Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0Durham has 66 acres of parks, 12 for every 1,000 residents
47% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2% of Durham’s land is conserved, about 1,199 acres. 25 miles of mapped trail cross Durham, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns · #605 of 847 in California. What drives it
How much outdoors does Durham have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Durham is ahead of 42% of U.S. towns, #605 of 847 in California. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
1,199 conserved acres
2% of Durham’s land. Who manages Durham’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,075 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keeney Preserve Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 70 | Closed |
| Durham Recreation and Park District 2 Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 22 | Open |
| Chico Eastside Little League Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Durham Recreation and Park District 1 Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
| Butte Holding 47 Local Other or Unknown | County | 2 | Open |
| Louis Edwards Park Local Park | Regional agency | 2 | Open |
| Butte Holding 48 Local Other or Unknown | County | 2 | Open |
| Durham Recreation and Park District 3 Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 1 | Open |
| Butte Holding 38 Local Other or Unknown | County | 1 | Open |
| Butte Holding 28 Local Other or Unknown | County | 1 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
9 places to go in Durham
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
5 picnic areas without a name on the map.
1 lakes & rivers
2.7 miles of bike routes
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.
2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Durham: April and May
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) | 9.7 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 57 | 62 | 67 | 73 | 82 | 90 | 96 | 95 | 91 | 80 | 65 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 4.9 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 3.9 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 96 °F). 5.0 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 96 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Durham →
Durham and its neighbors
Durham has the second most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham | 2% | 0.3 | 12 | 47% | C+ |
| Chico | 26% | 2.7 | 55 | 98% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Durham
How much of Durham is conserved land?
2% 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 Durham’s trails?
Durham Community Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Durham?
2.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Durham?
36,928 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Durham or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 66 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Durham have?
Ahead of 42% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #605 of 847 in California. 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 Durham neighbors.
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 →