Standing Boy Trails
Managed by Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites
1,609 acres23.2 mi of trail
Lonely Hunter Loop TrailPrimary GoodsBiminisittin' pretty+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: PghPhxNfk · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Columbus
Columbus has 4,136 acres of parks, 20 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Standing Boy Trails (23.2 mi), The South Commons Sports and Entertainment Complex (4.8 mi), Cooper Creek Park (2.5 mi). 4% of Columbus’ land is conserved, about 5,761 acres. 73 miles of mapped trail cross Columbus, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns · #60 of 264 in Georgia. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
5,761 acres · of 216.5 sq mi of land
Trails
73 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
4,136 ac
20 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
58%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
50 mi
13 mi lanes · 37 mi paths
Highest peak
410 ft
Watson Hill
Lakes & rivers
47
2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Columbus?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Columbus have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Columbus is ahead of 58% of U.S. towns, #60 of 264 in Georgia. 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 Columbus’ overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical GA town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (73 mi) · GA 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land20 acres of park per 1,000 residents (4,136 acres) · GA 9 · U.S. 13BParks close to home58% of residents within a half mile of a park · GA 56% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 58%
LessMore
Georgia towns of 2,500+ (264)Ahead of 78%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Columbus ranks #330 on Outdoors.
Few Georgia towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Columbus’ 4% is ahead of 75% of Georgia towns, while its trails per square mile lead 64% of them.
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 Standing Boy Trails, with 23.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
The South Commons Sports and Entertainment Complex
Park
124 acres4.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Cooper Creek Park
Park
167 acres2.5 mi of trail
Cooper Creek Park Fitness Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Heath Park
Park
72 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Oxbox Meadows Environmental Park
Park
39 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 20 parks & preserves
Standing Boy Trails1,609 acres · 23.2 mi of trail · Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites
DirectionsThe South Commons Sports and Entertainment Complex124 acres · 4.8 mi of trail
DirectionsCooper Creek Park167 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
DirectionsBritt David Park41 acres · 1.5 mi of trail
DirectionsHeath Park72 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Columbus Botanical Garden31 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Wild wood park18 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsOxbox Meadows Environmental Park39 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsDinglewood Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Weracoba Park22 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Woodruff Riverfront Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsFlat Rock Park157 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVee's park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Carver Park70 acres
John Rigdon Park36 acres
DirectionsDouble Churches Park31 acres
North Recreation Center12 acres
DirectionsChattahoochee Promenade7 acres
Rose Hill Playground3 acres
MATHEWS D. SWIFT PARK1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
5,761 conserved acres
4% of Columbus’ land. Who manages Columbus’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources3,166 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits2,150 ac
Town or city1,802 ac
Joint816 ac
County305 ac
Army Corps of Engineers72 ac
Unknown Easement · 2,909 acState Park · 1,582 acLocal Park · 1,077 acLocal Recreation Area · 1,023 acPrivate Conservation · 914 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1,271 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 87 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standing Boy Creek State Park State Park | State natural resources | 1,582 | Open |
| Kendall Creek Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 818 | Closed |
| Bull Creek Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 530 | Open |
| Greenspace Program Acquisition Local Recreation Area | County | 224 | Open |
| Fall Line Trace Local Park | Town or city | 172 | Open |
| Oxbow Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 120 | Open |
| South Commons Sports & Entertainment Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 97 | Open |
| Hawkins (Ft. Benning Acub) Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 96 | Closed |
| Cooper Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 85 | Open |
| Woodruff Farm Soccer Complex Local Park | Town or city | 76 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
119 places to go in Columbus
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Columbus
Beaver Run Community Pool
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Columbus
Briding the Gap Community Playground
Directions110 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Columbus
Fetch Park
DirectionsMilgen Village Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Columbus
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Columbus
Watson Hill410 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Columbus
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
18 named trails and 47 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 16.0 miUnpaved · 26.8 mi
Lonely Hunter Loop Trail3.2 mi
Primary Goods2.4 mi
Bimini1.8 mi
Cooper Creek Park Fitness Trail1.8 mi
sittin' pretty1.6 mi
Primus1.4 mi
Chief North1.3 mi
Kinard's South1.1 mi
Kinard's North1.1 mi
Chief South1.1 mi
8 more trails
Chufi
0.8 miTie Snake
0.8 miHissy Fit
0.8 miLil Bit
0.6 miScrambled dog
0.5 miDoughboy
0.5 miViberations
0.4 miSwaveys
0.3 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Anglin LakereservoirAnthony LakelakeBearden LakeBeaver LakelakeBibb PondreservoirBiggers LakereservoirBlackmon LakeBonifay LakesreservoirBull Creek Watershed Lake Number 27Chapman Pease LakeCharter Oaks LakereservoirCherokee LakeCooper Creek ReservoirreservoirCox LakereservoirCrescent LakereservoirFlatrock Park LakelakeHead LakereservoirHeards LakeHidden LakereservoirJenkins LakereservoirJordan Company LakeKimbrough LakereservoirKitten LakelakeLake ChaplinreservoirLake CrystalreservoirLake ForestLake GingerreservoirLake HeathlakeLake MaryLake OliverlakeLambs LakelakeMcClure LakelakeMontarella LakelakeOpossum LakelakePine Knoll LakereservoirPop's PondpondSmith LakelakeStevens LakereservoirStory LakereservoirThornton LakelakeTwin LakesWeems Road LakereservoirWidgeon LakelakeBull CreekChattahoochee RiverUpatoi CreekWeracoba Creek
Biking & sports
50 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
13 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
37 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
150Tennis
79Baseball
26Football
18Basketball
11Softball
10Pickleball
7Soccer
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →140 places on the National Register, 3 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 4 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
Columbus Historic Riverfront Industrial DistrictNational Historic Landmark · District · listed 1978
About itColumbus Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1969
About itColumbus IronworksBuilding · listed 1969
About itGoetchius-Wellborn HouseBuilding · listed 1969
About itJoseph HouseBuilding · listed 1969
About itWalker-Peters-Langdon HouseBuilding · listed 1969
About itWells-Bagley HouseBuilding · listed 1969
About itC.S.S. MUSCOGEE AND CHATTAHOOCHEE (gunboats)Structure · listed 1970
About itPeabody-Warner HouseBuilding · listed 1970
About itSt. ElmoBuilding · listed 1971
About it128 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Columbus: 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) | 10.2 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.3 | 14.1 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 10.0 |
| High (°F) | 58 | 63 | 70 | 77 | 84 | 89 | 92 | 90 | 86 | 77 | 68 | 60 |
| Rain (in) | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 5.0 |
October is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 5.0 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Columbus →
Next door
Columbus and its neighbors
Columbus 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus | 4% | 0.3 | 20 | 58% | B |
| Cusseta | under 1% | 0.7 | 82 | 74% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Columbus
Where can I hike in Columbus?
The longest trail networks: Standing Boy Trails, 23.2 miles; The South Commons Sports and Entertainment Complex, 4.8 miles; Cooper Creek Park, 2.5 miles; Britt David Park, 1.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Columbus is conserved land?
4% 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 Columbus’ trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Standing Boy Trails, Columbus Botanical Garden (on leash) and Oxbox Meadows Environmental Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Columbus?
50 miles of bike routes are on the map: 13 of painted or protected lanes and 37 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Columbus?
7,629 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Columbus or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 4,253 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Columbus have?
Ahead of 58% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #60 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 Columbus 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 →