Sunnymede Trail Park
Park
43 acres1.4 mi of trail
Sunnymede Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 4.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Fort Smith
6% of Fort Smith’s land is conserved: 2,593 acres
The biggest trail networks: Sunnymede Trail Park (1.4 mi), Tilles Park (1.2 mi), Donald W. Reynolds Plaza (1.2 mi). 50% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 769 acres are parks and preserves, 8.6 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 47% of U.S. towns · #27 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
2,593 acres · of 64.2 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
769 ac
8.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
50%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
11 mi paths
Highest peak
715 ft
Brooks Stephins Mountain
Lakes & rivers
10
4 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Fort Smith?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fort Smith have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fort Smith is ahead of 47% of U.S. towns, #27 of 123 in Arkansas. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fort Smith’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical AR town 1% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · AR 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land8.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (769 acres) · AR 8 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home50% of residents within a half mile of a park · AR 46% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 47%
LessMore
Arkansas towns of 2,500+ (123)Ahead of 79%
Few Arkansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Fort Smith’s 6% is ahead of 94% of Arkansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 55% of them.
Water is 6% of Fort Smith’s area (4 of 68 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
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.
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 Sunnymede Trail Park, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Tilles Park
Managed by City of Fort Smith Arkansas
24 acres1.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Carol Ann Cross Park
Managed by City of Fort Smith Arkansas
93 acres0.8 mi of trail
Walking Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Martin Luther King Park
Managed by City of Fort Smith Arkansas
28 acres0.5 mi of trail
Martin Luther King Park PathwaysMartin Luther King Park Path Ways
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
McClure Amphitheater
Managed by City of Fort Smith Arkansas
8 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fort Smith Park
Managed by City of Fort Smith Arkansas
43 acres0.3 mi of trail
Rice Carden Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 36 parks & preserves
Sunnymede Trail Park43 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsTilles Park24 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsDonald W. Reynolds Plaza10 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCarol Ann Cross Park93 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsMartin Luther King Park28 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsMcClure Amphitheater8 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsFort Smith Park43 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsFort Smith National Historic Site39 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsCreekmore Park22 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsHarry E. Kelly Park14 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsMassard Prairie Battlefield11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsStone Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Spradling Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
Riley Farm Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsCavanaugh Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWoodlawn Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsHarley A. Wilson Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsStagecoach Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsRoss Pendergraft Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsJohn Bell, Jr. Park47 acres · City of Fort Smith, Arkansas
DirectionsBen Geren Regional Park29 acres
DirectionsKelley Park Ballfields19 acres · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsSpring Hill Park17 acres
DirectionsChaffee Soccer Site16 acres
DirectionsWenderoth Park9 acres
DirectionsHunt Park9 acres
DirectionsRuth Armstrong Nature Area5 acres · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsFondren Park2 acres · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsImani Park2 acres · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsRiverfront Skate and Bike Park1 acres · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsRiverfront Pavilion1 acres · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsCompass Park1 acres · City of Fort Smith, AR
DirectionsHillcrest Park1 acres · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
Anniversary Rose Garden1 acres · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsGateway Park1 acres · City of Fort Smith Arkansas
DirectionsPark at West End1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,593 conserved acres
6% of Fort Smith’s land. Water is left out: Fort Smith has 64.2 square miles of land and 4.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Fort Smith’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Army Corps of Engineers2,186 ac
Town or city284 ac
County187 ac
National Park Service32 ac
Recreation Management Area · 2,186 acLocal Park · 439 acLocal Recreation Area · 33 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 32 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| J.P. Hammerschmidt Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 2,186 | Open |
| West Arkansas Regional Park Local Park | County | 178 | Open |
| Fort Smith Park Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Carol Ann Cross Park Local Park | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Belle Isle Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Creekmore Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Fort Smith National Historic Site Historic or Cultural Area | National Park Service | 32 | Restricted |
| Martin Luther King Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Tilles Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Springhill Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 17 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
32 places to go in Fort Smith
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fort Smith
Fort Smith Park PlaygroundIn Fort Smith Park
DirectionsPlus 23 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Fort Smith
Chaffee Crossing Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Fort Smith
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Peaks in Fort Smith
Brooks Stephins Mountain715 ft elevation
DirectionsGeorge Mountain666 ft elevation
DirectionsWildcat Mountain610 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails and 10 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.0 mi
Sunnymede Trail1.4 mi
Walking Path0.6 mi
Rice Carden Trail0.3 mi
Martin Luther King Park Pathways0.3 mi
Massard Prairie Battlefield Trail0.2 mi
Martin Luther King Park Path Ways0.1 mi
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
11 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
44Tennis
21Golf
19Baseball
18Pickleball
17Basketball
9Soccer
5Football
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →47 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 18 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
W. H. H. Clayton HouseBuilding · listed 1970
About itBonneville HouseBuilding · listed 1971
About itKnoble, Joseph, BreweryBuilding · listed 1972
About itJames Sparks HouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itCommercial HotelBuilding · listed 1973
About itFort Smith's Belle Grove Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1973
About itWest Garrison Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1979
About itHorace Franklin Rogers HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itKarl Edward Bracht HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itC. R. Breckinridge HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itWilliam J. Murphy HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About it35 more on the History page.
When to get out
The walking year in Fort Smith
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) | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 51 | 56 | 64 | 73 | 81 | 88 | 93 | 93 | 85 | 75 | 62 | 53 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 6.0 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.8 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 93 °F). 6.0 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 93 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Fort Smith →
Next door
Fort Smith and its neighbors
Fort Smith has the most mapped trails of the 4 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Questions about parks and trails in Fort Smith
Where can I hike in Fort Smith?
The longest trail networks: Sunnymede Trail Park, 1.4 miles; Tilles Park, 1.2 miles; Donald W. Reynolds Plaza, 1.2 miles; Carol Ann Cross Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fort Smith is conserved land?
6% of its land, against a typical 1% for an Arkansas town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Fort Smith’s trails?
Sunnymede Trail Park and Tilles Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fort Smith?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Fort Smith?
10,557 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fort Smith or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,901 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fort Smith have?
Ahead of 47% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #27 of 123 in Arkansas. 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 Fort Smith 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 →