Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 3.0Albany has 972 acres of parks, 14 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Riverfront Park (1 mi), Ragsdale Park (0.7 mi), C.W. Heath Park (0.5 mi). 75% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 5% of Albany’s land is conserved, about 1,671 acres.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #47 of 264 in Georgia. What drives it
How much outdoors does Albany have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Albany is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #47 of 264 in Georgia. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
Few Georgia towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Albany’s 5% is ahead of 80% of Georgia towns, while its trails per square mile lead 64% 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
The longest trail network is Riverfront Park, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ragsdale Park
C.W. Heath Park
Martin Luther King Jr. Park
Paul Eames Sports Complex
Tift Park
All 42 parks & preserves
1,671 conserved acres
5% of Albany’s land. Who manages Albany’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 780 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 7 of 83 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenspace Program Acquisition Local Recreation Area | County | 295 | Open |
| Flint River Greenway State Park | State natural resources | 135 | Open |
| Oakview & Riverside Cemeteries Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 80 | Open |
| Tift Park Local Park | Town or city | 34 | Open |
| Paul Eames Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 31 | Open |
| Dougherty County Greenspace Local Park | County | 31 | Open |
| Gordon Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Holloway Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Hillsman Park Local Park | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Turner Gym Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 11 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
15 places to go in Albany
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
4.6 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.
22 places 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.
10 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Albany: April and May
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) | 10.3 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.7 | 14.2 | 14.0 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.5 | 10.1 |
| High (°F) | 61 | 65 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 90 | 92 | 91 | 87 | 80 | 70 | 63 |
| Rain (in) | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 4.9 |
October is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 5.3 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Albany →
Questions about parks and trails in Albany
Where can I hike in Albany?
The longest trail networks: Riverfront Park, 1 miles; Ragsdale Park, 0.7 miles; C.W. Heath Park, 0.5 miles; Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Albany is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Georgia town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Albany’s trails?
Riverfront Park and Ragsdale Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Albany?
4.6 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.8 of painted or protected lanes and 2.8 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Albany?
11,866 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Albany or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 972 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Albany have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #47 of 264 in Georgia. 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 Albany 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 →