Watermelon Pond WEA
Nature preserve
1,288 acres2.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Mjrmtg · CC BY 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Newberry
Newberry has 386 acres of parks, 49 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Watermelon Pond WEA (2.1 mi). 8% of Newberry’s land is conserved, about 3,082 acres. 21% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns · #256 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
3,082 acres · of 60.7 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
386 ac
49 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
21%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
2.8 mi
2.8 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
1
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Newberry have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Newberry is ahead of 57% of U.S. towns, #256 of 638 in Florida. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Newberry’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land49 acres of park per 1,000 residents (386 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home21% of residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 57%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 60%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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
The longest trail network is Watermelon Pond WEA, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Goethe State Forest
Nature preserve
1,345 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Upper Waccassasa Conservation Area
Nature preserve
60 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Watermelon Pond WEA1,288 acres · 2.1 mi of trail
Goethe State Forest1,345 acres
Dudley Farm Historic State Park320 acres
Upper Waccassasa Conservation Area60 acres
Newberry Sports Complex North40 acres
Watermelon Pond - Wright20 acres
West Park5 acres
Lois Forte Park4 acres
Who protects it
3,082 conserved acres
8% of Newberry’s land. Who manages Newberry’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other state land1,346 ac
State fish & wildlife1,287 ac
State parks331 ac
Regional Water Districts99 ac
County20 ac
State Resource Management Area · 1,346 acState Conservation Area · 1,287 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 331 acLocal Conservation Area · 60 acUnknown Easement · 39 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 39 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 6 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goethe State Forest State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 1,346 | Open |
| Watermelon Pond Mitigation Park Wildlife and Environmental Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,287 | Restricted |
| Dudley Farm Historic State Park State Historic or Cultural Area | State parks | 331 | Open |
| Upper Waccasassa Conservation Area Local Conservation Area | Regional Water Districts | 60 | Restricted |
| Watermelon Pond - Wright Local Other or Unknown | County | 20 | Unknown |
Things to do
1 places to go in Newberry
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Newberry
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
2.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
24Baseball
6Tennis
3Soccer
2Football
2Equestrian
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Newberry
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) | 10.4 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.6 | 14.0 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 10.2 |
| High (°F) | 68 | 71 | 76 | 82 | 88 | 91 | 92 | 91 | 89 | 83 | 75 | 70 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 5.6 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 3.2 |
November is the driest month (1.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 8.0 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Newberry →
Next door
Newberry and its neighbors
Newberry has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newberry | 8% | 0.3 | 49 | 21% | B |
| Archer | under 1% | under 0.1 | 19 | 74% | C |
| High Springs | 4% | 0.7 | 7 | 51% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Newberry
Where can I hike in Newberry?
The longest trail networks: Watermelon Pond WEA, 2.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Newberry is conserved land?
8% 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 Newberry’s trails?
Watermelon Pond WEA and Goethe State Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Newberry?
2.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.8 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Newberry?
25,968 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Newberry or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,750 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Newberry have?
Ahead of 57% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #256 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 Newberry 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 →