Russ Park
Park
99 acres3 mi of trail
Maple Leaf Loop TrailFerndale View TrailPacific View TrailMain Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Ellin Beltz · CC BY-SA 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ferndale
15% of Ferndale’s land is conserved: 117 acres
3.6 miles of mapped trail cross Ferndale, 3.0 per square mile of land. 118 acres are parks and preserves, 76 per 1,000 residents. 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
117 acres · of 1.2 sq mi of land
Trails
3.6 mi
3.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
118 ac
76 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
What kind of outdoors town is Ferndale?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ferndale have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ferndale is ahead of 98% 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.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ferndale’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails3.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land76 acres of park per 1,000 residents (118 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home96% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be 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 Russ Park, with 3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
117 conserved acres
15% of Ferndale’s land. Who manages Ferndale’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city117 ac
Local Park · 117 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russ Park Local Park | Town or city | 113 | Open |
| Firemen's Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Ferndale
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ferndale
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Ferndale
Humboldt County Fairgrounds RV Park & Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
6 named trails
Named trails
Maple Leaf Loop Trail0.9 mi
Ferndale View Trail0.6 mi
Pacific View Trail0.6 mi
Main Trail0.6 mi
Bluff Street Trail0.3 mi
Village Trail0.2 mi
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
4Baseball
4Tennis
1Basketball
1Softball
1Football
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Rectory, Catholic Church of the AssumptionBuilding · listed 1982
About itA. Berding HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itShaw HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itAlford-Nielson HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itAndreasen, F. W.-John Rossen HouseDistrict · listed 1989
About itFerndale Public LibraryBuilding · listed 1990
About itFerndale Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1994
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Ferndale: May to August
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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 55 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 60 | 63 | 66 | 68 | 68 | 64 | 58 | 54 |
| Rain (in) | 11.4 | 9.8 | 8.9 | 5.1 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 7.6 | 13.1 |
July is the driest month (0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 68 °F). 13.1 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Ferndale →
Questions about parks and trails in Ferndale
Where can I hike in Ferndale?
The longest trail networks: Russ Park, 3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ferndale is conserved land?
15% 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 Ferndale’s trails?
Russ Park and Firemen's Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ferndale?
3,227 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ferndale or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 118 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ferndale have?
Ahead of 98% 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 Ferndale 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 →