Photo: Dparranda · Public domainEl Monte has 5.6 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
51 acres are parks and preserves, 0.5 per 1,000 residents. 86% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 1% of El Monte’s land is conserved, about 78 acres.
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns · #609 of 847 in California. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is El Monte?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does El Monte have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, El Monte is ahead of 41% of U.S. towns, #609 of 847 in California. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, El Monte ranks #374 on Outdoors.
Park acres per resident are where El Monte trails most U.S. towns: 0.5 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 105,075 people share 51 acres.
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
The longest trail network is Lambert Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mariposa Park
Zamora Park
All 8 parks & preserves
78 conserved acres
1% of El Monte’s land. Who manages El Monte’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles County Flood Control District Open Space Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 38 | Closed |
| San Gabriel River and Bike Trail Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
| Mountain View Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Lambert Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Community Center Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 5 | Restricted |
| Gibson Mariposa Neighborhood Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Zamora Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Arceo Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Fletcher Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Lashbrook Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
11 places to go in El Monte
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
4 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
20 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.
The best walking months in El Monte: April to 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) | 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) | 69 | 70 | 72 | 75 | 78 | 82 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 82 | 75 | 68 |
| Rain (in) | 3.6 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 2.3 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 3.9 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in El Monte →
El Monte and its neighbors
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Monte | 1% | 0.6 | under 1 | 86% | C+ |
| South El Monte | 1% | 0.2 | 1 | 75% | C |
| Industry | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Temple City | 1% | under 0.1 | 1 | 58% | D |
| Rosemead | 2% | 0.4 | 1 | 93% | B− |
| Arcadia | 8% | 0.9 | 5 | 95% | B+ |
| Baldwin Park | 1% | 0.2 | under 1 | 54% | C− |
| Irwindale | 17% | 2.6 | 1,092 | 98% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in El Monte
Where can I hike in El Monte?
The longest trail networks: Lambert Park, 0.4 miles; Mountain View Park, 0.4 miles; Mariposa Park, 0.3 miles; Zamora Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of El Monte is conserved land?
1% 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 El Monte’s trails?
Lambert Park and Mountain View Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in El Monte?
20 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of painted or protected lanes, 6.1 of off-road paths and 11 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: San Gabriel River Trail.
Is there public land near El Monte?
18,304 acres of parks and open public land lie inside El Monte or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 51 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does El Monte have?
Ahead of 41% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #609 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 El Monte 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 →