% 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 Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve, with 3.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bob Jones Walking Trail
Park
16 acres0.8 mi of trail
Bob Jones Cross Country Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 36 parks & preserves
Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve159 acres · 3.8 mi of trail · Land Trust of North Alabama
DirectionsHeritage Park25 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsBob Jones Walking Trail16 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsPalmer Park99 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsDublin Park62 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSpencer Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsJoe Phillips Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Madison
Home Place Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMossy Brook Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Governor's Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Madison
Mill Creek Greenway62 acres
DirectionsSunshine Oaks Park38 acres · City of Madison
DirectionsLeathertree Park5 acres
Homestead Park5 acres · City of Madison
Shelton Park4 acres · City of Madison
DirectionsMadison Point Park4 acres
DirectionsSweetbriar Park4 acres · City of Madison
DirectionsStavemill Park3 acres · City of Madison
Chadrick Neighborhood Park3 acres
Brass Oak Park3 acres · City of Madison
Park Meadow Neigborhood Park3 acres · Park Meadow HOA
Fieldcrest Park3 acres · City of Madison
Mill Creek Park3 acres · City of Madison
Seven Oaks Park3 acres
Rickwood Park2 acres · City of Madison
Walden Park2 acres
DirectionsWestgate Park2 acres · City of Madison
West Highlands Park2 acres · City of Madison
DirectionsCedars Park2 acres · City of Madison
Ashley Park1 acres · City of Madison
Abbington Downs Park1 acres · City of Madison
Collinwood Park1 acres · City of Madison
Madison Trace Park1 acres · City of Madison
Cambridge Park1 acres · City of Madison
DirectionsHardiman Place Park1 acres · City of Madison
Windsor Park1 acres · City of Madison
Who protects it
369 conserved acres
2% of Madison’s land. Who manages Madison’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city368 ac
Local Park · 368 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmer Park Local Park | Town or city | 101 | Open |
| Stoneridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Dublin Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 63 | Open |
| Edgewater Park Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Mill Creek Greenway Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Homestead Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Stavemill Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Leathertree Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Sweetbriar Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Chadrick Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
87 places to go in Madison
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Swimming spots in Madison
Madison Quarry
DirectionsPublic pools in Madison
Crown Pointe Pool
DirectionsFranklin Station Pool
DirectionsMAA Madison Lakes Swimming Pool
DirectionsMonark Grove Swimming Pool
DirectionsRed Roof Inn Swimming Pool
DirectionsPlus 2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Madison
Kids Kingdom PlaygroundIn Dublin Park
DirectionsPark Meadow PlaygroundIn Park Meadow Neigborhood Park
DirectionsStoneridge ParkIn Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve
Directions67 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Madison
Plus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Madison
Rainbow Mountain1,145 ft elevation
DirectionsBetts Mountain794 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Madison
6 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
16 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.6 miUnpaved · 4.4 mi
Rainbow Mountain Loop Trail1.4 mi
Bob Jones Cross Country Trail0.9 mi
Ja-Moo-Ko Loop Trail0.8 mi
Rainbolt Trail0.5 mi
Wild Trail0.3 mi
Providence Trail0.2 mi
Spring Trail0.2 mi
Gillespie Loop Trail0.2 mi
Balance Rock Trail0.2 mi
Balch Loop Trail0.2 mi
6 more trails
Thorneywood Trail
0.1 miHigh Pass Trail
0.1 miGrassmere Trail
0.1 miBerry Trail
0.1 miJake's Trail
0.1 miStoneridge Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
25 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
24 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
47Tennis
37Baseball
28Soccer
12Tracks
9Basketball
9Pickleball
6Football
4Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Madison: 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 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 51 | 55 | 64 | 73 | 80 | 87 | 90 | 90 | 84 | 74 | 62 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 6.0 |
October is the driest month (3.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 6.0 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Madison →
Questions about parks and trails in Madison
Where can I hike in Madison?
The longest trail networks: Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve, 3.8 miles; Heritage Park, 1 miles; Bob Jones Walking Trail, 0.8 miles; Palmer Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Madison 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 Madison’s trails?
Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve and Heritage Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Madison?
25 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.8 of painted or protected lanes and 24 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Madison?
11,766 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Madison or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 619 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Madison have?
Ahead of 54% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #29 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 Madison 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 →