Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
44 acres1.6 mi of trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Thurifer · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Torrance
97% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Torrance
The biggest trail networks: Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve (1.6 mi), Columbia Park (1 mi), Entradero Park (1 mi). 367 acres are parks and preserves, 2.6 per 1,000 residents. 11 miles of mapped trail cross Torrance, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns · #466 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
426 acres · of 20.5 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
367 ac
2.6 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
27 mi
21 mi lanes · 5.0 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Torrance?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Torrance have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Torrance is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns, #466 of 847 in California. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Torrance’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4BPark land2.6 acres of park per 1,000 residents (367 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home97% 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 57%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 45%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Torrance ranks #334 on Outdoors.
Water is 17% of Torrance’s area (4 of 25 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
Park acres per resident are where Torrance trails most U.S. towns: 2.6 per 1,000 against 12.6 typical, since 138,391 people share 367 acres.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. 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 Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve, with 1.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Hickory Park
Park
7 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Guenser Park
Park
8 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 30 parks & preserves
Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve44 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsColumbia Park55 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsEntradero Park24 acres · 1 mi of trail
DirectionsLago Seco Park15 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsHickory Park7 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Guenser Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Charles H Wilson Park32 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSunnyglen Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Descanso Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Sur La Brea Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Sea-Aire Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
La Carretera Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsEl Nido Park12 acres
DirectionsDe Portola Park12 acres
Delthorne Park10 acres
DirectionsTorrance Park10 acres
DirectionsHenrietta Basin7 acres
Victor Park7 acres
DirectionsLa Romeria Park5 acres
Paradise Park5 acres
Alta Loma Park5 acres
DirectionsEl Retiro Park5 acres
DirectionsMcMaster Park5 acres
DirectionsWalteria Park4 acres
DirectionsLinden H. Chandler Preserve3 acres · Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy
Los Arboles Rocketship Park3 acres
El Prado Park3 acres
DirectionsGreenwood Park2 acres
Miramar Park1 acres
DirectionsSeaside Heroes Park1 acres
Who protects it
426 conserved acres
3% of Torrance’s land. Water is left out: Torrance has 20.5 square miles of land and 4.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Torrance’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city396 ac
County25 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits6 ac
Local Park · 298 acLocal Other or Unknown · 70 acLocal Conservation Area · 41 acLocal Recreation Area · 12 acUnknown Easement · 3 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Park Local Park | Town or city | 56 | Open |
| Charles H. Wilson Park Local Park | Town or city | 42 | Open |
| Madrona Marsh Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Entradero Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Torrance County Beach Local Park | County | 25 | Open |
| Lago Seco Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| De Portola Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Slope-Via Corona Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 12 | Closed |
| Bishop Montgomery Sump Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 11 | Closed |
| El Nido Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
105 places to go in Torrance
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Torrance
George Mannon Aquatic Center
DirectionsGeorge Mannon Aquatic Center
DirectionsGeorge Mannon Aquatic Center
DirectionsSpringwood Pool
DirectionsThe Plunge
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Torrance
Dig It
Directions52 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Torrance
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Torrance
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Torrance
44 picnic areas are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Community gardens in Torrance
Torrance Community GardenIn Lago Seco Park
DirectionsPlus 1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Horses · 1.9 miUnpaved · 6.3 mi
Boundary Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
27 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
21 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
5.0 mi
off-road bike paths
0.2 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
82Tennis
41Baseball
41Basketball
9Pickleball
8Soccer
5Softball
5Volleyball
4Multi-sport
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 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.
When to get out
The best walking months in Torrance: April 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) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 66 | 66 | 67 | 69 | 70 | 72 | 76 | 77 | 77 | 74 | 71 | 66 |
| Rain (in) | 2.9 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 2.0 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 3.2 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Torrance →
Next door
Torrance and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Los Angeles701 miPalos Verdes Estates20 miRolling Hills Estates17 miTorrance11 miRedondo Beach4.7 miGardena1.2 miLawndale1.0 miLomita0.7 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torrance | 3% | 0.5 | 3 | 97% | B |
| Redondo Beach | 5% | 0.8 | 2 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Rolling Hills Estates | 16% | 4.7 | 16 | 99% | A+ |
| Lomita | 1% | 0.4 | 1 | 97% | C+ |
| Lawndale | 2% | 0.5 | 1 | 99%+ | B |
| Los Angeles | 15% | 1.5 | 9 | 83% | A− |
| Gardena | 1% | 0.2 | 1 | 93% | C+ |
| Palos Verdes Estates | 26% | 4.3 | 43 | 99%+ | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Torrance
Where can I hike in Torrance?
The longest trail networks: Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve, 1.6 miles; Columbia Park, 1 miles; Entradero Park, 1 miles; Lago Seco Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Torrance is conserved land?
3% 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 Torrance’s trails?
Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve and Columbia Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Torrance?
27 miles of bike routes are on the map: 21 of painted or protected lanes, 5.0 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Torrance?
8,329 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Torrance or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 367 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Torrance have?
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #466 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 Torrance 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 →