Salisbury Equestrian and Sports Park
Park
84 acres3.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Parker
20% of Parker’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 62 miles of mapped trail cross Parker, 2.7 per square mile of land. 20% of Parker’s land is conserved, about 2,850 acres.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #28 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
2,850 acres · of 22.4 sq mi of land
Trails
62 mi
2.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
950 ac
15 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
48 mi
22 mi lanes · 23 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Parker?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Parker have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Parker is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #28 of 159 in Colorado. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Parker’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical CO town 7% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (62 mi) · CO 1.3 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land15 acres of park per 1,000 residents (950 acres) · CO 14 · U.S. 13BParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CO 97% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
Colorado towns of 2,500+ (159)Ahead of 83%
Colorado towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Parker’s 20% is ahead of 83% of Colorado towns, while its trails per square mile lead 82% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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 Salisbury Equestrian and Sports Park, with 3.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Crowfoot Valley Big Park
Park
17 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Looking Glass Community Park
Park
34 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Challenger Regional Park
Park
8 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 38 parks & preserves
Salisbury Equestrian and Sports Park84 acres · 3.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRay J. Harvie Park71 acres · 2 mi of trail
DirectionsO'Brien Memorial Park11 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCrowfoot Valley Big Park17 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
Looking Glass Community Park34 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsCottonwood Park West31 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsChallenger Regional Park8 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsDiscovery Park2 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsStroh Ranch Soccer Fields12 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Railbender Park9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMcCabe Meadows9 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsKeyser Creek Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsHorse Creek Community Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsAuburn Hills Community Park6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRiva Ridge Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNewlin Gulch HOA Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCrowfoot Valley Small Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Living Wheel Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCottonwood Park East14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTallman Meadow Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBar CCC Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Paperflower Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHidden River HOA5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Creekside Community Park and Recreation Center5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPam Daale Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFire Fly Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Willow Pointe Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCarmen Playground1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Parker Vista Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Buffaloberry Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSkylark Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Cottonwood Trailhead Park8 acres
DirectionsPreservation Park5 acres · Town of Parker
Slemmer Barn Historic Site3 acres
DirectionsDouble Angel Park1 acres
Deer Trail Park1 acres
Jola Park1 acres
Robinson Ranch park1 acres
Who protects it
2,850 conserved acres
20% of Parker’s land. Who manages Parker’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Private owners1,186 ac
Town or city1,182 ac
Regional agency433 ac
County301 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits73 ac
Regional Water Districts63 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government21 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,016 acPrivate Conservation · 938 acLocal Park · 575 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 233 acOther Easement · 210 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 68 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 54 of 118 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Parker City Land - General Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 527 | Unknown |
| Town of Parker Public Works Department City Land - General Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 277 | Unknown |
| Private Privately Owned Golf Course Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 233 | Closed |
| Unknown Park Unknown | Regional agency | 192 | Open |
| Salisbury Equestrian Park Local Park | Town or city | 156 | Open |
| Villages of Parker Master Assoc Private Land (w/ Protection) Private Conservation | Private owners | 130 | Unknown |
| Cottonwood Metro District Regional (Metro District) Parks Local Park | Regional agency | 115 | Open |
| Melody Homes Private Land (w/ Protection) Private Conservation | Private owners | 90 | Unknown |
| Harvie Local Other or Unknown | County | 73 | Unknown |
| Challenger Park Estates HOA Private Land (w/ Protection) Private Conservation | Private owners | 65 | Closed |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
209 places to go in Parker
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Parker
Horse Creek PoolIn Horse Creek Community Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Parker
Little Monkey Bizness
Directions183 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Parker
USMC CPL David M. Sonka Dog Park and Westcreek Disc Golf Course
DirectionsUSMC Cpl David M Sonka Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 11 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Parker
Denver & New Orleans Railroad
DirectionsPicnic areas in Parker
9 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Parker
Westcreek Disc Golf Course
DirectionsPlus 1 disc golf course without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 11.4 miUnpaved · 16.0 mi
Lower Prairie Voice Loop0.7 mi
Upper Prairie Voice Loop0.7 mi
Lemon Gulch Trail0.7 mi
Shortcut Trail0.3 mi
Lone Tree Trail0.2 mi
Idlewild Spur0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
48 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
22 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
23 mi
off-road bike paths
3.1 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Lemon Gulch TrailBike route
0.7 miCourts & fields
37Basketball
27Baseball
17Tennis
10Pickleball
10Soccer
7Volleyball
4Equestrian
4Beach volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Ruth Memorial Methodist Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1989
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Parker: April to June and 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 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 45 | 46 | 54 | 60 | 69 | 81 | 87 | 85 | 78 | 65 | 53 | 44 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
January is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 2.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Parker →
Next door
Parker and its neighbors
Parker has the second most mapped trails of the 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parker | 20% | 2.7 | 15 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Stonegate | 26% | 3.3 | 25 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Stepping Stone | 9% | 3.0 | 5 | 99%+ | A |
| Aurora | 10% | 0.7 | 27 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Parker
Where can I hike in Parker?
The longest trail networks: Salisbury Equestrian and Sports Park, 3.3 miles; Ray J. Harvie Park, 2 miles; O'Brien Memorial Park, 1.2 miles; Crowfoot Valley Big Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Parker is conserved land?
20% 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 Parker’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at O'Brien Memorial Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Parker?
48 miles of bike routes are on the map: 22 of painted or protected lanes, 23 of off-road paths and 3.1 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Lemon Gulch Trail.
Is there public land near Parker?
22,498 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Parker or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 952 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Parker have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #28 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 Parker 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 →