Photo: Greg Tally - User: (WT-shared) WineCountryInn at wts wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 3.013% of Palisade’s land is conserved: 100 acres
2.8 miles of mapped trail cross Palisade, 2.4 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: River Bend Park (0.9 mi). 69 acres are parks and preserves, 27 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns · #51 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Palisade?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Palisade have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Palisade is ahead of 92% of U.S. towns, #51 of 159 in Colorado. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
Colorado towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Palisade’s 13% is ahead of 72% of Colorado towns, while its trails per square mile lead 75% 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 River Bend Park, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Tillman Bishop State Wildlife Area
Peach Bowl Park
Veterans Memorial Park
100 conserved acres
13% of Palisade’s land. Who manages Palisade’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 19 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverbend Park Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Tilman Bishop State Wildlife Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 12 | Restricted |
| Francis Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 12 | Closed |
| Peach Valley Park Local Recreation Area | County | 9 | Open |
| Veterans' Memorial Park Local Park | County | 2 | Open |
11 places to go in Palisade
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
8 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 fishing spot without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
6.2 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 Palisade: 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) | 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) | 40 | 47 | 58 | 65 | 76 | 88 | 93 | 90 | 81 | 67 | 53 | 40 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
June is the driest month (0.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 93 °F). 1.4 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 93 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Palisade →
Questions about parks and trails in Palisade
Where can I hike in Palisade?
The longest trail networks: River Bend Park, 0.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Palisade is conserved land?
13% 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 Palisade’s trails?
River Bend Park and Tillman Bishop State Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Palisade?
6.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.5 of painted or protected lanes and 1.7 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Palisade?
107,310 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Palisade or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 69 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Palisade have?
Ahead of 92% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #51 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 Palisade 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 →