Marie Kerr Park
Managed by City of Palmdale
58 acres2.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Palmdale
Palmdale has 189 miles of mapped trails, 1.8 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Marie Kerr Park (2.9 mi), Domenic Massari Park (1.7 mi), Pelona Vista Park (0.7 mi). 5,041 acres are parks and preserves, 31 per 1,000 residents. 8% of Palmdale’s land is conserved, about 5,202 acres.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #245 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
5,202 acres · of 106.1 sq mi of land
Trails
189 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,041 ac
31 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
66%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
16 mi
4.1 mi lanes · 12 mi paths
Highest peak
5,171 ft
Mount McDill
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Palmdale?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Palmdale have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Palmdale is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #245 of 847 in California. 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 Palmdale’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%B+Trails1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (189 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land31 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,041 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home66% 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 84%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 71%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Palmdale ranks #143 on Outdoors.
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 Marie Kerr Park, with 2.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Pelona Vista Park
Park
24 acres0.7 mi of trail
Pelona Vista Walking Path
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 15 parks & preserves
Marie Kerr Park58 acres · 2.9 mi of trail · City of Palmdale
DirectionsDomenic Massari Park35 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
DirectionsPelona Vista Park24 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsMcAdam Park17 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsTejon Park19 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsYellen Park25 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Palmdale
DirectionsCourson Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsPoncitlán Square1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsFoothill Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJoshua Hills Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Desert Sands Park23 acres
Avenue S Park15 acres
Anaverde Park6 acres
DirectionsDoctor Robert C Saint Clair Parkway6 acres
DirectionsRancho Vista Park4 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
5,202 conserved acres
8% of Palmdale’s land. Who manages Palmdale’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency4,338 ac
Town or city710 ac
County162 ac
Local Park · 4,926 acLocal Conservation Area · 176 acLocal Other or Unknown · 75 acLocal Recreation Area · 34 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 38 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ritter Ranch Local Park | Regional agency | 4,087 | Open |
| Joshua Ranch Local Park | Regional agency | 202 | Open |
| Big Rock Wash Wildlife Sanctuary Local Conservation Area | County | 162 | Open |
| A.C. Warnack Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 131 | Open |
| Pelona Vista Park Local Park | Town or city | 75 | Open |
| Marie Kerr Park Local Park | Town or city | 75 | Open |
| Palmdale High School Park Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Restricted |
| Knight High School Park Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Restricted |
| Highland High School Park Local Park | Town or city | 45 | Restricted |
| Domenic Massari Park Local Park | Town or city | 36 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
37 places to go in Palmdale
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Palmdale
Marie Kerr PoolIn Marie Kerr Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Palmdale
Plus 26 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Palmdale
Yellen Dog ParkIn Yellen Park
DirectionsPeaks in Palmdale
Mount McDill5,171 ft elevation
DirectionsThe Lollipop
DirectionsPicnic areas in Palmdale
3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Palmdale
Old Town Community GardenOld Town
DirectionsTrails & water
24 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.7 miUnpaved · 24.1 mi
Ana Verde Motorway2.0 mi
75th Street East1.5 mi
Ritter Motorway1.5 mi
East Avenue S1.5 mi
45th Street East0.7 mi
Mt McDill Trail0.7 mi
Sierra Pelona West Mountainway0.6 mi
80th Street East0.6 mi
105th Street East0.5 mi
15th Street East0.5 mi
14 more trails
102nd Street East
0.5 mi100th Street East
0.5 miPelona Vista Walking Path
0.5 mi103rd Street East
0.4 mi40th Street West
0.4 miEast Avenue N 12
0.3 miEast Avenue O 8
0.3 miEast Avenue Q 6
0.3 miEast Avenue Q 4
0.3 mi42nd Street East
0.2 miEast Avenue Q 3
0.1 miEast Avenue M 8
0.1 miSierra Pellona Motorway West
0.1 miEast Avenue R 8
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
16 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
4.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
12 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
41Basketball
37Baseball
32Tennis
26Golf
14Pickleball
9Soccer
5Tracks
4Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Palmdale: 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 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 59 | 62 | 67 | 73 | 80 | 90 | 96 | 96 | 91 | 79 | 67 | 58 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 1.1 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 96 °F). 1.7 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 96 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Palmdale →
Next door
Palmdale and its neighbors
Palmdale has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Palmdale189 miLancaster71 miActon63 miLeona Valley19 miSun Village5.3 miLittlerock1.2 miQuartz Hill0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palmdale | 8% | 1.8 | 31 | 66% | A− |
| Leona Valley | 10% | 1.0 | 57 | 11% | B+ |
| Sun Village | under 1% | 0.5 | 1 | 20% | C− |
| Littlerock | 2% | 0.7 | 4 | 16% | C |
| Lancaster | 1% | 0.8 | 3 | 36% | C |
| Quartz Hill | 1% | under 0.1 | 1 | 34% | D |
| Acton | 1% | 1.6 | 33 | 27% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Palmdale
Where can I hike in Palmdale?
The longest trail networks: Marie Kerr Park, 2.9 miles; Domenic Massari Park, 1.7 miles; Pelona Vista Park, 0.7 miles; McAdam Park, 0.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Palmdale is conserved land?
8% 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 Palmdale’s trails?
Marie Kerr Park and Domenic Massari Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Palmdale?
16 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.1 of painted or protected lanes and 12 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Palmdale?
70,312 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Palmdale or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 5,133 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Palmdale have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #245 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 Palmdale 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 →