Columbia State Historic Park
Managed by California Department of Parks and Recreation
154 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Chris Krylov · CC BY 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Columbia
Columbia has 213 acres of parks, 95 for every 1,000 residents
5.5 miles of mapped trail cross Columbia, 0.9 per square mile of land. 7% of Columbia’s land is conserved, about 261 acres. 72% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 85% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
7%
261 acres · of 6.0 sq mi of land
Trails
5.5 mi
0.9 per sq mi of land
Park land
213 ac
95 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
72%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
2,365 ft
Kennebec Hill
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Columbia?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Columbia have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Columbia is ahead of 85% of U.S. towns. 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 Columbia’s overall grade.
Conserved land7% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.9 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (6 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land95 acres of park per 1,000 residents (213 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13AParks close to home72% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 85%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− 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 Columbia State Historic Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pioneer Park
Park
18 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
261 conserved acres
7% of Columbia’s land. Who manages Columbia’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks188 ac
Bureau of Reclamation116 ac
County14 ac
State Historic or Cultural Area · 188 acRecreation Management Area · 58 acResource Management Area · 58 acLocal Park · 14 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia State Historic Park State Historic or Cultural Area | State parks | 188 | Open |
| New Melones Recreation Management Area | Bureau of Reclamation | 116 | Open |
| Columbia Pioneer Park Local Park | County | 14 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Columbia
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in Columbia
Kennebec Hill2,365 ft elevation
DirectionsBell Hill2,323 ft elevation
DirectionsUnion Hill2,162 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Columbia
Columbia Airport CampgroundFee · Columbia Airport
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
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
6Tennis
1Multi-sport
1Football
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place 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 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Columbia: May and June
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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 55 | 57 | 61 | 66 | 75 | 84 | 92 | 92 | 86 | 75 | 62 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 6.4 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 3.7 | 6.0 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 6.4 inches fall in January, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Columbia →
Questions about parks and trails in Columbia
Where can I hike in Columbia?
The longest trail networks: Columbia State Historic Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Columbia is conserved land?
7% 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.
Are dogs allowed on Columbia’s trails?
Columbia State Historic Park and Pioneer Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Columbia?
81,884 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Columbia or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 479 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Columbia have?
Ahead of 85% 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.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Columbia 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 →