Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge
Nature preserve
181 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Averette · CC BY 3.0B−Outdoors
Outdoors in Lake Wales
Lake Wales has 7.3 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
56% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 196 acres are parks and preserves, 12 per 1,000 residents. 3% of Lake Wales’ land is conserved, about 396 acres.
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns · #328 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
396 acres · of 20.3 sq mi of land
Trails
7.3 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
196 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
56%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
5.7 mi
1.5 mi lanes · 4.2 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
12
1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Lake Wales?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lake Wales have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lake Wales is ahead of 49% of U.S. towns, #328 of 638 in Florida. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lake Wales’ overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (196 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home56% of residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 49%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 49%
Water is 8% of Lake Wales’ area (2 of 22 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 3%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B−. 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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area
Nature preserve
181 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge181 acres
Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area181 acres
DirectionsLake Wailes Park96 acres
DirectionsCrystal Lake Park26 acres
DirectionsLinton Sports Complex19 acres
DirectionsNorthwest Complex15 acres
DirectionsKiwanis Park13 acres
DirectionsMobley Park10 acres
DirectionsWalker Family Park3 acres
DirectionsStuart Park1 acres
DirectionsLincoln Avenue Play Park1 acres
Lake Weaver Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
396 conserved acres
3% of Lake Wales’ land. Water is left out: Lake Wales has 20.3 square miles of land and 1.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lake Wales’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife181 ac
Town or city177 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits38 ac
State Conservation Area · 181 acLocal Park · 173 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 38 acState Recreation Area · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 181 | Restricted |
| Iwanis Park Local Park | Town or city | 109 | Open |
| Bok Tower Gardens Planted Pines Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 38 | Closed |
| Crystal Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Linton Sports Complex Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Northwest Complex Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Lake Wales Trailways State Recreation Area | Town or city | 4 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Lake Wales
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Lake Wales
Barney's PlaygroundIn Kiwanis Park
DirectionsFlorida Avenue Play ParkIn Northwest Complex
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Lake Wales
Lake Wales Dog Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Lake Wales
1 boat launch without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Picnic areas in Lake Wales
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
3 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.6 mi
Grove Road Three0.5 mi
Twin Lakes Boulevard0.2 mi
Hilltop Loop0.2 mi
Biking & sports
5.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
4.2 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
18Tennis
18Baseball
12Basketball
5Soccer
3Beach volleyball
1Volleyball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →19 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
★
Bok Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing TowerNational Historic Landmark · Structure · listed 1972
About itEl RetiroBuilding · listed 1985
About itC. L. Johnson HouseBuilding · listed 1989
About itLake Wales Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990
About itChalet SuzanneDistrict · listed 1990
About itAtlantic Coast Line Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 1990
About itB. K. Bullard HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itChurch of the Holy SpiritBuilding · listed 1990
About itDixie Walesbilt HotelBuilding · listed 1990
About itFirst Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 1990
About itG. V. Tillman HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itLake Wales City HallBuilding · listed 1990
About it7 more on the History page.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Lake Wales
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) | 10.6 | 11.2 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.5 | 13.9 | 13.7 | 13.1 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 10.4 |
| High (°F) | 73 | 76 | 79 | 85 | 89 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 85 | 79 | 75 |
| Rain (in) | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 8.6 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 6.6 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 2.4 |
November is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 8.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Lake Wales →
Next door
Lake Wales and its neighbors
Lake Wales has the second most mapped trails of the 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Wales | 3% | 0.4 | 12 | 56% | B− |
| Dundee | 1% | 0.4 | 12 | 56% | C+ |
| Winter Haven | 2% | 0.5 | 4 | 46% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lake Wales
How much of Lake Wales is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 3% for a Florida town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Lake Wales’ trails?
Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lake Wales?
5.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.5 of painted or protected lanes and 4.2 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Lake Wales?
33,563 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lake Wales or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 196 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lake Wales have?
Ahead of 49% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #328 of 638 in Florida. 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 Lake Wales 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 →