Burns Park
Park
1,700 acres17.5 mi of trail
Green Loop TrailRed Loop TrailYellow Trail LoopWhite Loop Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Belinda Hankins Miller from U.S.A., upload by Herrick 10:33, 15 November 2007 (UTC) · CC BY 2.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in North Little Rock
North Little Rock has 2,387 acres of parks, 37 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Burns Park (17.5 mi), Campbell Lake Park (2.3 mi), Big Rock Quarry Park (1.3 mi). 38 miles of mapped trail cross North Little Rock, 0.7 per square mile of land. 5% of North Little Rock’s land is conserved, about 1,820 acres.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #5 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,820 acres · of 53.0 sq mi of land
Trails
38 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,387 ac
37 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
69%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
21 mi
1.4 mi lanes · 17 mi paths
Highest peak
554 ft
Big Rock Mountain
Lakes & rivers
12
3 beaches · 8 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is North Little Rock?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Little Rock have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Little Rock is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #5 of 123 in Arkansas. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Little Rock’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical AR town 1% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (38 mi) · AR 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land37 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,387 acres) · AR 8 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home69% of residents within a half mile of a park · AR 46% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
Arkansas towns of 2,500+ (123)Ahead of 97%
Few Arkansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so North Little Rock’s 5% is ahead of 92% of Arkansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 89% of them.
Water is 6% of North Little Rock’s area (3 of 56 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 5%.
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 Burns Park, with 17.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Campbell Lake Park
Park
145 acres2.3 mi of trail
Pfeifer Loop TrailShortcutYellow Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Big Rock Quarry Park
Park
55 acres1.3 mi of trail
Rock Quarry Overlook Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
TR Pugh Memorial Park
Park
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Faucette Brothers Park
Managed by North Little Rock Parks & Recreation
2 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 24 parks & preserves
Burns Park1,700 acres · 17.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCampbell Lake Park145 acres · 2.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBig Rock Quarry Park55 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCooks Landing Park39 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsRose City Park20 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDickey-Stephens Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsTR Pugh Memorial Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Faucette Brothers Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · North Little Rock Parks & Recreation
DirectionsRiverfront Park33 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSherman Parks5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCrestview Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsIdlewild Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEmerald Park85 acres
DirectionsVestal Park17 acres
DirectionsThe Parade Grounds12 acres
DirectionsLakewood Sports Complex10 acres
DirectionsRiverview Park9 acres · North Little Rock Parks & Recreation
DirectionsConley Park4 acres
DirectionsNorth Shore Park3 acres
Lakewood Village Ampatheater and Park2 acres
Camp Robinson Park2 acres
DirectionsPugh Park1 acres
DirectionsCommunity Garden1 acres
DirectionsFearneyhough Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,820 conserved acres
5% of North Little Rock’s land. Water is left out: North Little Rock has 53.0 square miles of land and 3.2 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages North Little Rock’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,817 ac
Private owners2 ac
Army Corps of Engineers1 ac
Regional agency1 ac
Local Park · 1,820 acRecreation Management Area · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burns Park Local Park | Town or city | 1,286 | Open |
| Campbell Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 153 | Open |
| Emerald Park Local Park | Town or city | 103 | Open |
| Riverview Park Local Park | Town or city | 68 | Open |
| Big Rock Quarry Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Cooks Landing Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Riverfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Rose City Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Vestal Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| North Heights Recreation Center Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
78 places to go in North Little Rock
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in North Little Rock
3 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in North Little Rock
FunlandIn Burns Park
Directions46 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in North Little Rock
Northshore Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in North Little Rock
Cook's Landing Arkansas River Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 7 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in North Little Rock
2 fishing spots without a name on the map.
Scenic views in North Little Rock
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in North Little Rock
Big Rock Mountain554 ft elevation · In Emerald Park
DirectionsRed Hill413 ft elevation
DirectionsRound Hill344 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in North Little Rock
11 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
14 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 13.5 miHorses · 13.4 miUnpaved · 12.8 mi
Green Loop Trail5.5 mi
Red Loop Trail1.7 mi
Pfeifer Loop Trail1.6 mi
Yellow Trail Loop1.6 mi
Yellow Trail1.5 mi
Brad Trail0.7 mi
White Loop Trail0.4 mi
Yellow Trail West0.4 mi
Connector Trail (orange)0.3 mi
Yellow Trail Cutoff0.2 mi
4 more trails
Shortcut
0.2 miRock Quarry Overlook Trail
0.2 miConnector Trail
0.1 miGreen Loop cutoff
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Lakewood Lake Number FivepondLakewood Lake Number FourpondLakewood Lake Number OnelakeLakewood Lake Number SixlakeLakewood Lake Number ThreelakeLakewood Lake Number TwolakeLittle Indian Lake Number OneLittle Indian Lake Number TwoMatthews LakereservoirMurray LakereservoirWatkins PondreservoirArkansas River
Biking & sports
21 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.4 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
17 mi
off-road bike paths
3.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
56Tennis
40Baseball
22Golf
21Soccer
13Basketball
2Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →58 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Fort Logan H. Roots Military PostDistrict · listed 1974
About itE. O. Manees HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itNorth Little Rock City HallBuilding · listed 1975
About itSt. Joseph's HomeBuilding · listed 1976
About itOld Central Fire StationBuilding · listed 1977
About itHowell-Garner-Monfee HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itJames Peter Faucette HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itBaker HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itFaucette BuildingBuilding · listed 1978
About itNorth Little Rock Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1982
About itMatthews HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itBarth-Hempfling HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About it46 more on the History page.
When to get out
The walking year in North Little Rock
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 | 56 | 65 | 74 | 81 | 89 | 92 | 92 | 86 | 75 | 63 | 53 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.2 |
September is the driest month (3.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 5.6 inches fall in April, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in North Little Rock →
Next door
North Little Rock and its neighbors
North Little Rock has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Little Rock | 5% | 0.7 | 37 | 69% | A− |
| Sherwood | 1% | 0.4 | 7 | 67% | C+ |
| Maumelle | 2% | 1.1 | 10 | 55% | B |
| Scott | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Little Rock | 6% | 0.8 | 29 | 74% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Little Rock
Where can I hike in North Little Rock?
The longest trail networks: Burns Park, 17.5 miles; Campbell Lake Park, 2.3 miles; Big Rock Quarry Park, 1.3 miles; Cooks Landing Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Little Rock is conserved land?
5% 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 North Little Rock’s trails?
Burns Park and Campbell Lake Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Little Rock?
21 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.4 of painted or protected lanes, 17 of off-road paths and 3.3 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near North Little Rock?
15,308 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Little Rock or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,389 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does North Little Rock have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #5 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 North Little Rock 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 →