Gunnison River Bridge I · Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0Gunnison has 13 miles of mapped trails, 2.7 for every square mile of land
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 7% of Gunnison’s land is conserved, about 219 acres. 79 acres are parks and preserves, 12 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #69 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Gunnison?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Gunnison have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Gunnison is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #69 of 159 in Colorado. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Colorado towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Gunnison’s 7% is ahead of 52% of Colorado towns, while its trails per square mile lead 81% 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
The longest trail network is Jorgensen Park, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
West Tomichi River Park
All 6 parks & preserves
219 conserved acres
7% of Gunnison’s land. Who manages Gunnison’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State Land Board State Land Board State Resource Management Area | State land board | 141 | Closed |
| Jergenson Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Tomichi Creek State Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 18 | Open |
| Private Private Land (w/ Protection) Private Conservation | Private owners | 8 | Closed |
| Gunnison River Resource Management Area | Bureau of Reclamation | 6 | Closed |
| Legion Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| The Meadows City Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Gunnison River State Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 4 | Open |
| Sharmar Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Gunnison Area 16 Office State Administrative Area State Other or Unknown | State fish & wildlife | 2 | Restricted |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
6 places to go in Gunnison
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
14 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
4 more trails
7.1 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.
6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
The best walking months in Gunnison: 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) | 9.8 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.5 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 35 | 46 | 56 | 67 | 77 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 61 | 45 | 32 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.0 |
June is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 1.5 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Gunnison →
Questions about parks and trails in Gunnison
Where can I hike in Gunnison?
The longest trail networks: Jorgensen Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Gunnison is conserved land?
7% 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 Gunnison’s trails?
Jorgensen Park and American Legion Memorial Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Gunnison?
7.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 7.1 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Gunnison?
159,594 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gunnison or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 80 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Gunnison have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #69 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 Gunnison 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 →