McGehee Recreational Complex
Park
23 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Jay Lewis House · Photo: Valis55 · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in McGehee
McGehee has 82 acres of parks, 22 for every 1,000 residents
92% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: McGehee Recreational Complex (0.5 mi). 4.9 miles of mapped trail cross McGehee, 0.7 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #8 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
45 acres · of 6.7 sq mi of land
Trails
4.9 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
82 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
92%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is McGehee?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does McGehee have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, McGehee is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #8 of 123 in Arkansas. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of McGehee’s overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical AR town 1% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · AR 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land22 acres of park per 1,000 residents (82 acres) · AR 8 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home92% of residents within a half mile of a park · AR 46% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 68%
LessMore
Arkansas towns of 2,500+ (123)Ahead of 94%
Few Arkansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so McGehee’s 1% is ahead of 62% of Arkansas 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 A−. 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 McGehee Recreational Complex, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Desha County Health Unit
Managed by Desha County
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Stephens Park
Park
11 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Wiley A McGehee Memorial Park
Managed by City of McGeehee
6 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
McGehee Recreational Complex23 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Wiley A McGehee Memorial Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of McGeehee
DirectionsDesha County Health Unit12 acres · Desha County
Stephens Park11 acres
South Annex Park3 acres
Who protects it
45 conserved acres
1% of McGehee’s land. Who manages McGehee’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city45 ac
Local Park · 45 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Annex Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Stephens Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Wiley A Mcgehee Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in McGehee
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in McGehee
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
9Tennis
5Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Parnell-Sharpe HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itMissouri-Pacific Railroad Depot-McGeheeBuilding · listed 1992
About itTemple Meir ChayimBuilding · listed 1999
About itTrippe Holly Grove CemeterySite · listed 1999
About itJay Lewis HouseBuilding · listed 2005
About itMcGehee National Guard ArmoryBuilding · listed 2006
About itMcGehee Post OfficeBuilding · listed 2010
About itMcGehee City JailBuilding · listed 2011
About itMissouri Pacific Railway Van Noy Eating HouseBuilding · listed 2011
About itWhen to get out
May is the best month for walking in McGehee
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 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 52 | 57 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 89 | 92 | 92 | 87 | 76 | 64 | 55 |
| Rain (in) | 4.9 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 5.8 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 5.9 |
September is the driest month (3.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 5.9 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in McGehee →
Questions about parks and trails in McGehee
Where can I hike in McGehee?
The longest trail networks: McGehee Recreational Complex, 0.5 miles; Wiley A McGehee Memorial Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of McGehee is conserved land?
1% 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 McGehee’s trails?
McGehee Recreational Complex and Desha County Health Unit don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near McGehee?
1,188 acres of parks and open public land lie inside McGehee or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 82 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does McGehee have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #8 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 McGehee 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 →