Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
28% of Bell Canyon’s land is conserved, about 649 acres. 260 acres are parks and preserves, 120 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve (3.1 mi), SSFL South Buffer (1.6 mi).
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Bell Canyon is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
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 Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve, with 3.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
28% of Bell Canyon’s land. Who manages Bell Canyon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 387 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve / Ahmanson State Conservation Area | State conservation | 263 | Open |
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
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).
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 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 67 | 66 | 69 | 72 | 76 | 81 | 87 | 89 | 87 | 79 | 73 | 66 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.8 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 3.9 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Bell Canyon →
The longest trail networks: Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve, 3.1 miles; SSFL South Buffer, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
28% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve and SSFL South Buffer don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
0.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.1 of painted or protected lanes.
68,420 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Bell Canyon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 260 of them inside the town line.
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Bell Canyon 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 →