Photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 3.013% of Elsmere’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. 1.2 miles of mapped trail cross Elsmere, 1.2 per square mile of land. 13% of Elsmere’s land is conserved, about 83 acres.
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #5 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Elsmere?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Elsmere have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Elsmere is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #5 of 37 in Delaware. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Delaware towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 13%; the U.S., 4%), so Elsmere’s 13% is ahead of 47% of Delaware towns, while its trails per square mile lead 92% 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 Fairgrounds Park, with 0.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Maple Avenue Park
Canby Park West
All 6 parks & preserves
83 conserved acres
13% of Elsmere’s land. Who manages Elsmere’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 8 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairgrounds Park Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
| Vilone Park Local Park | Not recorded | 18 | Unknown |
| Maple Avenue Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Dogwood Hollow Private Conservation | Town or city | 5 | Unknown |
| Elsmere Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 4 | Unknown |
| Canby Park West Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 3 | Unknown |
| Greenbrier Village Private Conservation | Town or city | 3 | Unknown |
| Joseph R. Walling Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Richardson Park Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 2 | Unknown |
| Baltz Elementary School Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 2 | Unknown |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
5 places to go in Elsmere
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 lakes & rivers
0.0 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.
The best walking months in Elsmere: 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) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 41 | 44 | 52 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.6 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Elsmere →
Elsmere and its neighbors
Elsmere has the second 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elsmere | 13% | 1.2 | 11 | 99%+ | A |
| Wilmington | 7% | 0.8 | 8 | 99%+ | A− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Elsmere
Where can I hike in Elsmere?
The longest trail networks: Fairgrounds Park, 0.5 miles; Maple Avenue Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Elsmere is conserved land?
13% of its land, against a typical 13% for a Delaware town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Elsmere’s trails?
Fairgrounds Park and Maple Avenue Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Elsmere?
19,089 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Elsmere or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 71 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Elsmere have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #5 of 37 in Delaware. 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 Elsmere 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 →