Inman Park
Park
7 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Connor J. Williams · CC BY 3.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Winter Haven
Winter Haven has 17 miles of mapped trails, 0.5 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Inman Park (0.8 mi), South Lake Howard Nature Park (0.7 mi). 216 acres are parks and preserves, 3.9 per 1,000 residents. 46% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns · #412 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
2%
411 acres · of 33.4 sq mi of land
Trails
17 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
216 ac
3.9 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
46%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
6.8 mi lanes · 3.9 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
32
2 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Winter Haven have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Winter Haven is ahead of 36% of U.S. towns, #412 of 638 in Florida. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Winter Haven’s overall grade.
Conserved land2% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%C+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (17 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land3.9 acres of park per 1,000 residents (216 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13CParks close to home46% 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 36%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 35%
Water is 21% of Winter Haven’s area (9 of 42 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 2%.
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
The longest trail network is Inman Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
South Lake Howard Nature Park
Park
18 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sertoma Park
Park
27 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Inman Park7 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
South Lake Howard Nature Park18 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Central Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsChain of Lakes Downtown Trailhead Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Sertoma Park27 acres
Rotary Park7 acres
Lake Cannon Park1 acres
DirectionsGirl Scout Park1 acres
Who protects it
411 conserved acres
2% of Winter Haven’s land. Water is left out: Winter Haven has 33.4 square miles of land and 8.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Winter Haven’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city202 ac
Other state land148 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)60 ac
County13 ac
Unknown Easement · 148 acLocal Park · 128 acConservation Easement · 60 acLocal Recreation Area · 49 acState Recreation Area · 38 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 195 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Haven to Lake Alfred Trail State Recreation Area | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Chain O Lakes Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Sertoma Park & Boat Ramp Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| South Lake Howard Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Cypress Gardens Local Park | County | 13 | Open |
| Wh Recreation And Cultural Center Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Chain O Lakes Stadium Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Lake Maude Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Lake Hartridge Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Inman Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
15 places to go in Winter Haven
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Winter Haven
Heartlake Stepping Tones Fountain
DirectionsLegoland Hotel Pool
DirectionsRowdy Gaines Olympic PoolFee
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Winter Haven
Benny's Play-Ship
DirectionsDuplo Splash & Play
DirectionsDuplo Tot Spot
DirectionsDuplo Tot Spot
DirectionsDuplo Tot Spot
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Winter Haven
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Winter Haven
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
32 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Crystal LakeDollar LakeLake BuckeyeLake CannonlakeLake ConinelakeLake DeerLake ElbertLake FannielakeLake GemlakeLake HartLake HartridgelakeLake HowardLake IdaLake IdylLake JesselakeLake LinkLake LucerneLake LululakeLake MariamlakeLake MarthaLake MaudeLake MaylakeLake MirrorlakeLake OtisLake PansyLake ReedLake ShipplakeLake SilverLake SmartlakeRattlesnake LakeReeves LakeSpring Lakelake
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.9 mi
off-road bike paths
Chain of Lakes TrailBike route
0.2 miCourts & fields
19Baseball
13Tennis
4Pickleball
3Basketball
3Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →7 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Woman's Club of Winter HavenBuilding · listed 1998
About itWinter Haven Heights Historic Residential DistrictDistrict · listed 2000
About itPope Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2001
About itDowntown Winter Haven Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2002
About itInterlaken Historic Residential DistrictDistrict · listed 2002
About itCypress GardensDistrict · listed 2014
About itCraney Spec Houses Historic DistrictBuilding · listed 2019
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in Winter Haven
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 | 11.2 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.5 | 13.9 | 13.8 | 13.1 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 10.4 |
| High (°F) | 72 | 75 | 79 | 84 | 89 | 91 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 85 | 79 | 74 |
| Rain (in) | 2.8 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 8.7 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 6.9 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 2.5 |
November is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 8.7 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Winter Haven →
Next door
Winter Haven and its neighbors
Winter Haven has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Winter Haven17 miLake Alfred16 miAlturas14 miAuburndale7.4 miLake Wales7.3 miDundee4.4 miCypress Gardens1.0 miInwood0.1 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Haven | 2% | 0.5 | 4 | 46% | C+ |
| Cypress Gardens | 2% | 0.3 | 1 | 62% | C |
| Inwood | 2% | 0.1 | 3 | 97% | C+ |
| Lake Alfred | 49% | 0.8 | 24 | 82% | A |
| Alturas | 9% | 0.3 | under 1 | under 1% | C− |
| Lake Wales | 3% | 0.4 | 12 | 56% | B− |
| Dundee | 1% | 0.4 | 12 | 56% | C+ |
| Auburndale | 2% | 0.5 | 11 | 42% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Winter Haven
Where can I hike in Winter Haven?
The longest trail networks: Inman Park, 0.8 miles; South Lake Howard Nature Park, 0.7 miles; Central Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Winter Haven is conserved land?
2% 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 Winter Haven’s trails?
Inman Park and South Lake Howard Nature Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Winter Haven?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.8 of painted or protected lanes and 3.9 of off-road paths. Named routes: Chain of Lakes Trail.
Is there public land near Winter Haven?
13,569 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Winter Haven or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 216 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Winter Haven have?
Ahead of 36% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #412 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 Winter Haven 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 →