Photo: Corey Coyle · CC BY 3.099% of residents live within a half mile of a park in Altoona
402 acres are parks and preserves, 19 per 1,000 residents. 5% of Altoona’s land is conserved, about 395 acres. 3.3 miles of mapped trail cross Altoona, 0.2 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns · #54 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Altoona?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Altoona have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Altoona is ahead of 72% of U.S. towns, #54 of 140 in Iowa. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
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 Haines Park, with 0.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Spring Creek Park
All 12 parks & preserves
395 conserved acres
5% of Altoona’s land. Who manages Altoona’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soccer Park Local Park | Town or city | 77 | Open |
| Sam Wise Youth Complex Local Park | Town or city | 67 | Open |
| Park Local Park | Town or city | 62 | Open |
| Spring Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 38 | Open |
| Lions Park Local Park | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Altoona Campus Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Greenway Park Local Park | Town or city | 19 | Open |
| Aquatics Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| New Altoona Cemetery Local Park | County | 9 | Open |
| Haines Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
14 places to go in Altoona
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Plus 10 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Plus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
29 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.
September is the best month for walking in Altoona
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) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 35 | 48 | 61 | 72 | 81 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 63 | 48 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Altoona →
Altoona and its neighbors
Altoona 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altoona | 5% | 0.2 | 19 | 99% | B+ |
| Bondurant | 1% | 0.1 | 11 | 96% | C+ |
| Pleasant Hill | 3% | 0.5 | 19 | 85% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Altoona
Where can I hike in Altoona?
The longest trail networks: Haines Park, 0.4 miles; Prairie Heritage Park, 0.3 miles; Altoona Campus, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Altoona is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 3% for an Iowa town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Altoona’s trails?
Haines Park and Prairie Heritage Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Altoona?
29 miles of bike routes are on the map: 29 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Altoona?
19,475 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Altoona or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 402 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Altoona have?
Ahead of 72% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #54 of 140 in Iowa. 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 Altoona 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 →