Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.099% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Basalt
3.9 miles of mapped trail cross Basalt, 1.9 per square mile of land. 5% of Basalt’s land is conserved, about 59 acres. 39 acres are parks and preserves, 8.9 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns · #83 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Basalt?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Basalt have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Basalt is ahead of 82% of U.S. towns, #83 of 159 in Colorado. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Colorado towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Basalt’s 5% is ahead of 39% of Colorado towns, while its trails per square mile lead 68% of them.
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
59 conserved acres
5% of Basalt’s land. Who manages Basalt’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 4 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basalt Highlands Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 22 | Unknown |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| River Preserve Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 7 | Unknown |
| Arbany Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Basalt Soccer Field Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
| Wilds Open Space Dedication Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 3 | Unknown |
| Branding Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Basalt State Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Pnderosa Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
2 places to go in Basalt
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 named trail
6.5 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.
1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Basalt: 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) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 40 | 50 | 58 | 68 | 79 | 85 | 83 | 75 | 62 | 47 | 36 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
December is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 1.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Basalt →
Basalt and its neighbors
Basalt has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basalt | 5% | 1.9 | 9 | 99% | A− |
| El Jebel | 14% | 0.3 | 90 | 86% | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Basalt
How much of Basalt is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 7% for a Colorado town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Basalt’s trails?
Linear Park doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Basalt?
6.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.5 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Basalt?
67,069 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Basalt or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 42 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Basalt have?
Ahead of 82% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #83 of 159 in Colorado. 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 Basalt 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 →