San Bernardino National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
693 acres5.1 mi of trail
Cram Peak Ridge Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Luzonensis · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Highland
Highland has 37 miles of mapped trails, 2.0 for every square mile of land
23% of Highland’s land is conserved, about 2,676 acres. The biggest trail networks: San Bernardino National Forest (5.1 mi), Aurantia Park (0.7 mi), City of Highland Community Park (0.5 mi). 76% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #267 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
2,676 acres · of 18.6 sq mi of land
Trails
37 mi
2.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
423 ac
7.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
76%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
33 mi
29 mi lanes · 3.3 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Highland?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Highland have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Highland is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #267 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Highland’s overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (37 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land7.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (423 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home76% 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 82%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 69%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 San Bernardino National Forest, with 5.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
City of Highland Community Park
Park
16 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Sterling Natural Resource Center
Managed by East Valley Water District
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 5 parks & preserves
San Bernardino National Forest693 acres · 5.1 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Aurantia Park13 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsCity of Highland Community Park16 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSterling Natural Resource Center10 acres · East Valley Water District
Cunningham Neighborhood Park3 acres
Who protects it
2,676 conserved acres
23% of Highland’s land. Who manages Highland’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional Water Districts1,980 ac
Regional agency1,305 ac
Town or city403 ac
U.S. Forest Service111 ac
Private owners1 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 2,227 acLocal Recreation Area · 1,427 acNational Forest · 111 acLocal Park · 34 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Santa Ana River Wash Habitat Conservation Plan Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 2,143 | Restricted |
| East Highlands Ranch Open Space Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 1,142 | Restricted |
| Highland Open Space Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 285 | Open |
| San Bernardino National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 111 | Open |
| City of Highland Natural Park Land Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 84 | Open |
| Central Avenue Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Aurantia Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Cunningham Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Canyon Oaks Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Rose Court Play Area Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 1 | Restricted |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Highland
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Highland
Highland Grove Elementary School
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Highland
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miHorses · 2.3 miUnpaved · 12.1 mi
Cram Peak Ridge Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
33 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
29 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.3 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
7Baseball
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Highland: 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) | 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) | 66 | 67 | 71 | 76 | 82 | 90 | 97 | 98 | 93 | 83 | 73 | 65 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.3 |
June is the driest month (0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 98 °F). 3.4 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 98 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Highland →
Next door
Highland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highland | 23% | 2.0 | 7 | 76% | A− |
| San Bernardino | 3% | 0.7 | 3 | 68% | B− |
| Redlands | 16% | 2.0 | 20 | 96% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Highland
Where can I hike in Highland?
The longest trail networks: San Bernardino National Forest, 5.1 miles; Aurantia Park, 0.7 miles; City of Highland Community Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Highland is conserved land?
23% 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 Highland’s trails?
San Bernardino National Forest and Aurantia Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Highland?
33 miles of bike routes are on the map: 29 of painted or protected lanes, 3.3 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Highland?
96,805 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Highland or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 535 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Highland have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #267 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 Highland 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 →