Bourlay Historic Nature Park
Park
83 acres2.5 mi of trail
Buddy's Bounty TrailPine Hollow TrailSettler's Bend TrailWaterfront Landing Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Connor J. Williams · CC BY 3.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Leesburg
Leesburg has 2,217 acres of parks, 72 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Bourlay Historic Nature Park (2.5 mi), Venetian Gardens (0.7 mi), Lake Sumter Sports Complex and Recreation Area (0.5 mi). 9% of Leesburg’s land is conserved, about 2,562 acres. 22 miles of mapped trail cross Leesburg, 0.5 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #107 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
2,562 acres · of 43.4 sq mi of land
Trails
22 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,217 ac
72 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
68%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.6 mi
1.5 mi lanes · 6.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
4
1 boat launch
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Leesburg have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Leesburg is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #107 of 638 in Florida. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Leesburg’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (22 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land72 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,217 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home68% 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 80%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 83%
Water is 9% of Leesburg’s area (5 of 48 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 8%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ 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 Bourlay Historic Nature Park, with 2.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lake Sumter Sports Complex and Recreation Area
Park
26 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto LSSC Lot J
Susan Street Sports Complex
Park
21 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 12 parks & preserves
Bourlay Historic Nature Park83 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
DirectionsVenetian Gardens49 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsLake Sumter Sports Complex and Recreation Area26 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsSusan Street Sports Complex21 acres
Ski Beach12 acres
Leesburg Recreational Complex12 acres
DirectionsBerry Park8 acres
Veteran's Memorial Park5 acres
DirectionsHerlong Park3 acres
Emeralda Marsh Conservation Area1 acres
Towne Square Park1 acres · City of Leesburg
DirectionsJohn L. Johnson Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,562 conserved acres
9% of Leesburg’s land. Water is left out: Leesburg has 43.4 square miles of land and 4.5 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Leesburg’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional Water Districts2,332 ac
Town or city170 ac
County112 ac
State fish & wildlife2 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 1,966 acLocal Conservation Area · 424 acLocal Park · 141 acLocal Recreation Area · 83 acUnknown Easement · 2 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 2 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 15 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat Island Preserve Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 1,826 | Unknown |
| Lake Harris Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Regional Water Districts | 424 | Restricted |
| Bourlay Historic Nature Park Local Other or Unknown | Regional Water Districts | 83 | Unknown |
| Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| Palatlakaha Environmental and Agricultural Reserve Park Local Other or Unknown | County | 57 | Open |
| P.E.A.R. Park Gateway Local Park | County | 55 | Open |
| Venetian Gardens Local Park | Town or city | 53 | Open |
| Susan Street Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Berry Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Gymnasium Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
8 places to go in Leesburg
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Leesburg
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Leesburg
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Leesburg
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Leesburg
2 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
8 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 0.9 miUnpaved · 1.4 mi
Buddy's Bounty Trail0.5 mi
PEAR Park Loop Trail0.4 mi
Pine Hollow Trail0.4 mi
Jackson Court0.3 mi
Settler's Bend Trail0.2 mi
Wildlife Conservation Area0.2 mi
Waterfront Landing Trail0.1 mi
Dog Trail Loop0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.6 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
6.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
28Pickleball
21Tennis
19Baseball
4Basketball
1Football
1Soccer
1Softball
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 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Mote-Morris HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in Leesburg
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) | 10.5 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.6 | 14.0 | 13.8 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 10.3 |
| High (°F) | 70 | 73 | 78 | 83 | 88 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 89 | 84 | 77 | 72 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 7.7 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 6.1 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 2.3 |
November is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 7.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Leesburg →
Next door
Leesburg and its neighbors
Leesburg has the second most mapped trails of the 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leesburg | 9% | 0.5 | 72 | 68% | A− |
| Yalaha | under 1% | 0.4 | 3 | 45% | C− |
| Fruitland Park | 13% | 0.2 | 72 | 43% | B+ |
| Wildwood | 1% | 0.9 | 9 | 9% | C+ |
| Groveland | under 1% | 0.4 | 1 | 50% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Leesburg
Where can I hike in Leesburg?
The longest trail networks: Bourlay Historic Nature Park, 2.5 miles; Venetian Gardens, 0.7 miles; Lake Sumter Sports Complex and Recreation Area, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Leesburg is conserved land?
9% 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 Leesburg’s trails?
Bourlay Historic Nature Park and Venetian Gardens don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Leesburg?
7.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.5 of painted or protected lanes and 6.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Leesburg?
28,748 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Leesburg or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,217 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Leesburg have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #107 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 Leesburg 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 →