Photo: Ataraxy22 · CC BY-SA 3.025% of New Castle’s land is conserved, and 99% of residents live within a half mile of a park
25% of New Castle’s land is conserved, about 566 acres. 3.8 miles of mapped trail cross New Castle, 1.1 per square mile of land. 96 acres are parks and preserves, 17 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #3 of 37 in Delaware. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is New Castle?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does New Castle have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, New Castle is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #3 of 37 in Delaware. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Delaware towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 13%; the U.S., 4%), so New Castle’s 25% is ahead of 89% of Delaware towns, while its trails per square mile lead 86% 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.
Bull Hill Park
First State National Historical Park
566 conserved acres
25% of New Castle’s land. Who manages New Castle’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 15 of 24 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle Open Space Private Conservation | Not recorded | 418 | Unknown |
| Broad Dyke Wetlands Natural Area Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 44 | Unknown |
| Riverbend at Old New Castle Private Conservation | Town or city | 38 | Unknown |
| New Castle Middle School Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 16 | Unknown |
| Industrial Track Greenway Trail State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 12 | Open |
| Robert J. Quillen Memorial Field Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 11 | Closed |
| Bull Hill Park Local Park | Not recorded | 11 | Unknown |
| Carrie Downie Elementary School Research or Educational Area | Not recorded | 10 | Unknown |
| Boothhurst Private Conservation | Town or city | 7 | Unknown |
| Dobbinsville Park Local Park | Town or city | 4 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
7 places to go in New Castle
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
6.8 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.
14 places on the National Register, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
2 more on the History page.
The best walking months in New Castle: 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 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 15.0 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 44 | 53 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 79 | 67 | 56 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 3.3 | 2.8 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 4.0 |
February is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 4.5 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in New Castle →
New Castle and its neighbors
New Castle 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Castle | 25% | 1.1 | 17 | 99% | A |
| Wilmington Manor | 10% | 0.3 | 6 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in New Castle
Where can I hike in New Castle?
The longest trail networks: The Green, 0.2 miles; First State National Historical Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of New Castle is conserved land?
25% 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 New Castle’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at First State National Historical Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in New Castle?
6.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.6 of painted or protected lanes and 4.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near New Castle?
24,583 acres of parks and open public land lie inside New Castle or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 101 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does New Castle have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #3 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 New Castle 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 →