Photo: Ebyabe · CC BY-SA 2.5Valdosta has 13 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Freedom Park (3.6 mi), Vallotton Youth Complex (0.6 mi). 76% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 541 acres are parks and preserves, 9.8 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns · #78 of 264 in Georgia. What drives it
How much outdoors does Valdosta have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Valdosta is ahead of 53% of U.S. towns, #78 of 264 in Georgia. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
Few Georgia towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Valdosta’s 3% is ahead of 65% of Georgia towns, while its trails per square mile lead 65% 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 Freedom Park, with 3.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Vallotton Youth Complex
Langdale Park
All 18 parks & preserves
689 conserved acres
3% of Valdosta’s land. Who manages Valdosta’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 223 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 34 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Park Local Park | County | 224 | Open |
| Barber Park Local Park | County | 54 | Open |
| Scott Park Local Park | County | 26 | Open |
| Vallotton Youth Complex Local Other or Unknown | County | 25 | Open |
| Blazer Field (Billy Grant Baseball Field) Local Recreation Area | Other state land | 23 | Open |
| McKey Park Local Park | County | 15 | Open |
| Mathis Audit/Pendelton Park Local Park | County | 13 | Open |
| Langdale Park Local Park | County | 11 | Open |
| Payton Park Local Park | County | 10 | Open |
| Drexel Park Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
40 places to go in Valdosta
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 22 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 7 community gardens without a name on the map.
3 lakes & rivers
2.2 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.
15 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 37 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
3 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Valdosta: 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) | 10.4 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.7 | 14.1 | 14.0 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.5 | 10.2 |
| High (°F) | 63 | 67 | 73 | 79 | 86 | 90 | 91 | 91 | 87 | 80 | 71 | 65 |
| Rain (in) | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 3.5 |
November is the driest month (2.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 6.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Valdosta →
Valdosta and its neighbors
Valdosta has the most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valdosta | 3% | 0.4 | 10 | 76% | B− |
| Bemiss | 9% | under 0.1 | 49 | 38% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Valdosta
Where can I hike in Valdosta?
The longest trail networks: Freedom Park, 3.6 miles; Vallotton Youth Complex, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Valdosta 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 Valdosta’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Freedom Park (on leash), Langdale Park (on leash) and Scott Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Valdosta?
2.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.2 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near Valdosta?
10,015 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Valdosta or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 541 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Valdosta have?
Ahead of 53% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #78 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 Valdosta 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 →