Harrison Park of Ellijay
Park
21 acres1 mi of trail
Dogs allowed
Directionsto Harrison Park Parking Lot
Photo: Tamparitus · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Ellijay
Ellijay has 78 acres of parks, 41 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Harrison Park of Ellijay (1 mi). 1.6 miles of mapped trail cross Ellijay, 0.4 per square mile of land. 3% of Ellijay’s land is conserved, about 76 acres.
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
76 acres · of 3.6 sq mi of land
Trails
1.6 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
78 ac
41 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
59%
of residents within ½ mile
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ellijay have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ellijay is ahead of 64% of U.S. towns. 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 Ellijay’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical GA town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · GA 0.2 · U.S. 0.4BPark land41 acres of park per 1,000 residents (78 acres) · GA 9 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home59% 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 64%
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Few Georgia towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Ellijay’s 3% is ahead of 69% of Georgia towns, while its trails per square mile lead 71% 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 Harrison Park of Ellijay, with 1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Veterans Memorial Park
Managed by Gilmer Recreation and Parks Department
56 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
76 conserved acres
3% of Ellijay’s land. Who manages Ellijay’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County76 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits26 ac
Local Recreation Area · 50 acUnknown Easement · 26 acLocal Park · 26 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Park Local Recreation Area | County | 50 | Open |
| Harrison Park Local Park | County | 26 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Ellijay
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Ellijay
Gilmer County Swimming PoolIn Veterans Memorial Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Ellijay
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
7Tennis
4Baseball
4Pickleball
2Soccer
1Football
1Equestrian
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.
Gilmer County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1980
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Ellijay: April to June
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) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 50 | 54 | 62 | 71 | 78 | 84 | 87 | 86 | 81 | 71 | 61 | 53 |
| Rain (in) | 5.6 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 5.9 |
October is the driest month (3.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 87 °F). 5.9 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 87 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Ellijay →
Questions about parks and trails in Ellijay
Where can I hike in Ellijay?
The longest trail networks: Harrison Park of Ellijay, 1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ellijay is conserved land?
3% 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 Ellijay’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Harrison Park of Ellijay. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ellijay?
48,541 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ellijay or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 78 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ellijay have?
Ahead of 64% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Ellijay 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 →